RANMA VS CAPCOM 2: The Tale of Ran & R
by THE MCD
Summary: Hey, everybody! Sorry for the long delay, but as promised, new episodes are here! FIVE NEW CHAPTERS! Please read & review!
1. Who's the New Gal in Nerima?

CHAPTER 01

-"_**WHO'S THE NEW GAL IN NERIMA? NEW TROUBLE ARISES"-**_

_**THE YEAR IS 20XX…**_

It was another day in Nerima Japan, where we see two teens coming from school, a boy with red Chinese clothes and black Kung Fu pants, the other is a girl dressed in a blue and white school uniform with short hair. They are Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, and Akane Tendo, his fiancée. As always, Akane's bugging Ranma:

"Geez Akane," Ranma snaps, "Why do you always have to be so violent?"

Akane counters back with, "Cause you're always being a hentai, and a pervert that's why!"

"Now why do you say that?"

"Don't give me that innocent face you jerk! I saw you flirting with that Chinese bimbo Shampoo!"

"For the 12th time Akane, I wasn't flirting! She came onto me and asked me as usual to take her out. It's nothing to get jealous about."

"Who's jealous! You can go out with whomever you want! I don't care!"

"Riiight. I don't know why you can't control yourself, I mean, you blow up at everything."

Akane glares at him. "What did you say to me?"

The next thing Ranma sees is the terrible mallet that Akane takes out and uses to pound Ranma into the pavement. After that she walks away, leaving Ranma on the pavement:

A hurting Ranma groans, "Ugh… Damn Akane and that mallet… I swear, why do I follow this stupid engagement? Man, I got fiancés who want to marry me, people who want to kill me, a crazy family… Things can't get weirder than this!"

Poor Ranma, fate sometimes can be so cruel.

* * *

We see a girl in the entrance to Nerima, wearing a blue shirt with black pants, her hair is purple with pink, and she's wearing it in a 'pigtail'…-"At last, I'm here in Nerima! Now to find him"-… the girl says, and proceeds to advance. She walks around the town of Nerima, admiring the view, then she sees that many dark clouds were gathering…-"Hmm, it looks like it's gonna rain, just my luck."-… the girl moans, but that didn't stop her; she was determined to find him.

Ryoga Hibiki was having a bad day, he just got lost, -(no surprise there)- and he didn't know how to get to the Tendo Dojo…-"Damn it, where on earth am I now"-… he curses. While he was walking, he spots a girl in the corner. What Ryoga sees gets him mad, he sees that the girl is wearing a 'pig-tail', has short hair, and immediately he thinks of…-"-(snarling)- RANMA"- Ryoga says and proceeds to attack this girl.

The girl is eating an ice cream cone, when she hears someone yelling…-"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIEEEE"-, the next thing she sees is a boy wearing black pants, an orange sweater with a yellow bandana and carrying an umbrella, charging towards her:

"Wha…?" the girl says, surprised. "Excuse me, what are you doing?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME RANMA AND FIGHT MEEE!"

"Wait! I think that there's a misunderstanding. I'm not who you claim to be!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME RANMA, JUST CAUSE YOU DYED YOUR HAIR PURPLE DOESN'T MEAN I WON'T RECOGNIZE YOU!"

"But I'm not Ranma! Really, I'm not! Please stop this!"

"SHUT UP AND DIE!"

Ryoga begins to throw lots of punches at the girl. The girl was really extraordinary in the martial arts; she dodges all the punches that Ryoga's throwing at her, but her patience is beginning to wear thin.

Now, the girl's irritated. "Listen here, I'm beginning to get annoyed by your attacks! Now stop this before I lose my patience!"

Ryoga:" HAAAA, DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH RANMA, TAKE THIS… SHI-SHI-HOUKODAAAAAAAAAAAN…"

Ryoga releases his ultimate technique at her, the ball hit her hard, but that didn't stop her completely, after that, she was angry with him now:

"Okay, now I'm MAD! NOW IT'S MY TURN BUDDY-BOY! TASTE THIS…GYAAAAAAAAAA!"

Then the girl releases a big wave of red fire at Ryoga. Poor Ryoga didn't have time to move away, so the flame attack hits him dead on and he goes flying like a rocket into the sky, after that:

"Well, that sure takes care of that wacko, now to find 'him'"

And she resumes her mission, but in the middle of the road she began to realize that the blast that she received did indeed hurt her.

At that moment, it began to rain.

* * *

It was 8:23 pm at the Tendo Dojo, the family was in their usual routine: Kasumi was cleaning the kitchen, Nabiki was reading some books, Soun and Genma were playing Shogi, Ranma was trying to relax in the living room, but, Akane was always pestering him about his supposed hentai adventures:

"Akane, why can't you find someone else to bother, I'm trying to relax here."

"Ranma you jerk."

Outside the Tendo house the girl, wounded by Ryoga's earlier attack, reaches the door and knocks. Kasumi hears someone knocking at the door, and then she proceeds to open the door. When Kasumi opens the door she sees a girl, all wet and hurt. But what she sees shocks her, then she calls her family:

"Father, Mr. Saotome, everybody please come here!" Kasumi calls out.

All the family storms over to Kasumi. They see her helping a girl to walk into the living room; what they see shocks them, especially Ranma. The girl looks very much like Ranma's girl-side, she even wears her hair in a 'pig-tail', as if she was Ranma's twin sister, except for the color of her hair, which was purple:

Worried, Soun asks, "Kasumi, who is that girl? What happened to her?"

"I don't know father, she was in the door when I opened it."

"What happened to her?" Nabiki asks. "Looks like she was in a fight."

"Looks like that," Akane says. Upon getting a closer look at the girl, "Hey, look at her! She… she looks a lot like… like…"

Nabiki finishes her younger sister's statement. "You're right Akane, she looks a lot like Ranma."

_How can that be? _Ranma thinks. _She looks very much like my cursed form._

"Guess we'll have to wait until she wakes up", Genma says. "In the meantime put her in the bed."

Then, as Genma suggested, they put the mysterious girl in the bed, and they wait for her to wake up.

* * *

It was 6:55 am; the girl wakes up and sees she's lying in a soft bed. She looks around and sees Kasumi cleaning the room; Kasumi notices the girl is awake, and greets her with a warm smile. "Oh! You're awake. How are you doing, dear?"

"Fine, thank you," The girl replies. "Can you tell me where am I?"

Kasumi blinks. "Um, you're in the Tendo House, my name is Kasumi Tendo. What's your name, dear?"

"Um, excuse me Miss. Tendo, can you tell me where I can find Ranma Saotome?"

"Ranma? Why, he lives here. Why do you ask?"

This makes the girl happy. "He is? Great! Can you take me to him please?"

"Sure dear, he's in the living room right now, let's go."

"Thanks, Kasumi."

And Kasumi takes the girl to Ranma. Worried, she thinks, _Oh my, I hope she isn't another fiancée for poor Ranma._ When they arrive to the living room where the entire group is, they see the girl:

"Hey, she's awake now. How are you feeling, girl?" Soun asks.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," the girl replies. Listen, I'm looking for Ranma Saotome."

The family tenses up at the sound of those words, especially Ranma. Curious, Nabiki questions, "And why are you looking for him? Are you another fiancée?"

"Fiancée? No, I'm not."

Glaring at her, Akane asks, "Just who are you anyway?"

The girl apologizes, "Oh I'm sorry! My name is _**Ran Hayami**_, sorry about this…"

Soun ahem'ed, "Well, Miss Ran, why are you looking for Ranma?"

Ran thinks about that for a moment, then says "Well, the truth is…"

"Yeah, yeah…?" everyone wants to know.

"…I don't know."

After hearing this all of them facefault to the floor:

Getting up, Soun asks the girl directly, "What kind of question is that? What do you mean you don't know?"

Ran confesses, "It's the truth, sir, I don't remember. All I know is that I was supposed to find Ranma Saotome."

All of them were beginning to get worried, and then they turn their eyes on Genma:

Soun grabs his friend firmly by the collar of his gi. "Saotome, don't tell me that she's another fiancée that you got Ranma engaged to?"

Sweating, Genma blurts out, "No, I swear I don't know her, honest!"

"Coming from you old man, I doubt that." Ranma snorts.

"I swear I don't know her!" Genma pleads. "You gotta believe me!"

While Soun and Ranma were questioning Genma, Akane glares at Ran. Oh boy, she's mad. "Listen here, you hussy! If you're another crazy fiancée that Mr. Saotome engaged Ranma to, forget it! He has enough girl problems as it is!"

Ran blinks, "Fiancée? Oh no, I'm not a 'fiancée'."

"Then why are you looking for Ranma?"

"Like I said, I don't remember."

"You liar, you are a fiancée! I'm warning you, stay away from Ranma or else!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"You bet your sorry ass I am!"

"Listen, I don't know what's up with that attitude of yours, but I don't like being threatened!"

"Ha, is that a challenge? Then I accept, come on!"

Then Akane gets into a fighting stance before her. "Well, what are you waiting for, fight!"

"Why do I have to fight you?", Ran asks, confused.

"Cause I said so! Either you fight or yield, what's it gonna be?"

"I say you're crazy, girl," Ran comments.

"What! What did you call me?"

"Crazy, I don't have to fight you for a stupid reason."

"Then you're a coward"

"I don't have to fight to prove I'm not a coward. Only ignorant people who are weak in and of themselves try to fight to prove that they're not cowards."

"ARE YOU CALLING ME WEAK AND IGNORANT!"

"Yes, it seems that you like to fight for stupid reasons. A true fighter is brave, not cause of how many fights he wins, but because of his noble heart, strong body, and clear mind."

This was like a big insult to Akane. "WHY YOU... THAT'S IT! TAKE THIS! KYAAAAAAAAA!" Then with pure rage, Akane charges against Ran, but Ran just evades her attacks, Akane couldn't believe the speed this girl has. She's getting very, very, frustrated. "STAND STILL YOU BITCH SO THAT I CAN HIT YOU!"

Ran laughs, "You cannot be serious, girl! Why would I let you hit me? What a joke!"

That only makes Akane even angrier then before. Then with blind rage, she throws punches and kicks, but Ran dodges them all with ease. Ranma was watching the fight; when he sees Ran fighting, he recognizes the moves that she was doing: Ranma thinks, _WOW, Ran's fighting skill looks very much like… like the Saotome Special Techniques, but how? How is it that she knows that fighting style?_

And Ran was getting tired of Akane, then, she decides to end it. She hits Akane with a powerful punch in her stomach. Akane goes down to the floor, twitching in pain. Soun is by his youngest daughter's side in an instant. "AKANE, PLEASE SPEAK TO ME! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT!"

Out of air, Akane pants, "I… I… ca… ca…"

Then Soun stares at Ran with his demon head technique. "HOW DARE YOU HURT MY BABY!"

Frightened by Soun's angry display, Ran panics. "EEP! Calm down, OK? First of all, she is not a baby! Second, she was trying to hurt me! I just defended myself from her wild attack."

Ranma speaks up. "She's right Mr. Tendo, Akane was trying to hurt her, even if she didn't want to fight her."

Soun roars at his future son-in-law, "RANMA, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT ABOUT YOUR FIANCEE?"

Ran apologizes, "Please, don't get mad. It wasn't my intention to hurt her on purpose, honest! I was only defending myself. But I must say, your daughter has a really bad temper, it seems that she cannot control herself in battle, and I just hit her with only a little of my strength and she fell down."

Akane hears that, then she gets up and says, "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU CHEATED!"

Ran blinks. "Cheated?"

"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU CHEATED! YOU TOOK ME BY SURPRISE! I WASN'T READY!"

"If that's the truth, that you're a lousy fighter."

"WHAT?"

"You heard right, a true fighter must be prepared before the fight, not during or after the fight. You think that in the real thing your opponent will care if you're ready or not? NO! Once the fight starts your opponent will fight you. He will not care if you're ready or not, and he'll beat you up."

Akane was beyond angry with the girl's insult. She pleads to her father, "Daddy, don't let her insult me! She's lying!"

But unfortunately, Soun couldn't deny anything that Ran said. Everything that she said was true, so he couldn't say anything to defend his daughter: But he tries anyway, so it comes out like, "Well… the thing is… like this…"

"Say Ran, can I ask you a question if you don't mind?" Nabiki asks.

"No, not at all," Ran replies.

"Where do you live?"

"… Actually, I don't remember either"

Nabiki cocks an eyebrow, amazed. "You don't even know where you live!"

Embarrassed, Ran says, "No, I don't know."

Kasumi gently asks, "And, do you have a place to stay?"

Ran thought about it, and it came to her, she didn't have a place to stay:

Ran blushes. "Um, no."

Kasumi cheerfully says, "In that case, why don't you stay here, until we can find out where you live, okay?"

Happy, Ran accepts. "Oh thank you Kasumi-san, but, I hope that that's okay with you guys?"

Ranma smiles. "I have no problem with that, besides, it would be cool to spar with you."

Soun then takes Ranma to the corner of the house. "Ranma, what do you think you're doing? Why are you letting that girl Ran stay here?"

Ranma tells him, "It's because I want to find out who she is and most of all, just where did she learn how to fight –"Saotome Technique"-, you saw it when she fought Akane."

Soun nods in agreement. "Hmmm, you're right Ranma, we better consult the master to see if he hasn't being teaching others."

After that, they return to the living room: "Ran, we would be honored if you stayed here." Soun says.

Ran:"-(happy)- Thank you very much Mr. Tendo."

Akane's mad about this new development. "WHAT? Are you crazy? She can't stay here!"

Kasumi chides, "Akane, don't be a poor host."

"Yes, Akane, let's show a little more hospitality." Soun adds.

"Fine, have your little Ran! See if I care!" With that, Akane storms away. Then Ranma shows Ran to her room. Ran found it quite comfortable.

After that Ranma talks to Nabiki. "Nabiki, can I ask you a favor?"

Nabiki's surprised by this. Ranma's asking her for a favor? "A favor, from you Ranma, and to me?"

"Yeah, you think you can investigate about Ran, you know, where she lives, who's her parents?"

Nabiki thinks about it for a moment, then says, "… Very well Ranma, I'll talk about it with Dr. Tofu and we'll see what I can find out."

Ranma appreciates this. "Thanks. I know I don't have much money, but I promise to pay you."

Nabiki: smiles. "Don't worry Ranma, consider this one a favor with no payments. After all, since you've saved my family dozens of times, I suppose it's time I show a little gratitude to you."

"I'm happy to hear that Nabiki."

* * *

The next day, Nabiki went by Dr. Tofu's clinic and explains to him about the situation of the girl Ran. Dr. Tofu begins to look through all the medical files and records. Nabiki, with her computer skills, begins to look for any I.D of Ran.

In the meantime, Ran was having a great time with Ranma. Sparring with him was exciting. Ranma also found out that Ran reminded him so much of him that it was creepy, but he got over it. He was determined to find out just how she knew the Saotome-ryuu fighting style.

Later Soun and Genma interrogate Happosai. "Look, I'm telling you that I didn't have any other students, I only taught the Art to you two, but that's just it.", the old pervert says.

Soun, not convinced, asks urgently, "Are you sure Master? Are you sure you didn't teach it to another person and you don't remember it?"

"I'm sure of it. I may be old, but I have an excellent memory. Whoever this Ran is, I don't ever remember seeing her, much less teach her the Art."

"Then how is it that she knows the Art Master?" Genma asks.

"I really don't know, but I'll find out." Happosai says.

* * *

In the night, when everybody's asleep, Ran wakes up screaming out loud…-" NO, STOP THAT PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO DO IIIIIIT"-… she screams. Everybody rushes over to Ran's room. Ranma's the first to enter. "Ran, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Kasumi asks, "What's the matter Ran?"

Ran, sweating, says, "Ranma, Kasumi… sorry. I..I think I had a bad dream, sorry about this."

Kasumi assures her. "That's okay dear, it was only a bad dream."

"But it's over now," Ranma says "You wanna talk about it Ran"

"N-no, maybe tomorrow, I just want to get some sleep."

"Very well dear, if you need anything let me know okay?" Kasumi informs Ran.

"Thanks Kasumi, I will," Ran gratefully says.

After that all of them go to sleep. The next day, while Ran and Ranma go to the store to buy groceries, Nabiki and Dr. Tofu arrive at the house with the information about Ran. "Nabiki, Dr. Tofu, did you get the info on Ran?" Soun asks.

"Well, yes and no," Nabiki tells her father.

Genma's puzzled. "Yes and no! What do you mean?"

"This girl is really a mystery," Dr. Tofu comments.

"Why is that" Genma wants to know.

Dr. Tofu elaborates. "I checked on every medical record of hospitals all over Japan, and…listen to this… She doesn't have a birth certificate, nor a social security, nor medical file…"

Nabiki adds, "And she doesn't have an I.D. of anything, I checked everything the government had, she doesn't have a register…"

Dr. Tofu follows, "It's like, she appeared out of nowhere. That's very weird."

"Are you sure?" Soun asks.

"Yep." Nabiki says.

"But that's not the worst of it." Dr. Tofu mentions.

"Oh! There's more?" Genma asks, wondering what Tofu's going to say next.

The good doctor explains, "Yes. When I checked her blood sample, it came so close to… Ranma's."

All the Tendo, Saotomes scream in shock after hearing this. Genma yells, "SAY WHAAT?"

Soun "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY DR. TOFU? THAT SHE'S HIS SISTER?"

Dr. Tofu corrects, "I didn't say that. Her sample is close to Ranma's, but it's different. I must look more closely."

Genma tries to take in what Dr. Tofu's just said. He turns to his friend. "What could this mean, Tendo?"

Soun shakes his head. "I really don't know, Saotome, but I don't like it a bit."

Ran and Ranma were coming from the store. Ranma says, "I'm really having a good time with you Ran. You certainly know how to fight, unlike a certain un-cute fiancée that I know, and how did you learn those moves? I'll never know."

Ran smiles back. "I too am having a wonderful time with you guys. Even though I don't know why I came here in the first place, I'm happy that I did."

"Well, we'd better hurry to the house with the groceries, so that Kasumi makes tonight's meal. I'm starving!"

Ran giggles. "Always thinking with your stomach… me too!"

And they go straight to the house. Ranma thought things couldn't get any weirder.

* * *

However, in the hills of Nerima there's a person, with long white hair-(Inuyasha Style)- watching Nerima, and only one thought in his mind:

_Nerima, at last! Be prepared Ranma Saotome, cause when I find you, it will be your end!_

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	2. Beware the White Rose! Here's R!

CHAPTER 02

-"_**BEWARE THE WHITE ROSE! HERE'S R!"-**_

Last time:

In the hills of Nerima there's a person, with long white hair- (Inuyasha Style)- watching Nerima, and only one thought in his mind:

_Nerima, at last! Be prepared Ranma Saotome, cause when I find you, it will be your end!_

* * *

The ringing of his cell phone interrupts the stranger. He pulls it out of his pocket and answers the call. "Yeah, what is it?

_I'm just checking on you_, the voice on the other end of the line says._ What's your current location?_

"I'm up in the hills, just outside Tokyo city limits. And then, it's on to Nerima!

_That's good. Proceed to Tokyo. Once you're in town, stay there and wait for further instructions._

The stranger's annoyed by this. "You KNOW I hate waiting. I'd much rather go in, kill him, and get it over with."

_Hmph! You think it'll be THAT easy? There's a reason why we're doing it this way. Take this opportunity to study your target, get to know it inside out. You already know his moves. Learn how he thinks and fights, and you'll have an advantage over him when the time comes. For now, go to Tokyo and wait. If you have to fight anyone while you're there, be careful about using your powers – I don't want you drawing any unwanted attention._

"Yeah, whatever."

_Very well. You have your instructions, now carry them out._

"Fine. But what about the "you-know-what"? I should be out looking for that instead of wasting my time on this."

_The past is the past, what's done is done. You did the best you could to keep her from getting away. Anyway, don't worry about the Phoenix Stone and the girl – I've got someone else to handle that matter. You stay focused on your current mission._

" …………………………"

_I'm counting on you, son. I'm sure you know the consequences for failure._

"Of course, sir. Have I ever failed you yet?"

"_Heh, heh, heh, I know you won't. Good luck. I'll be in touch._

"Oh yeah? In the future, don't call me, I'll call you. OK? Geez!" And with that, he hangs up the cell phone. He reaches into his jacket pocket, and pulls out a long-stemmed rose. The stranger takes the innocent-looking flower and tosses it, stem first, like a dart at a nearby rock. The rock explodes on contact! Satisfied, the mysterious stranger gets behind the wheel of his car, a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) V-Spec. Those of you who've played Gran Turismo 3, you know what this car looks like. You know what it does. Period. The car was painted in a deep red color, much like the color of blood. He revs up the engine and speeds off toward Tokyo.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a giant castle hidden somewhere in the mountains of China...

In the darkness of a dimly lit laboratory, we see an old man with wild hair, a big mustache, and a lab coat. It's Dr. Albert W. Wily, mad scientist extraordinaire and archenemy of Megaman. He just got off the phone with the mysterious stranger while working on a new kind of machine; he had been working on it for months, day and night, with almost no rest at all. _Hee hee hee!_, Wily thought. _It won't be long! First, I'll get that Saotome kid for ruining my plans last year. Then I'm going after Megaman with a vengeance! And then the world will be mine!_ He was about to break out in his usual evil laughter when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" Wily yelled.

Bass entered the lab, Treble with him, "What are you working on now, Doc? Another new lame-o robot? I keep telling you, I'm all you need to destroy that blue idiot! There's no need for you to make any more junk robots."

"Yeah? You've been beaten by Megaman before." Bass sweat dropped at that.

"HEY! I underestimated him last time. But I will conquer him this time!"

"Yeah right. You can battle with Megaman all you want. The robot that I'm making right now will blow the both of you away. And as for Ranma Saotome, I've got a little surprise planned especially for him!"

"What? Don't tell me you're sending "Dog-Boy" to do your dirty work? After that fiasco with that girl and the Phoenix Stone, I didn't think you would let him take on another mission."

"Don't you worry about R. As we speak, he's already on his way to Tokyo. The loss of the Phoenix Stone was only a minor setback. That's where you come in, Bass. As of today, I'm putting you in charge of getting it back."

"What? ME? Why do I have to make up for HIS mistake?", Bass angrily asks.

"Because our friends, the RED CATS, need the Phoenix Stone. And, if we play our cards right, we can get some of its power too!" Wily snaps back.

"And another thing!" Bass continues. "You're always defending him! In your eyes he can do no wrong! What's "Dog-Boy" to you anyway? Is he like your son or something?"

Dr. Wily was about to say something about that remark when a little cat-like man (who eerily resembles Team Rocket's Meowth) wearing red Chinese clothes and a matching red cap enters the room. The little man was a soldier of the RED CAT GANG, a secret society that Dr. Wily had recently joined forces with.

"Um, excuse me, Dr. Wily, but our leader, the Cat Ghost King, wants to see you," the soldier says.

"What? Now? All right, I'm coming. Bass, we'll continue this discussion later." Dr Wily then leaves the lab. The RED CAT soldier, however, remains behind.

"Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be going with the Doc?" Bass asks the soldier.

"Forgive me, Lord Bass," the soldier says while bowing. "But I overheard that Dr. Wily has chosen you to get our Phoenix Stone back."

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Er...well, I was only going to say that he couldn't have chosen a better person for the job, especially since Lord R is busy on his current mission."

"Grrrr…?" Treble growls with concern to Bass.

"Yeah, Treble, I know. Something stinks about this whole thing." Bass then turns to the soldier. "Say, just between you and me, what's the real deal with "Dog-Boy" anyway?"

"Lord Bass! How dare you refer to Lord R that way? He's our best fighter, and Dr. Wily seems to have complete confidence in him. From what I heard, Dr. Wily has taken steps to ensure Lord R's continued loyalty to our unified cause."

_You'd better hope the Doc's plans don't backfire on you_, Bass thinks.

"Alright, But don't say I told you so." Bass turns and walks out the lab, "Come on, Treble." With those words, Treble walks next to Bass, and the RED CAT soldier follows them out.

Bass couldn't understand why Dr. Wily would want to team up with these RED CAT guys to get rid of Megaman. It was a good idea since they had world domination as a common goal, yes, but Bass would have just preferred to destroy Megaman himself. After all, Bass's grudge was with Megaman anyway, not with Ranma Saotome. Never mind the fact that ever since the pig-tailed martial artist along with other heroes (Megaman included) had foiled Dr. Wily's plans one year ago, the doc became obsessed with trying to destroy Ranma, Megaman, and any other would-be heroes that got in his way. Still, Bass wonders what Wily was going to do with that R guy…

Bass, Treble, and the RED CAT soldier eventually come to a large pair of doors. Bubbleman and another RED CAT soldier are standing at attention on either side of the door. The soldier who accompanied Bass trades places with Bubbleman for guard duty, and Bubbleman joins Bass. Then the soldiers open the doors and allow the three to enter.

They stand in a secret chamber. It's dark inside, with the only light coming from torches giving off strange purple flames. Bass and Bubbleman see Dr. Wily standing in front of a huge golden statue of the Cat Ghost King, shaped like a goofy-looking cat. Apparently, Wily was talking to it before they entered. Then the statue speaks! "Meow! It appears things are not going well, Dr. Wily."

"Merely a minor setback, your majesty. Don't worry; you'll have your Phoenix Stone back," Dr. Wily assures the statue.

"See that you do. Meow!"

"Of course, your highness." Wily bows to the statue; Bass and Bubbleman are shocked, Bass especially – since when did the Doc take orders from anybody?

Bubbleman whispers, "Hey, Bass, why's the doc taking orders from a statue?

Bass whispers back, "Because it talks, you idiot!

The statue's eyes light up. " MEOW! HEY! I'm no statue! I'm the Cat Ghost King! The most rotten villain in the universe! You'd better watch your mouth, bubble boy!

Bubbleman corrects, "Uhh…no you're not. You're a statue. Statues don't talk." Bubbleman notices that the statue's getting angry! Uh oh! "Err..um…well, at least I don't think they do…."

"Oh yeah? Can a statue do THIS?" The statue's eyes glow brightly, dark clouds of energy appear overhead, and they hear the sounds of thunder, then a huge bolt of lightning strikes Bubbleman down!

"ACK!" Electrocuted, Bubbleman falls over!

"Well, I sure showed him!" To Dr. Wily and Bass, the status says, "Now, what was I going to say before our good friend, the late Bubbleman, rudely interrupted me…"

Bubbleman gets up and says, "But I'm not dead!

"What?", the statue says, surprised.

Wily tries to cover up what's happened. "Oh no, it's nothing your highness!

"I'm not dead!"

"Hey, Doc! Bubbleman says he's not dead," Bass says, stating the obvious.

"Of course he is!" Wily insists.

"I'm not!"

"He isn't? Err…well, anyway meow, as I was saying before the near-fatal wounding of Bubbleman…."

"Um, I think I'm getting better!

Bass angrily whispers, "Yo, Bubbles! Shut up or you'll REALLY be dead!"

Dr. Wily nods discreetly to Bass, and the two villains step aside, leaving Bubbleman to await whatever horrible fate the Cat Ghost King has for him….

"As I was about to say ... before Bubbleman, when he seemed about to recover, felt the vengeance of heaven upon him...!" The Cat Ghost King charges up another blast, and zaps poor Bubbleman again!

Bubbleman cries out, "ACK! Again!"

Bass says plainly, "Well, now we know – lightning DOES strike twice!"

"…………………..," Bubbleman groans.

Suddenly, the lights in the secret chamber grow dim. "What's going on?" Dr. Wily asks.

"Aw geez, Doc! Did you forget to pay the light bill again?" Bass sarcastically says.

The statue laments, "Oh, I really hate it when this happens meow…. No, boys, my little display of elemental manipulation sapped a lot of my energy. As long as I remain trapped inside this statue, my powers are limited meow.

"Limited? Not from where we stand, Big Cat! I mean, look what you did to Bubbleman!" Bass says, pointing to Bubbleman's twitching form, on the ground.

Bubbleman weakly reports, "Oh…I'm feeling much better now…" Then, he gets zapped again. "ACK!" Bubbleman finally goes down for the count!

Bass snorts, "Three strikes, and he's out!"

Treble barks, "Grrrf! (Yeah!)"

"Now, to more important matters meow," the statue says. "Bass, it will now be your duty to retrieve the Phoenix Stone. Dr. Wily has informed me of this plan and we believe that you will succeed. My loyal followers, the RED CATS, are at your service and will help you carry out this mission."

Bass accepts the statue's order. "Sure thing, Big Cat. And what about the girl?"

Dr. Wily speaks up, "Yes, I want to know also. Granted, she took the Phoenix Stone, but she doesn't know about our master plan. Despite her fighting skills, she poses no real threat.

"We can't take that chance, Doctor. Because of her actions, Lady Ran is a traitor to our unified cause. Therefore, Bass, if you find her, you may do to her whatever you see fit."

"Understood." _That'll really mess up Dog-Boy for sure!_ Bass thinks, as he smiles evilly. He knows certain things about R & Ran. Uh oh.

"Serve me well, Bass, and I'll give you a kingdom to rule when this is over. Meow!"

Bass thinks, _Hmm… King Bass. I like the sound of that. Has a nice ring to it. This is getting interesting._ Out loud, he says, "Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn here, Big Cat, but what about… He's about to call R "Dog-Boy" again, but says his name with obvious disgust. " …R? After all, he WAS the one who cost you your precious rock in the first place."

"Bass!" Wily shushes.

"Do not concern yourself with Lord R. He is taking care of a "problem" that we both have. Meow!", the statue says.

Bass knows that their "problem" is Ranma Saotome, someone both the Cat Ghost King and Dr Wily hate. But that still doesn't answer his question about what they plan to do with R. "OK, if you say so." _Doc, what did you get us into?_ Bass thinks._ The Big Cat may be a big dope, but he seems to know what he's doing. And why's Dog-Boy so important to them? There's something they're not telling me. For now, let's play along and see what happens. After all, there's a kingdom in it for me!_

"You both know what to do. Now..." the statue pauses for dramatic effect, then commands, "Go! Meow!"

"Bass, grab Bubbleman, and let's go back to the lab. We'll fix him later," Dr. Wily tells his second-in-command. "Then, we must prepare…."

"Prepare for what, doc?" Bass asks as picks up the thrice-struck-by-lightning Bubbleman, who's still not dead, by the way…

"The same thing we always prepare for, Bass – to take over the world! HA HA HA HA!"

Bass groans, "Man, I should've seen that one coming…"

Bubbleman does his best "Pinky" impression, "NARF!"

Bass hisses, "Shut up, Bubbles! Unless you want the Big Cat to zap you again!" Needless to say, Bubbleman shuts up!

They leave. The statue's eyes continue to glow, however… "You're doing a good job, Dr. Wily. Once Bass gets my Phoenix Stone back, I'll help you destroy Megaman as promised. But little do they know I have a plan of my own, meow! R has a much higher destiny in store for him! For if I'm right, he may be…!. Heh heh heh! Meow!"

The statue's eyes stop glowing, and the lights go out, leaving the secret chamber in total darkness.

* * *

A few hours later, the mysterious white-haired stranger arrives in Tokyo. While driving, he received a message on his cell phone from the man who called him earlier. The message contained directions to an apartment that was reserved in the stranger's name. The stranger was surprised to see where he'd been sent. It was one of those high-class, luxury apartment buildings. _Only the best_, the stranger thought. He parked his car in the parking garage across the street from the apartment complex and walked over to the building. On his way there, a guy with curly hair, a beard, and glasses, bumps into him, he's dressed like Kyosuke from Rival Schools / Project Justice, wearing a white school uniform and a black T-shirt. He's also wearing a cross necklace.

"Hey, watch where you're going pal!", the stranger growls.

"No need to get steamed, man. I'm kinda new in this town, and I just wanna ask for directions." the new guy asks.

"Yeah? Well look into a phonebook and get outta my way!"

"Sheesh, thanks a lot, Mr. Grumpy!"

Once he's entered the complex and inside the lobby, the clerk running the front desk recognizes him and calls his name… "Mr. Shirobara? Mr. Shirobara?" That got the stranger's attention. It was the assumed name Dr. Wily gave him to use in order to hide his true identity.

"Yeah, that's me.' He goes over to the front desk. "I understand you have a room reserved for me?"

"Yes, sir, and it's already been paid for." The clerk gives him the key to the apartment. "It's on the top floor, one of our best rooms. You lucky guy, you."

The stranger takes the key, "Uhh…thanks."

"Now, don't do anything I wouldn't do now, you hear?", the clerk says with a knowing wink. The stranger is annoyed with the clerk's comment. _What does he think I'm going to do, invite some girls and have a wild party? What a pervert! I oughta kick his butt for that_, he thought. But he politely says to the clerk… "Sorry. I'm here for business. Not pleasure."

"Oh, yeah, suuure. Anyway, enjoy your stay, Mr. Shirobara."

"Yeah, whatever." _Jerk._

The mysterious stranger takes the elevator to the top floor, then makes his way to his room. He finds the one he's looking for – it has his name on the door, engraved on a golden nameplate, R. SHIROBARA. _How appropriate_, the stranger thought, _that the assumed name Dr. Wily gave me is the same as my nickname, Shirobara – the "White Rose"._ He opens the door and goes inside.

"Sweet," He whistles. Indeed, it is. The apartment is fully furnished, with leather furniture and a table made out of black marble in the main room. There's a kitchen, a large bath with a hot tub, and a king-sized bedroom. The apartment is equipped with a phone and a laptop computer. There's even a flat-screen TV, with a PlayStation 2 hooked up to it! And thanks to the large panoramic window, the stranger gets a great view of the city. _I gotta hand it to Dr. Wily. This is one nice apartment. A bit much, though. He must really want me to stay put. I'd better get this mission over with quickly._

And as the stranger is about to settle in, the telephone rings. _Oh great, now what?_ He answers the phone. "Hello?"

_It's me again. Good, you're at the apartment I checked out for you. I trust everything's to your liking?_

"Heh. Nice place you got me in, sir."

_Yeah, well don't get too comfortable, my boy. This place is only temporary. We'll be joining you in a few days. Then you'll move into the mansion, which will serve as our base of operations._

"Hmph."

"_I know how you hate to wait, but it's all part of the plan. Stay put and don't do anything until you hear from Bass or me. And remember what I said about using your powers."_

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Good. I'll be calling you again soon. Dr. Wily hangs up. The mysterious stranger puts down the phone and takes another look around the apartment. _Man, it's nice,_ he thinks, _but I don't wanna hang around here all night. Wait a minute! Mr. Director only said to stay put. He didn't say "where"!_ He then looks out the huge window of his room. Out loud, he says, "Hmm…it's a nice night outside. I think I'll go see some sights, and get into a few fights. Can't let my skills get rusty.

* * *

And so the mysterious stranger "R. Shirobara" changes his clothes, putting on a red suit, a white shirt, and a black vest. He then leaves his apartment to go for a walk out on the town. As he's walking, he notices a crowd of people gathered at a local dojo. Some of them are wearing pink karate gi. The stranger looks up and reads the sign. "Saikyo-ryu Dojo? Saikyo-ryu? Never heard of it. Let's check it out." The stranger walks up to someone in the crowd and asks, "What's going on?"

"You haven't heard? The owner of this dojo is coming to sign copies of his new book. His fan club is throwing a big party to celebrate the dojo's anniversary."

"A fan club? Sounds like the owner's pretty popular."

"Well, you COULD say that…. oh, they're about to start."

We see a young man in his 20's who wears his brown hair in a 'cool' hairstyle and is dressed in a pink karate gi like his, erm… idol. It is Morimoto, the president of the "Official Dan Hibiki Fan Club" (Is there really such a thing?). He gets up on stage, grabs a mike, and speaks to the crowd. "And now ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for! Let's give it up for the founder of Saikyo-ryu, "The Man" himself, Daaaaaaaaan Hibiki!"

Then, the guest of honor makes a spectacular entrance by falling from out of nowhere onto the ground in an explosion (like in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter)! "HWAAAAAAH!" Dan hits the ground; then the explosion. "OOF! OW! I've got to work on that landing!"

The stranger notices that only the people wearing the pink karate gi are clapping and cheering. Then a group of cheerleaders (also wearing pink uniforms) appear and do a special cheer. The lead cheerleader calls, ":Ready!" The other cheerleaders respond, "OK! Dan! Dan! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can! GOOOOOOO DAN! YAY!"

"Thanks, girls!" Dan then addresses the crowd. "Evening folks! I 'm so glad that all of you came out to this celebration. You know, a lot of people said I wouldn't make it, that I was just a joke. Well, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW? Saikyo-ryu's still going strong, baby! YAHOO!"

The fan club claps and cheers. The cheerleaders do another cheer. "Dan! Dan! He's the best! Dan! Dan! He'll beat the rest! YAY!"

R sweatdrops. He turns to the guy he spoke to earlier and asks, "Uhh…is this guy for real?"

The person in the crowd sighs, "I'm afraid so."

"And so, I dedicate this special evening to you, my loyal fans! Thanks for believing in me, in spite of all the obstacles, opposition, and jokes I faced!" Dan looks up to the sky. "And Dad, if you're watching, this one's for you!" He gets all teary-eyed as he does his famous win pose. "YATTA ZE, OYAJIIIII!!" (Cries some more)

Dan's cheerleaders start up yet another cheer. "Oh Dan he's so fine! He's so fine he blows our mind! Hey Danny!"

Watching Dan's theatrics, R concludes, "Geez, this guy's a nut!"

Dan continues, "Now, I could revel you with tales of my fights, but…I'm not going to. You can read all about it in my new book!" He pulls out a copy of his book, titled "From ZERO to HERO: The Dan Hibiki Story". "Today, we celebrate the Saikyo-ryu dojo's past and present, and drink a toast to its future! YAHOO!"

Dan's fan club responds with a loud "YAHOO!!"

And so, the celebration begins. Dan is signing copies of his book, while the "Official Dan Hibiki Fan Club" tries to recruit new members for the club (and for Dan's dojo – he's been looking for new students to teach his style to!). While everyone else is laughing and enjoying themselves, the mysterious stranger "R. Shirobara" picks up a copy of Dan's book and flips through it. At first "ZERO to HERO" read like one of those stories where the nobody became a somebody, how through hard work, persistence, and determination the hero finally gets recognition for his efforts. But R's passing interest soon turns to disgust as he reads more of the book…

"Crap …." R flips through a chapter. "Crap…." He flips through some more chapters. "Double-crap…." More page turning. "Mega-crap….WHOA! CRAP AND A HALF!" He closes the book shut and thinks, _Does he actually expect people to believe this hogwash! OK, that's it! I can't take it anymore! He's got to be stopped!_

And R goes over to the booth where Dan's book signing is taking place, pushing people out of the way. Two members of Dan's fan club try to stop him, but they're no match for his strength and are knocked down. He makes his way to the front of the booth and confronts Dan. Dan is surprised. "Wow! It's Inuyasha!"

R facefaults. "ACK! You idiot! I'm not Inuyasha!"

"Well, you sure do look like him, I mean, with the hair, the attitude, and all. Judging by the way you came in, cutting in front of everybody, you must REALLY want my autograph! Where do you want me to sign?"

R stops him, "Don't flatter yourself, pal. I'm here to talk about this "book" of yours." He grabs the microphone from the club president. "OK, you had me when you told your life story. But in later chapters, when you talk about your battles…. Tell me, what REALLY happened when you fought Sagat, hm?"

Dan: You read the book, didn't you? You know what happened – I defeated Sagat and avenged my father's death!

R: I'm not saying you didn't beat him. It's just that in your book, you describe him as a pushover. Recently, I've fought the guy while I was vacationing in Thailand, and he's definitely no pushover!

Dan, nervous, says, "Um…you've met Sagat? Oh dear… Oh, umm… So, how's the old Cyclops doin' these days?"

R replies, "Oh fine, fine. You know, I don't know why people make him out to be such a bad guy. Sure, the man's got issues, especially with that guy who scarred his chest with the Shoryuken. But he's an honorable man, and a good fighter. I don't think he'd appreciate you dragging his reputation through the dirt like that. He probably felt sorry for you and let you beat him just to get you off your revenge kick."

The fan club is shocked. Sagat? Honorable? No way!

Dan stands up, angry. "HEY! He killed my father! He had it coming! And I gave him what he deserved!" He gets nervous again. "Umm… he didn't say anything about me at all to you, did he?"

R chuckles, "Only that you're still a loser, he's got a Tiger Cannon with your name on it, oh, and, uh, for you to watch your back!"

Dan smacks himself, "D'OH!" The crowd begins to wonder about Dan; R continues. "And the time you fought M. Bison and Shadowloo? You just got lucky, that's all."

Dan doesn't like where this is going. "Lucky? HEY! Stop putting down my victories! I really did beat Bison!"

R's like, "Oh yeah? How? Oh, never mind, I'll just tell you – dumb luck, plain and simple. And didn't you have help from that girl Sakura and that beast guy Blanka? You didn't even mention them at all in your story."

Dan defends his story. "They're in there! I just, um, forgot to write them in, that's all."

"Forgot? Oh my, that'll never do. Oh….one more thing, in the chapters about the MILLENNIUM FIGHT 2000 and MILLIONAIRE FIGHTING 2001 tournaments, when did you EVER get to touch Mai Shiranui's….Oh, I'd better stop right there. I've embarrassed you enough already."

Now, Dan's sweating bullets. His fan club looks at him funny. A few people in the crowd call him a pervert.

At this point, R's got the audience's attention. "So what we have here, folks, is a guy who thinks he's the world's greatest martial artist, but through dumb luck, got to where he is today. Oh, did I mention he's really a pervert, too? His book? A best-seller? No, more like best-smeller!" He holds his nose! "'Cause, man, it stinks! P.U.! Now for the final blow…" He takes a deep breath and says, "Ladies and gentlemen, this man is a fraud!"

Everybody's reaction was unanimous, "WHAT?"

"HEY!" Dan objects.

Club President Morimoto comes to his hero's aid. "Say it ain't so, Dan! Say you're not a fraud!"

Another club member, Yanagisawa - a skinny kid with pale skin and red eyes (think Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa from Evangelion) and long dark-gray hair who also wears a pink gi like Dan's - is stunned by this revelation. "I can't believe it! The founder of the Saikyo-ryu Dojo a pervert!"

"He's worse than that old pervert from Nerima!", the random person in the crowd R was talking to earlier says.:

The lead cheerleader fumes, "Why you…! I can't believe I almost went on a date with you! OOOH!" She slaps Dan, then, motioning to the other cheerleaders "C'mon girls, let's dump this loser!" The cheerleaders leave.

Dan rubs his swollen cheek, "OW! Hey, wait, come back! I'm not a pervert! Really! D'OH!"

Soon, everybody, including Dan's fan club leave his dojo, leaving only Dan and R.

Dan stands there in the center of the dojo, crying Soun-like tears. "Boo hoo hoo! I was THIS close to getting that cheerleader's phone number!" Pointing to R, he accuses, "Whoever you are, this is all your fault!"

R shrugs off Dan's accusation. "My fault? Aw, you're just mad 'cause I exposed you for the pervert you really are. And what's up with that outfit? No self-respecting warrior would ever wear THAT shade of pink in a battle!"

"OK, that does it! You can ruin my fan club, trash my book, ruin my chances at dating, and call me a fraud and a pervert, but nobody, and I mean NOBODY makes fun of my outfit! Buddy, I'm gonna lay the smackdown on you!"

R laughs, "YOU? Hurt ME? HAH! Don't make me laugh! Beating you up would be a waste of my time. I'm outta here. Later, pervert!"

And R leaves. Dan, however, is just getting warmed up. He starts taunting his opponent, something his Saikyo-ryu is famous for! "Yeah, that's right! You'd better run, you coward!"

Ladies and gentlemen, Dan has just made the biggest mistake of his life! Then something streaks through the air, nearly clipping off his ear, and pins him to the wall by his gi. It's a white rose, R's trademark. R still has his back turned to Dan.

R calmly says, "All right, I accept your challenge."

A lot of people (including Dan's fan club) gather around to see what's going on.

Dan pulls out the rose. "Oh, so now you're Tuxedo Mask? Bring it on, rose-boy! I'd sure hate to ruin your nice suit, though. You might get some blood on it!"

R turns to face Dan and says, "The only blood spilled will be yours, pervert! Don't blame me if you end up dead!"

"Oh yeah! Here I come! GADOUKEN!" Dan tosses a fireball at R. It doesn't go anywhere.

R blinks. "Um…. what was that supposed to do?"

"Shoot! I missed! OK! I'll try another one! GADOUKEN!" Dan tosses another fireball at R. This one doesn't go anywhere, either.

R, bored, yawns, "Again with that lame attack. Is that all you got?"

Dan does his Backward Rolling Taunt to put some distance between him and R. He then does his Forward Rolling Taunt, then his Jumping Taunt, all the while yelling "YAHOO!" R and the crowd collectively sweat-drop.

"DAN!" Morimoto yells. "Are you just going to taunt him all night long? Do something, or he'll beat you up for sure!"

"Nope! I'm just getting started! DANKU-KYAKU!" Dan leaps forward with a twisting kick, kicking three times while soaring across the room. But R just dodges the attack – and Dan soars right over him.

Angry that he missed his opponent again, Dan says, "HEY! Stand still so that I can hit you!"

R sarcastically wonders aloud, "Now why would I want to do that? Sighing, he says, "I knew I should have left this dump, instead of picking a fight with a lame-o pervert wanna-be fighter like you!"

"Now you insult my dojo? Grr…! THAT DOES IT! IT'S TIME TO SHOW YOU THE TRUE POWER OF SAIKYO-RYU!" Dan gathers his energy, and prepares to use one of his super moves! "SHINKUU GADOUKEN!!" Dan tosses yet another fireball at R, only this time it goes far enough to actually hit R. It doesn't knock him down, though. "HUH? It didn't even faze him!"

The crowd is surprised. Dan's fan club, their faith in their hero restored, starts cheering for him again.

R smirks. "Hey, you actually managed to hit me! Finally, you're starting to fight for real! C'mon, hit me again! I dare you!"

Dan does his Shinkuu Gadouken again, only this time he's in for a surprise! R stretches out his hand, and dark green energy begins to form around it, then he yells…-"DARK EMERALD PEARL!"-… Then he creates a green glowing spiral shield in front of him that reflects Dan's super projectile right back at him! The force of the impact knocks Dan down!

Dan is shocked. "How? How'd you do that?"

R gloats, "How did you like my Dark Emerald Pearl? It takes your attack and sends it right back at you! It's one of my favorite moves!"

Wounded by R's attack, Dan gets up, and thinks, _NO! I can't lose! But what do I do now? I can't use my Gadouken, Kouryuken, or Dankukyaku; he'd probably put up that shield again! The Koryurekka? Nope, that's no good. Hisshou Buraiken? Maybe…D'OH! Wait! I've got one technique he hasn't seen yet! It's risky, but if I can pull it off, I'll beat him for sure! That'll show him! And then, I'll use my super taunt "Chohatsu Densetsu" to rub it in his face! A spectacular finish worthy of the Saikyo-ryu Dojo! _

"Well, I'm waiting. What's next?" R says as he awaits his opponent's next attack.

Dan declares, "Stranger! You've left me no choice but to use…..my ultimate technique!"

Everybody except R gasps!

Morimoto exclaims, "OH NO! Saikyo-ryu's Ultimate Technique! Will Dan actually use it?"

Calm, cool, and confident, R's ready for whatever Dan may dish out. "Hmm… All right, let's see this "Ultimate Technique" of yours!"

The background blurs and does that flying background / speed line effect... you know, like in Marvel Super Heroes VS. Street Fighter as Dan prepares to unleash his ultimate technique. " SAIKYOU-RYUU MARTIAL ARTS ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE! OTOKO MICHI!!"

"The Path of Man"? R groans. "Oh boy, sounds like another one of those lame moves of yours…."

Then Dan charges with pure rage against R, grabs and explodes him using all his strength! Everyone ducks for cover from the blast! When the smoke clears, we see Dan standing victorious over his defeated foe, his pink karate gi ripped and torn from the awesome power of his ultimate technique. Unfortunately…

"YAHOO! I did it! That'll teach him not to mess with my Saikyo-ryu!" a triumphant Dan rejoices. Then he realizes something. "D'OH! I forgot that using the "Ultimate Technique" drains so much of my strength that I can only do it once! ACK! Ugh!" He falls backward on the floor. The "Official Dan Hibiki Fan Club" facefaults. R, on the other hand, is still standing, although he has a few bruises. He's REALLY angry now! Not because Dan's Otoko Michi managed to actually hurt him, but because…

_NO! _R thinks while noticing the burn marks that are all over his nice clean suit._ That was my favorite suit! And that stupid "Ultimate Technique" of his ruined it! He'll pay for that! Time to put an end to this!_ Out loud, he says to his soon-to-be-defeated opponent,"Are you done? GOOD! It's my turn now! MIDNIGHT PEARL!!" R runs up to Dan, grabs then slams him into the floor, and explodes him with a blast of purple flame, finishing him off! Everyone is frightened by R's display of power.

R then turns to the "Official Dan Hibiki Fan Club", waving his hand at them in a "bring it on!" gesture. "Does anybody else want to try me? C'mon, I'll take you all on!"

Scared out of his wits, Club President Morimoto says, "NO WAY! I herby declare the "Official Dan Hibiki Fan Club" null and void! We never liked him anyway!" To the other club members, he yells, "Everyone! Let's get outta here!"

The club members flee in terror! "ACK! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! "

R walks over to the unconscious Dan and picks him up by the neck angrily. "How dare you claim to be a fighter? You're not even good enough to be my opponent!" He tosses Dan away as he was a piece of garbage. "The name's R. Remember it in hell!"

And so, R leaves the Saikyo-ryu Dojo. Hours later, he returns to his apartment to take a bath and relax. While he's in the tub, he begins making plans…. R thinks, _Tomorrow, I'll head out to Nerima. Then watch out Saotome! The Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts will be MINE! But how will I find him? Hmm… I'll need a plan._

After getting out of the bath and putting on a red silk robe, R finds a large envelope on the table. He's about to pick it up when the telephone rings…

To lighten the mood, R answers, "Wazzuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!"

Dr Wily's on the phone again. _Very funny. Where have you been? I've been calling you all evening!_

"I went out. You REALLY didn't think I was just going to stay in my room all night, did you?"

_Sigh… fine. Did you get it?_

"Yeah, I got it." He holds up the envelope. "Let's open it!" Sarcastically, he says, "What's this? A folder? Ooh, aah, and look at me – I'm so surprised! NOT!" He opens the folder, and sees… "HUH? This…this is….!"

_I took the liberty of getting you more information on your target, as well as the one closest to him. You'll find it useful while you're in Nerima._

R looks at the contents of the folder and spreads them out on the table. He picks up a picture of his target, along with a file attached to it. He reads it aloud. "Name. Ranma Saotome. Birthplace. Japan. Birthday. July 5th. Hair. Black / Red. Eye color. Blue. Height. 1.79 m (5'9") / 1.69 m (5'5"). Weight. 69 kg (150 lbs) / 59 kg (128 lbs). Blood type. A. Hobbies. Martial arts, training, and eating. Favorite food. Okonomiyaki. Favorite sport. All. Most important person to him. Akane... Hm hm hm hm... Well now... This IS of real interest indeed, sir! But wait a minute, why are there two entries each for Saotome's hair color, height, and weight?"

_There's a reason for that, my boy. You'll find out for yourself when you're in Nerima. Move on to the next one._ R picks up the next picture in the file, that of Akane's. Each item in the folder is arranged in a certain order, so Dr. Wily can explain things to R over the phone. _That's Akane Tendo, the fiancée of your target._

R looks at the contents, particularly at Akane's picture. Unimpressed, he says, "What an uncute tomboy! On the other hand, she is kinda cute… in a non-attractive sort of way."

_Now, R, the next thing you'll see is a map of Nerima. I have certain locations marked on it, "places of interest", if you will…_

Of course, the locations are the Tendo Dojo, Dr. Tofu's clinic, the Nekohanten, Ucchan's, Kuno Mansion, and Furinkan High School. _These must be where he hangs out… OK! Great! Now all I need is a way to get close to him…Hmm…_R's attention is drawn to Furinkan._ Ah!_ He gets an idea. "Say, would you happen to know where Saotome goes to school, by any chance?"

_According to my sources, Saotome is a student at Furinkan High School._

"Good, I just wanted to be sure. I've got a plan, but I'll need a few things…"

_Such as?_

"One, I need to switch cars. Have a couple of men pick up my GT-R and bring me the S2000. Two, how soon can you get me into Saotome's school?

_I can get you registered and taking classes in three days._

_Great! With my smarts, I'll pass my classes easily, leaving me free to plot Saotome's demise!_ "And three, can you have my favorite suit dry-cleaned?"

After hearing this, Dr Wily facefaults over the phone.

_Dry cleaning? This isn't room service, you know! Oh, all right, I'll send someone to get your suit cleaned. Now… _He speaks in a low voice_…do you understand your instructions, my boy?_

As if he's in a trance R replies, "Yes, sir. I'm to go to Nerima, find Ranma Saotome, and then kill him."

_Good, good. I must go now. Continue as you normally would._

Then Dr Wily hangs up. R snaps out of his dazed state. "Huh? Oh, whoa, must have fallen asleep on Dr Wily back there. Oh well, whatever he said probably wasn't important anyway." R goes over to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of white wine. He goes back into the main room and sits back down on the couch. As he casually sips from the glass, he thinks…. _Saotome…your time will soon come! Prepare to meet ME! Then we'll see who is the true heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts! _He laughs out loud, "Hm hm hm hm, heh heh heh heh, HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	3. Ran's First Day of School!

CHAPTER 03

-"_**RAN'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! BATTLE AT FURINKAN HIGH - RANMA VS. R!"-**_

It's been two days since Ran stayed with Ranma and the Tendos, Ranma began to like Ran, not as a fiancé or anything, but as a fighter. She knew almost everything about Saotome-ryuu Anything-Goes-Martial Arts, something that Ranma –(and especially Genma)- wanted to know 'how' she learned. But as time went on, that almost didn't matter to Ranma. He was having a great time with Ran. For somehow, she almost had similar attitudes to Ranma.

Ranma liked it a lot when he and Ran would spar in the mornings. She was almost his equal. Ranma found someone who could 'fight' like him, and she DID fight like him. Sometimes Ranma would win, and sometimes Ran would win. But, unlike his other rivals, he didn't mind losing to her. Why, he didn't even know.

Soun and Genma decided that Ran should go to school. So, that night they talk it over with Ran at dinner:

"Ran, starting tomorrow, you'll go to school with Ranma and Akane." Soun says.

Ran blinks. "Um, school Mr. Tendo?"

Genma adds, "Yes, a true martial artist must also have a great education. That's why you're gonna go to school tomorrow."

"Um… Okay." Ran obendiently says.

Ranma thinks his father has a good idea (for once!). "Hey, that's a good idea. Say Ran, you could join Akane and me in the same classes."

Of course, Akane was still mad at Ran for beating her the last time, so that idea of her going to school with Ranma and her was not a good idea. "WHAT?" she yells. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND DAD? SHE CAN'T GO TO SCHOOL!"

"And why not Akane, she must learn and school is the best way to learn, right Tendo?"

Soun nods in agreement with Genma. "Right, Saotome."

"Come on Akane, don't tell me that you're still mad at Ran for winning against you the other day, aren't you?" Ranma asks his fiancée.

"FINE, SEE IF I CARE, I'M OUTTA HERE!" Akane stomps away angrily and goes to her room, leaving the whole crew speechless:

Ran turns to Ranma and asks, "What's her problem?"

Ranma shrugs, "Nothing, it's just that Akane doesn't like to lose to anybody, and if she loses, she'll deny it and say that they cheated."

"Boy, I never knew someone who could be such a poor loser."

"Well Ran, you just met someone."

Then, they went to bed. The next day, Ran wakes up Ranma. Unlike Akane, she didn't dump a bucket of cold water on him, she gently moves him around until he wakes up. Once up and dressed, they go to the kitchen where Kasumi serves their breakfast. Of course, they eat while running to school.

In the middle of the road, while on the way to school, Ranma decides to talk to Ran about how she learned Saotome-ryuu Anything-Goes. "Say Ran, I'm still curious, how did you learn my fighting style?"

"I just don't know. I just know how to fight." Ran tells him.

"And, you say you don't remember anything from your past? That's creepy and yet weird."

"Tell me about it. I just wish I could learn more about my past, where did I come from, or, why I even came to Nerima."

Ranma puts his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry Ran, you'll learn it. I'll help you."

Ran responds to Ranma's touch, which lights a small spark within Ran's heart. Neither one of them knew it right then, but a connection between them was made. She blushes, "Thanks, Ranma. That means a lot to me."

He smiles back, "Well, we better hustle before we're late for school. Race you to it."

Ran laughs, "You're on! You're gonna eat my dust Ranma!"

And they run toward school at top speed. Without noticing, someone was watching Ranma from a distance; it was R. "I've found you at last Ranma Saotome. Soon, I'll destroy you…" Then he notices Ran. "Say, who the hell is that girl? She looks a lot like Ranma. Bah, the hell with her. Ranma… be prepared."

Then, Ranma takes Ran to the office so she can get registered, then he takes her to her classes. Akane didn't like it very much that Ranma was being very polite to the girl who beat her.

At recess, Ranma and Ran were going to the cafeteria to have some lunch, unaware of the problem that was waiting for them.

Tatewaki Kuno, the self-proclaimed "Blue Thunder" of Furinkan High was in his usual idiom, walking around like he was a prince, carrying his bokken. Then, he notices that Ranma was with a girl. But when he sees the girl… She looks very much like Ranma's female-side, with the exception of her hair being purple.

Kuno, being Kuno (of course, what did you expect!), concludes that this girl was none other than his –"Pig-Tailed Girl"-

Kuno gasps, "It's her! The "Pig-Tailed Girl"… and she's with that cursed Foul Sorcerer Saotome! Today I'll free her from his evil hand! Oh, wait for me my goddess!"

Ranma and Ran were having a good time talking about school. When they hear someone running toward them, they turn around and someone grabs Ran in a VERY passionate embrace. Ran's eyes go wide as she sees her target. It was Kuno:

"Oh Pig-Tailed Girl, I have come to set you free my love!", Kuno eloquently declares.

Her eyes already wide in surprise, the first thing Ran says is "WHA…? HEY!! WHO THE HECK ARE YOU? LET ME GO!"

Ranma groans, "Oh man, it's Kuno."

Ran points to Kuno, "You know this wacko Ranma?"

"Unfortunately I do Ran. This jerk is Kuno Tatewaki, the one I told you about."

"Oh, I see…" Ran glares at Kuno, "LISTEN JERK, YOU'D BETTER RELEASE ME OR ELSE!"

"Don't be frightened my Pig-Tailed Girl, for I Tatewaki Kuno shall set you free from the clutches of the Evil Sorcerer Saotome!"

"FIRST OF ALL, I'M NOT THE –"WHATCHAMACALLIT GIRL"- MY NAME'S RAN! SECOND GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

Kuno lets her go, then he glares at Ranma. "Foul Sorcerer… What kind of Spell have you cast over my Pig-Tailed Girl! I demand you release her at once!"

Exasperated, Ranma says, "Kuno, why don't you take a hike and leave, we're not in the mood for your lousy attitude."

"Yeah, that's right! Leave now, or I'll make you leave" Ran says.

Kuno gasps, "Pig-Tailed Girl…" How, how after all this time, does she still continue to reject his advances? Didn't she know how much he adored her? Hurt by the object of his affections yet again (for the billionth time!), he angrily turns to Ranma, ready to attack. "Why you… I shall destroy you Saotome and free her from you… En garde!!"

"Fine, have it your way Kuno." Ranma gets into his fighting stance. "Guess I'll have to shut you up."

Then Ran stops Ranma. "Wait Ranma, let me fight him"

Ranma blinks, "You?, Are you sure Ran?"

"Yeah. That jerk grabbed me and I don't like that"

"Very well, Ran." Smiling, Ranma stands aside. "He's all yours."

"Thanks Ranma"

Kuno is shocked by this. "Wha… Pig-Tailed Girl? Why do you want to fight your savior… ? That sorcerer must be controlling you… ! Very well, if I must fight you to release you from his spell so be it. I promise that I won't hurt you too much, my love."

Ran snorts, "Please… I wouldn't worry too much about myself…" She waves her hand in a "come and get it" gesture. "Come on jerk, let's rumble!"

Then Kuno rushes toward Ran with his bokken, swinging it at full strength yelling…-"MULTI STRIKE! AT TA TA TA TA TA"-…but to everyone's surprise, Ran dodges them all just like Ranma when he fights him. All the students were in awe at her, not just because of her beautiful body, but because of her fighting skills.

Hiroshi excitedly comments, "Wow! She fights awesome, doesn't she?"

His friend Daisuke agrees, "Yeah. She fights almost like Ranma. You think she's related to him?"

Sayuri, one of Akane's friends, adds "Man, that Ran girl fights like a pro, like Ranma!"

Her other friend Yuka observes, "You'd think she's his sister; they look so much alike."

Kuno was getting angry at his failing. Ran was getting tired of the fight, so she decides to end it. "Okay, it's time to finish this…", Ran says to Kuno. Then to everyone's surprise, Ran begins to concentrate and an orange-red flame begins to form in her right hand. Hmm… somebody's been taking lessons from the Kusanagis. Then she yells…-"HEAT TRIGGER! KYAAAAA!!"-… unleashing a blast of fire (similar to Ranma's Mouko Takabisha – but with flames!) at Kuno. On impact, Kuno goes flying away screaming…-"CURSE YOU FOUL SORCERER SAOTOMEEEEEEEEE"-…then he disappears into the sky.

After that, Ran clenches her fist, snuffing out her flame, then dusts off her hands. "Well, that sure took care of him. How's about if we go to the cafeteria Ranma? I'm hungry, you know."

Ranma chuckles, "Sure Ran, I'm hungry myself. Let's go."

* * *

After classes were over, Ranma and Ran went home to relax. Later that afternoon, Ryoga (as P-chan) wanders into the Tendo Dojo. Akane is happy to see him. "P-chan! Oh, where have you been? I missed you! Come on, little one, you're probably hungry!"

And she picks him up. Of course Ryoga was happy, being with Akane – (and nestled on her chest!) - made him happy to be back home. When they enter the living room to sit down Ran and Ranma enter. Ryoga sees the girl that beat him up a while ago. Then without warning, he angrily jumps toward Ran! Ran moves away.

Ran's confused. "Hey, what the heck is this little pig? Why is it attacking me?"

_Why is Ryoga attacking Ran…? _Ranma thinks. Then, out loud, "Hey Akane, why don't you control that crazy piglet!"

Akane's angry at Ran. "Stop picking on P-chan you mean girl!"

Ran objects. "WHAT, PICKING ON THAT!? THAT WALKING SLAB OF BACON SUDDENLY TRIED TO ATTACK ME!"

Akane counters back, "YOU PROBALY DID SOMETHING TO HIM LIKE RANMA DOES! HE ALWAYS PICKS ON HIM!"

"First of all Akane, I've never even seen it before. Second he just jumped against me for no good reason!"

Akane cuddles P-chan. "There, there P-chan, did that big bad girl hurt you?" Looking at Ran angrily, she says, "Honestly, you sometimes act just like that jerk Ranma!"

Ran gives up, saying, "You're hopeless. Hey Ranma, does she act like that all the time?"

Ranma nods, "Oh yeah, all the time."

Ran rolls her eyes. "Why am I not surprised. Hey Ranma I'm gonna go to the Dojo to train, wanna come whit me to spar?"

"Yeah, you bet! Come on."

Then they leave to spar in the Dojo. Once there Ranma decides to ask Ran about that special technique she used against Kuno today: "Say Ran, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Ranma, what is it?"

"Where did you learn how to do that special technique, you know, that ball of fire? It was similar to my –"Mouko Takabisha"-"

"Geez Ranma, I really would like to know, but I don't. I just know it. It's like I already knew how to do it, but where did I learn it or from who, that's the mysteries that I would like to know."

"Too bad, I wanna learn it. It sure was something interesting to see."

"I'm flattered, Ranma."

"And you say that you don't know why you came here in the first place?" Ran shakes her head no. "You think you suffer from amnesia?"

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. Oh I don't know, my life is something like a puzzle. Wish I knew."

Seeing that this was making Ran sad, Ranma decided to change the topic, so he starts attacking Ran to fight. They fought for an hour. After that they had dinner and it was off to bed.

* * *

Ran was having a nightmare. In her dream, she's inside some sort of crystal-like structure, and in front of her was a stranger covered by light, only his shadow is seen. This unknown individual was talking to Ran:

"Ran, you know your mission, now it's time to put it in action!"

"No, I won't do it!" Ran refuses.

"You WILL do it! I command you to do it!"

"No, you can't make me, I refuse!"

The stranger laughs, "Ha ha ha haaa, you cannot refuse, it is what you were made for… it is your destiny… you will go to Nerima and find Ranma Saotome… and you'll… KILL HIM… ! KILL RANMA SAOTOME! HA HA HAAAA!!"

Ran wakes up screaming " NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"-… Bolting upright, she's covered in her sweat. The whole family wakes up and rushes to Ran's room. Ranma arrives and sees Ran all scared and sweating. "Ran, what's wrong?"

Kasumi puts her arms around Ran shoulders, comforting her. "There, there Ran. It's all right; you were only having a bad dream."

"It… it wasn't any bad dream. It was the same one I had the other night." Ran says while breathing heavily.

"What are you talking about…what was the other one about?" Ranma asks.

After they gave Ran a mug of hot cocoa, Ran explains about her nightmare. "I've been having this strange dream… nightmares…. where this strange man, who is covered by the lights, tells me that I have to go Nerima to find Ranma… to… to…" She begins to tremble.

Ranma's wondering what next. "To…what Ran?"

"To kill him." Ran whispers.

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?", everybody gasps.

"To kill me?" Ranma says in a "oh, is that all?" kind of way. Besides, it hasn't been the first time somebody's tried to kill him; many opponents, including his rivals on several occasions, have tried – and failed – to do just that. Yet, after listening to Ran's explanation of her dream, this time around – well, it's different. But he shakes it off anyway (for now), saying, "Oh, come on Ran that was probably just a dream. It means nothing."

Kasumi reassures her. "Ranma's right Ran, you shouldn't be worried about that. Now why don't you go back to bed, I'm sure everything will be all right in the morning."

"Well, maybe you're right Kasumi-san." Ran accepts, although some part of her is not convinced.

"Darn right," Ranma says. "Now let's go back to sleep; we got school tomorrow."

Then, when everyone went to sleep, Ranma looks after Ran. Akane was totally angry that Ranma was staying with Ran, calling him a pervert – needless to say she's still stiff with Ran. Ranma is worried about Ran's dream, as well as her origins. He didn't know where she came from, or why she was here in Nerima…-

_Ran… who are you really, and, is Ran your real name? So many questions I have, but, she doesn't even know them herself. But, I don't care, I know we'll findout all about her. And, I don't know, but when I'm around her, I feel like I'm somehow connected to her. Why, I don't know, as if, she's part of me._ Ranma thinks as he watches over Ran while she was sleeping.

* * *

A while back – it was only a chapter ago, y'know! - R… the formerly-mysterious white haired stranger was planning how to get close to Ranma, and when he finds out what school he goes to, he decides to enter, posing as a transfer student -(with the help of his creator Dr. Wily who, with his genius of computers and hacking, was able to register him)-, then, he would wait for the right moment for his strike.

* * *

R was sitting in the living room of his apartment, when his cell phone rang. "Hello, what do you want?"

It was Bass on the other end of the line. _Hey, better lay off that rude communication Dog-Boy__!_

Irritated, R says, "Hey, I already told you hunk of metals! My name is R, not Dog-Boy!"

_Whatever. Just calling to let you know that Dr. Wily as well as the Big Cat are getting desperate. You better finish up your mission ASAP_!

"Don't worry, I will finish it, over and out… one more thing, stop calling me, I'll call you when the mission is over you hear me, piece of scrap?" Then R hangs up.

* * *

In the Secret Fortress, Bass is pissed off at the rude talk with R. "That miserable dog! Who the heck does he think he is?" He looks down to his wolf companion Treble and continues, "I'm telling you Treble, if it weren't for the fact that he's an important element for the REAL mission I would have blown him away long time ago…-!" He calms down. "But, his time will come, after Dr. Wily and the Big Cat get the real prize, he will be at our mercy! Ha ha ha haaaaaaa!"-

* * *

The next morning, R got up, got dressed, then he rushes toward Furinkan High School. Being his first day, he tries to study the scene. While on the way he spots Ranma, Ran, and Akane running toward school:

R thinks, There _he is… Ranma Saotome, but wait, who's that girl with him?_ –(Ran)- _She seems very familiar, but from where? Nah, I'll worry about that later._

As usual, Akane scolds Ranma for 'being' late for school. "Dammit Ranma, because of you we'll be late for school!"

"Ex-cu-se me? Why are you blaming me, it isn't my fault you take so long to get dressed Akane!"

Akane gets angry. "Are you saying that it's MY fault you jerk?"

" If the shoe fits…"

"RANMA YOU JERK!" Akane then unleashes her mallet trying to hit Ranma, but misses, because Ranma jumps out of the way. This gets Akane irritated, then while running toward school:

"Geez Ranma, your fiancée sure has a lousy temper and a dangerous one as well!" Ran points out.

"Don't I know it Ran, we'd better run faster before the bells ring!"

R, after seeing this little scene between Ranma and Akane, blinks. "Damn, that girl has some serious issues. Hope she doesn't kill Ranma before I do, or I'll have to kill her too."

And R follows them, when he arrives at Furinkan High he looks around to see the place, then, after he's introduced to the class he began to make his plans to eliminate Ranma. Unfortunately, the teacher looks at R distraction. "Excuse me R, I know that you love to dream and stuff, but I will not tolerate that in my classroom, now pay attention!"

Irritated, R just shrugs, "Yeah, whatever…" _Stupid teacher! I have to take these stupid classes in order to finish Ranma! Boy, how I hate it!_

Then, when it was time to go home, R went to look for Ranma. Spotting him heading for the school gates, he rushes toward him:

Ranma and Ran –(minus Akane, she didn't want to go with them)- were heading home, when a stranger jumps in front of Ranma "So I finally found you, Ranma Saotome."

"Who the heck are you?"

" The name's R, and I'm here to destroy you!"

Ranma blinks. "Destroy me? Why? I don't even know you! Why do you want to do that…unless, don't tell me…my stupid father Genma owes you some money, or did he engage me to your sister or something?"

R's not trying to hear that. "Listen, I don't know who this Genma person is, and I don't care! What I want is to fight you and destroy you, so prepare yourself!"

"But why? Listen Carl…"

R angrily corrects Ranma, "IT'S R, YOU MORON! NOT CARL!"

"Yeah, whatever, listen, I will not fight you cause I don't know you, so if you excuse me I gotta go home, be seein' you. Let's go, Ran."

"Right behind you." Ran says.

As Ranma begins to walk away R charges against him, throwing a punch. Ranma feels the incoming blow then quickly turns around and catches R fist. R's impressed. "You're good, just like they told me."

Ranma tells R, "Listen here, I will not fight you without a reason okay? So why don't you go home and leave me alone."

R smirks. "Then how about this; if you don't fight me, I'll kill you! How's that for a reason?"

"You're a stubborn person aren't you? But if you want it, then you'll have it…" Ranma assumes his fighting pose.

R gets into his own fighting stance. "Good…then prepare yourself!"

Then, when they were to start the fight, Kuno appears out of nowhere and charges against Ranma in his usual idiom. "FOUL SORCERER, RELEASE MY PIG-TAILED GIRL AT ONCE OR FACE THE WRATH OF TATEWAKI KUNO!… EN GARDE!"-

R sees this moron coming and decides to stop him. "Who the heck are you? We were in the middle of a battle here buster!"

"I am Tatewaki Kuno, the star of Furinkan High, and I'm here to destroy that vile sorcerer Saotome so that I can free my beloved Pig-Tailed Girl from his evil clutches!"

R wags his finger in a no-no gesture. "Sorry moron, I'm the one who will destroy him, not some stupid jerk in silly robes, so be gone!"

Kuno can't believe the nerve of this peasant. "WHA… YOU DARE INSULT THE GREAT TATEWAKI KUNO?… IF SO, THEN YOU'RE ALSO MY ENEMY! PREPARE YOURSELF TO BE CREAMED BY MY WRATH!"

R laughs, "Ha, you don't say, so be it…" To Ranma, he says, "Don't go away Ranma, I'm just gonna take a couple of minutes to take care of this moron."

Then Kuno charge toward R with his bokken. But, with a minimal amount of skill, R punches Kuno and sends him airborne.

"There, what a jerk, now…" He walks toward Ranma. "…that's taken care off, we can resume our fight Saotome…wha…? Saotome…?" He looks everywhere. R sees that Ranma wasn't there anymore. "What the…where'd Saotome go?"

A student passing by says, "Um, Ranma went home with that girl."

Furious, R exclaims, "WHAT! AW, SON OF A #&… HE GOT AWAY…!!"

R begins to shout angrily, when a little girl passes by and hears him curse, she gets close and sees him shouting…-" Hey you, cursing is prohibited here in this school! Don't make me angry, or I'll have to punish you!"-…R hears her and turns around to see a little girl staring at him:

R laughs, "Ha! Listen here, little girl, I have no time to deal with babies like you. I have a fight to attend to, so… adieu!"

Unfortunately for R, the little girl was none other then the Ki-sucking teacher, Hinako Ninomiya. Ms. Hinako, after hearing this, gets mad at him. "Why you…you…DELINQUENT! NOW I'LL HAVE TO TEACH YOU A LESSON!"

R mocks her, "Oooh, what are you gonna do? Bore me to death with your crying…?" He laughs "I'm outta here."

When R begins to walk away, Miss. Hinako pulls out her 'coin' and yells …-" HAPPO-50 YEN SATSU!!"-… the next thing he knows, R is surrounded by a golden halo, then he feels as if all his energy was being taken away! Finally, he collapses onto the floor, weak, while Miss. Hinako grows into her tall and devastatingly beautiful Adult Form. She hmphs, "That will teach you a lesson you delinquent."

She walks away, leaving R still flat on the ground:

R weakly says, "Wha…What happened here? I must find out about that…weird looking girl, or woman! Curse you…Saotome…next time, you won't get away…!"

Then, his cell phone rings, he tries to pick it up. "He..hello?"

It's Bass again. _Dr Wily would like a report of your mission, did you dispose of Ranma?_

"Not yet, he got away…but don't worry, I'll get him next time."

_You'd better. Dr. Wily and that huge Cat are getting…_ He sees R on the floor. _…Why are you on the floor?_

R sweatdrops. " Um…I…got tired…yeah…! I just got tired and decided to relax a little bit."

Bass snickers, _ON the dirt…ha hahaaa, makes sense, being the dog you are!_"

Even in his weakened condition, R can still get angry. "Hey…don't push it okay…over and out!"

After he hangs up…

"Saotome, I swear that next time you won't get away from me…but first…sleepy time ughn…" R just falls out unconscious.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	4. Shadow Past, Akane's Dark Secret

CHAPTER 04

_**-"SHADOW PAST… AKANE'S DARK SECRET"-**_

It was a good morning at the Tendo Dojo. Ran woke up at the same time as Ranma. They were preparing to go to school. Of course, when Akane woke up, she storm right to the kitchen in her 'usual' mode:

Akane glares at Ranma. "Why didn't you wake me up baka?"

"Hey, I did, but it's not my fault that you couldn't get up," Ranma says.

Akane's mad. "Why you…"

Kasumi interrupts, "Now, now, Akane, don't be mad, here, have some breakfast."

Ran, Ranma, and Akane eat as fast as they could and rush toward Furinkan High.

Over the course of the week, Ran was wondering why Akane was still mad at her. And, why did she hate Ranma so much, she intended to find out. So, on one afternoon, Ran decided to talk to Akane. When they were on their way home, Ran asked Ranma to go ahead. Once they were alone, Akane's the first to speak. "What do you want to talk about you baka girl?"

"Akane, I just want to know why are you still mad at me all this time?" Ran asks.

"Why? Why, you say?… it's because you act just like that baka Ranma! You also cheated!"

"You're still mad about that…? Geez, Akane, can't you just let it go! It was just a fight, nothing to get all mad about."

"Nothing to get mad about…? THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK YOU HUSSY!" Akane yells.  
"Hey hey, come on! Don't get mad at me! So you lost a fight. Accept that. You can't win them all."

"YES I CAN! UNTIL YOU CHEATED AND BEAT ME, JUST LIKE THAT JERK RANMA!"

Ran's confused. " Say what?"

"I WAS THE No.1 MARTIAL ARTIST IN NERIMA, UNTIL THAT JERK RANMA CAME AND TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME! AND NOW YOU CAME AND DID THE SAME!"

"You must be kidding me Akane. You can't possibly think that!"

"YES, IT'S TRUE! BUT WHAT COULD A CHEATER LIKE YOU POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT THAT? TO BE THE BEST?"

"All I know is that a true martial artist accepts his losses and acts humble."

Akane scoffs."THAT'S LOSER TALK! TRUE MARTIAL ARTISTS ALWAYS WIN, AND NEVER LOSE!"

Ran blinks at Akane's rather misguided concept of a martial artist. "Who the hell told you that Akane?"

"My dad," Akane replies.

Ran couldn't believe what Akane just told her. "Akane, just where did you learn Martial Arts?" she asks.

"From my dad." Akane tells her.

"Did he actually train you?"

"No. He explained it to me how to fight."

"Akane, I'm afraid to tell you this but… You don't know anything about Martial Arts." Ran says.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT? I KNOW MARTIAL ARTS!"

"Is that so…well, can you tell me what's the first rule about it is?"

Akane didn't know what to say. She just stands there.

"Well, I'm waiting Akane," Ran patiently says, awaiting Akane's response.

"What's the point of that, it's just a waste of time."

"You don't know, do you? How can you be a Martial Artist when you don't even know the rules of the Art Akane?"

Akane defends, "Why should I? I don't need it! As long as I can fight, that's all that matters!"

"No wonder you can't fight Akane. How can you fight when you don't know anything?"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU BITCH!"

"Make me!" Ran teases as she runs away from an angry Akane, laughing all the way.

* * *

The next thing she sees is that Akane always hits Ranma for almost no good reason. This intrigues Ran a lot. Then, on one of the many occasions when Akane hits Ranma upside the head for not eating her cooking, she approaches her. "Hey Akane, why did you hit Ranma?"

"Cause that jerk didn't want to eat my cooking, I spent all day making it and that baka insults my food!"

"That's because your food sucks Akane." Ran explains

Akane's angry. "YOU TOO? ARE YOU SAYING THAT MY COOKING DOESN'T TASTE GOOD?"

"Well…yeah, let's face it. Garbage looks and tastes better than that food of yours."

Uh oh. "SAY WHAT? WHY I OUGHTA…!"

"Akane, have you actually tasted your cooking?"

"No, but what does that have to do…"

Ran puts Akane to the test, just to prove her point. "Why don't you taste your food and tell me what you think of it. Go ahead, I dare you."

Akane snorts, "Fine, I'll taste it and prove that it's good and…"

When Akane grabs a bite of her food and eat it, her face turns several colors. Then she runs toward the bathroom, and vomits. When she comes back, Ran asks her, "Well…how did it taste, hmmm?'

Weakly, Akane says, "It…tasted good…yeah."

"Oh really? Then why did you cover your mouth and run to the bathroom?"

"Well, it was…to… I needed to go…because I was in the mood okay!"

"Stop lying Akane. Your food was horrible; you need to learn how to cook."

"I do not! I only need to improvise and…"

"Akane, stop being stubborn. You can't cook. If you intend to 'improvise' more, you'll end up killing everyone!"

"Oh shut up!" Akane snaps back.

"And another thing Akane, why are you always so mean to Ranma?"

"Cause he's a jerk, that's why"

"A jerk you say…How?"

"He's always flirting with those hussies Ukyo or that Chinese bimbo Shampoo, or with any girl he comes across!"

"That's a lie Akane and you know that. They always bother him, and he doesn't flirt with any girl"

"How do you know that…Ranma's always flirting!"

"Akane, have you ever listened to Ranma about those situations? You know, listen to his side of his story?"  
Akane:" Ha, what for? He's a jerk."

Ran:" Akane, have you ever wondered if Ranma has ever wanted those problems to happen to him?…He doesn't have anything to say in this problem, have you ever help him as his fiancée?"

"Fiancee? No way! I don't want that jerk! that was all our stupid fathers' idea!"

Ran sadly says, "Boy Akane, how I feel sorry for you."

"You feel sorry for me!?"

"Yeah, you have a guy that's totally loyal to you, that has saved you many times, who loves you, and you don't appreciate him… boy, how foolish of you"

"It's not like I wanted it!"

"Boy, you really don't know how lucky you are to have him Akane and you insult him, beat him up for every little thing. You never trust him. If he was "my" fiancée Akane, I wouldn't do all those nasty things. I would even worship the ground he walks on. You have a guy that almost every girl would do anything to have him as her fiancée."

Akane snorts, "Well, if you like him so much, why don't you take him!"

"You know what, Akane? I think I will."

Akane's angry now. "YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR MOUTH BEFORE I…"

"What, beat me up? First learn how to fight Akane before you can make any threats."

"I do know how to fight!"

Ran:" Tell me Akane, how many fights have you ever fought before?"

Akane:" Well, I beat all those pervert boys at school every morning."

Ran shakes her head. "No Akane, those boys don't know how to fight."

Akane continues, "And I also beat Kuno up"

"Akane, that Kuno guy doesn't really fight you, because he's always distracted."

Akane tops off her list , saying "And I also beat that jerk Ranma!"

"Listen Akane, don't confuse that. Since I discovered that Ranma doesn't like to hit girls no matter what, you have taken that for your advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean Akane is that since you know that Ranma won't hit you, you hit him. That, Akane, is not only dishonorable, but also cowardly"

With pure rage, Akane says, "ARE YOU SAYING IM A COWARD, YOU HUSSY?"

Ran replies, "Yes, 'cause you abuse him all the time, you hit him like a punching bag. That to me, Akane, is an act of a coward."

"WHY YOU… WHY YOUUU…!!"

"I bet that if you fought someone who wouldn't hold back, you wouldn't last a minute." Ran wagers.

"I DO SO, I CAN FIGHT ANYBODY AND BEAT HIM UP!"

"Is that so Akane? Care to prove it then?"

"YEAH, COME ON! BRING IT ON! I'LL PROVE THAT I'M A MARTIAL ARTIST!"

"Very well, you just wait."

* * *

Then the next day Ran, using her contacts, manages to call a friend of hers. Lucky for Ran that her 'friend' was near Nerima on her quest, so she was able to contact her and tell her about the challenge. She accepts, and then Ran arranges for the fight. Then she tells Akane about the fight. "Well Akane, it's settled Your opponent has agreed to fight you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, tomorrow at the backyard of Furinkan High. You better train for real Akane for this fight, cause your opponent is someone who doesn't hold back and fights for real."

Akane scoffs, "Ha! So can I!"

"Sure Akane, sure" Ran says sarcastically.

Then, the next day came. Ran took Akane to the backyard of Furinkan High. Akane was dress in her Yellow Karate Gi. When they arrive there were many students gathered there, waiting for the fight.

Her opponent arrives. Many students gasp at her. She's dress in a Sailor Fuku uniform with red gloves and a white long headband on her head. Ran's friend was none other than "Sakura Kasunago":

Hiroshi gasps, "Hey, look guys, it's Sakura Kasugano!"

"O man, the youngest Street Fighter, oh man I don't believe it!" Daisuke says in awe.

"She's actually here in Furinkan High." Sayuri says excitedly.

Akane sees that all the students were in awe by this girl, this was getting irritating for her. Angrily, she thinks, _What do they see in that girl? She doesn't look like a Martial Artist. She looks weak._

Then Ran hugs Sakura. "Sakura, I'm so happy that you made it"

"Happy to be here Ran," Sakura says. "So, where's the fighter which I'll fight?"

Ran then points at Akane. Sakura looks at her, and then introduces herself to Akane. "So you're the one who I'll fight, right? I'm Sakura Kasunago"

"Hmph, I'm Akane Tendo."

"So, shall we get started then?"

Then both girls take stances, preparing to fight. Ranma arrives and sees Akane and another girl preparing to fight. "Say, what's going on here?" he asks.

Daisuke notices Ranma. "Hey Ranma. Your fiancé Akane is gonna fight against Sakura Kasunago."

"Sakura Kasunago? Hey, I think I heard of her, she's a good fighter."

Hiroshi chimes in,"You have? Well, Akane's gonna fight her. You think Akane will win?"

"Jeez, I don't know," Ranma says, uncertain. "That Sakura girl is well prepared, an experienced fighter."

Ran was acting as a referee. "Are you ready Akane…?"

"Ha! I'm ready, the question is, is she ready?" Akane says pointing to her opponent. She thinks she's already won this fight. Won't she be surprised!

Ran looks in Sakura's direction. "Are you ready Sakura…?"

Sakura clenches her fists in anticipation and smiles. "Ready as ever."

Ran:" Well…fighters ready…set…GO"

Akane thinks, _Time to teach this girl what true martial arts is all about!_

Then Akane charges against Sakura with a punch, trying to finish the fight fast. But, as she approaches her, Sakura blocks her punch and grabs it. Then she flips and tosses her over. Akane went flying and lands on her butt. "Ouch. What happened? She must have cheated!"

"Did you think that I wouldn't block that punch? It will take more then brute force to win a fight girl," Sakura tells her.

"You just got lucky, next time you won't be!" Akane counters.

Then, once again she charges toward Sakura, throwing punches and kicks. Sakura blocks them all whit no problem at all. Akane was getting very frustrated:

Akane:"-(angry)- STAND STILL WOULD YOU AND LET ME HIT YOU"

Sakura blinks. "You can't be serious. This is a fight!"

"COME ON, FIGHT ME ALREADY, OR ARE YOU TOO SCARED TO FACE ME!?"

"Okay then…"

Then Sakura hits Akane with a roundhouse kick at her chest, Akane hits the ground hard "Gack…WHY YOU…YOU HIT MEEE!!"

"Duh. We're fighting girl," Sakura says. "What did you expect?"

"GRYAAAAAAAAAAA!!" And in pure rage, Akane goes charging again toward Sakura. Sakura's getting tired of her, so she decides to end it. She charge her ki in her hands, forming a blue ball. Then she yells…"HADOUKEN"… throwing it against Akane. The ball hits her and she falls down, not getting up. "What! That's it? Come on girl, get up!"

Akane, though hurt, tries to get up. "Why you…you…cheater"

"Cheater…?" Sakura looks at Ran. "Man, you weren't kidding about her Ran."

"Told you so," Ran confirms.

Sakura says to Akane. "You lost okay? But, boy, you really did suck back there girl."  
"What did you say?"

"That you suck. I merely hit you with a small amount of my power and you went down for the count, and you were fighting with only brute force and with rage. Girl, you are not even worthy enough to fight."

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT I CAN'T FIGHT!?"

"Not just fight, but also you lack focus. You do not have any concentration. I mean, you are a joke."

This part really insulted Akane and made her very, very angry. She's mad beyond belief, "HOW…HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME? I AM A TRUE MARTIAL ARTIST! YOU'RE JUST A BIG CHEATER! I CAN TAKE YOU ANYTIME! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A 'REAL' MARTIAL ARTIST CAN DO! GRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Then Akane takes out her trusty mallet and tries to hit Sakura with it. But Sakura sees that coming and dodges it. "Hey! No weapons allowed in a fight girl!"

"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" Akane growls.

"Very well, if that's how you want it… SHOU-OU-KEN!!"

Then Sakura hits Akane with her Rising Cherry Punch on her jaw. Akane goes flying and hits the ground. She just lies there on the ground, unconscious. After that, Ran declares, "The winner is Sakura Kasunago…"

* * *

After that. Ranma carries Akane back to the Tendo House. Ran and Sakura were talking about the fight. "So, what do you think of her Sakura?"

"She definitely needs lots and lots of training," Sakura says. "She does have a bad temper though."

Ran laughs, "You can say that again. ha ha ha ha haaa!"

Sakura blushes. "But, I would like to have a match with Ranma. He's definitely a worthy opponent. You think you can arrange a fight with him Ran?"

"Let's ask him shall we…hey Ranma."

Ranma turns around. "Yes?"

"Sakura here is asking if she can have a match against you later."

"Well…sure I guess…she does have a good fighting skill." Ranma replies.

This makes Sakura happy. "Thank you Ranma…thank you!"

Ranma smiles. "You're welcome."

"So Sakura, what are your plans?" Ran asks her friend.

"To try to find Ryu, I heard he was near Osaka, and I will find him."

"I know you will Sakura. It's just a matter of time and patience"

"Yes…well… I'll see you later Ran and Ranma, bye," Sakura says as she waves goodbye to Ranma and Ran.

They both wave back at her. "Bye Sakura."

* * *

When they arrive, Soun was crying and demanding what happen to his 'baby girl'. Once finish with the explanations Soun was yelling at Ranma about why he didn't defend his fiancé. Ranma just told that if he did, then everyone would think that Akane couldn't take care of herself. This calms Soun but he was still mad at Ranma.

Later on, Akane woke up and see that she was in her room. "What happened. Oh yeah, I remember, that cheater beat me up unfair. I'll get her later"

"So, you're awake, Akane." a girl's voice says.

Akane turns around and see Ran at her doorway, "What do you want?"

" So tell me Miss. I'm-a-martial-artist-. About your fight against Sakura."

"I would have won, if that cheesy girl hadn't cheated!"

Ran groans, "Oh please Akane. Wake up and smell the bacon. She beat you fair and square. You couldn't even lay one single punch on her."

"She cheated, I know she did!"

"How did she cheat Akane? By defending and evading all your attacks easily? If so, that you're more stubborn than I thought."

"…", Akane says.

"You know what's the problem is with you Akane. You think that everyone who beat you cheated. Tell me Akane, when will someone fight you without cheating…? When you beat him?"

Akane stumbles, "I…um…yeah…"

"Wrong. Look Akane, I'm trying to help you here. To make you see that you don't know how to fight and that you need to learn how. You saw how awful you fought against Sakura. Don't try to deny it."

"You only want to rub it in my face! Why don't you get out of my room!"

"Geez. Some gratitude. Oh, and thank Ranma. He carried you to your house."

Akane's mad. "What…That Pervert"

Ran's confused. "Pervert! Why do you say that? He just carried you cause you were down!"

"But he touched me! He's a pervert!"

"What's your problem with him, Akane? He didn't do anything wrong with you."

"That pervert touched me…!"

"Well, how do you expect him to bring you home without carrying you…Geez Akane, you act like you have a grudge against boys!"

Akane, now mad, tells her, "JUST GET OUT OF MY ROOM! OUT!"

Ran goes away. Once outside, Ran thinks about it. _What's with her? Why is she acting like if she hates boys for a reason?_

Later in the afternoon Kasumi asked Ran if she could go to Dr. Tofu to get some medicine. Ran agrees and goes. When she arrives at Dr. Tofu's clinic and picks up the stuff, Ran politely thanks him. "Thank you Dr. Tofu for the medicine,"

"No problem, but, what's wrong Ran? You look worried. Is something the matter?

"Well, it's Akane, Doctor."

"Akane, what's wrong with her?" the good doctor asks her.

"I don't know. She acts like if she hates boys for a reason. I don't know why but I have a feeling that if something happened to her, but then again, it could be just my imagination."

Dr. Tofu thinks about it. And decides to tell Ran about a dark secret about Akane past. "Well…You're on to something, Ran."

"What do you mean Doctor?"

" Ran…I'll tell you something about Akane's past that I don't think I ever told before…just promise me that you won't say that I said so okay?"

Ran nods, "You got it Doctor."

"You see, when Akane was 10 years old, she had a crush on a teenager. Then one day he invited her to go out, Akane was happy about this, he took her to the movies and for a soda, everything was going well, until…"

"Until what Doctor?"

"One day, he took her to his house, there, once they arrive, he was talking to her, but at the same time, doing something else…"

"Something else? Dr. Tofu, what happened?"

"He began to try to take away her clothes, when Akane resisted, he hit her and tear away her clothes and…"

Ran begins to think for the worse. Now worried, she wonders aloud, "Doctor, you don't mean that…"

Dr. Tofu nods, "Yes…Akane was raped when she was only 10 years old"

Ran covers her mouth and she was horrified after hearing that secret. "Oh my God, I don't believe it. So what happened?"

"When they found her, her family brought her to me. I examined her, she was traumatized after that incident, and she didn't speak for almost three days."

"God, poor Akane."

"Yeah, so I guess that she hates boys cause of that incident when she was young."

"No wonder she calls all boys perverts. What a experience that must have been for her."

After that Ran went home, in the road began to think about what Dr. Tofu told her about Akane's past, then she made a plan to talk to Akane.

* * *

The next day Ran confronts Akane again. She's in the backyard when Ran finds her. "Hey Akane, got a minute?"

Akane glares at her. "What do you want? I'm busy."

Ran asks, "Akane, what do you think of Ranma? do you love him?"

"Love him? Why would I love that jerk, that pervert?"

"Yes or no, Akane."

"…Why do I have to answer to you?"

"Akane, I have a feeling that you love him, but at the same time you hate him. Why?"

"This is a waste of time…I'm outta here."

Akane begins to walk away when Ran quietly drops the bomb on her. "You're afraid that he'll turn out just like your first love when you were young, isn't it Akane?"

This stops Akane in her tracks. "What did you say, Ran?"

"Akane, I found out about your 'dark past' that you went through when you were young." Ran tells her.

"You did…? How?"

" It doesn't matter, look Akane, I believe that you're afraid that Ranma will hurt you like that boy, am I correct?"

Akane says nothing.

Taking the other girl's silence as an answer, Ran says, "I thought so. Akane, you can't let your past haunt you. That was in the past, Akane, the past. You must forget and realize that Ranma is not like that boy who…you know…he really loves you."

Akane:"…"

"Also, just because one boy did that to you, doesn't mean that all boys are perverts"

Akane, angry tears in her eyes, cries, "IT IS SO! ALL BOYS ARE PERVERTS! THERE ONLY INTERESTED IN SEX! ALL OF THEM! I HATE THEM!!"

"You can't possibly mean that Akane. That's not true. Sure there may be some, but that doesn't mean that all of the boys will be. You can't let that one incident control your life Akane. Or worse, control your love life."

"What?"

"Akane, if you close your heart to everyone, you'll never find true love, you can't let those awful memories stand between you and your happiness. You're a strong girl…bad tempered…but strong girl. Don't let it beat you."

Akane sobs, "Why are you acting this way? Is it to make fun of me?"

Ran shakes her head. "No Akane, but to help you. Think about it, Akane. About Ranma…Would a pervert help you all the times, would he risk his life for you many times and save you from certain death. Would he be patient with you all this time…? Tell me Akane, would he?"

" I don't know…"

" Think about it Akane…just think about it…I'll see you later."

Ran then leaves Akane alone in the Dojo.

* * *

In the night Akane was sleeping in her room. Then she begins to have a dream.

Akane was in the Tendo Dojo fighting against an evil Dojo-Destroyer. It was big, bald, bearded, and very muscular. She was there in the middle. The Dojo-Destroyer just laughs at her. This made Akane mad, and she proceeded to attack him, but, every hit she land on him it didn't even made him laugh. Then he hit her hard and she went flying. On the ground she was trying to get up, she was in a lot of pain, due to the punch she received from the Dojo-Destroyer. When she looks up in front of her, she saw Ranma. "Ranma…come on, take care of this Dojo-Destroyer would you?"

"…. NO." Ranma says after a moment.

Akane gasps, "What! What do you mean no?"

"I said no…this is your fight, not mine."

"But…"

"Come on Akane, you always say you're a Martial Artist…well, fight like one."

"But I…but I… but I…"

"What's the matter Akane, too much for you?" a girl's voice from out of nowhere spoke.

Akane then sees Ran. She pleads, "Ran, please help me with this!"

"No way…why should I…? Is it your Dojo, so defend it," Ran tells her.

Akane calls to Ranma. "Please Ranma, help me, I'm your fiancé"

Ranma coldly laughs, "HA, only when you need my help to save your sorry butt I'm your fiancé. Well Akane, this time you're on your own."

Needless to say, Akane's shocked. "Ranma…!"

"I'm tired of you abusing me, tired of being like a punching bag for you. I've had it, I'm outta here! Let's go Ran."

"Right behind you Ranma…" Ran turns to Akane and waves goodbye. "See you Akane"

Then Ranma and Ran fade away, Akane was alone against her opponent. She was scared, she could't stand against him. "Somebody…ANYBODY!? HELP MEEEE!" she cried…but nobody came for her. The giant just laughed at her and yelled …-" HA HAHA HAAA, I GROW TIRED OF THIS! TIME FOR YOU TO DIE LITTLE GIRL…DIEEEEE!!"…then he launched his mighty fist at Akane. Upon contact, she wakes up almost screaming.

She looks around and sees that she was in her room. She's relieved that it was only a dream, not a nightmare. After that she puts on her nightgown and goes outside to think. She begins to think about that dream and its meaning. She meditates about her past actions and her present. Then she realizes that all that Ran told her about her life made sense. She thinks about all the times that she acted like a spoiled brat. She begins to remember all the times she called Ranma a pervert or a jerk. Then she remembers all the times that Ranma saved her from many enemies. This makes Akane realize that she was wrong about Ranma; she really didn't realize how lucky, how blessed, she was to have him. She began to feel remorse about her attitude toward Ranma and she felt sorry about all the times that she hit Ranma, knowing that he never hit her back. This makes Akane felt awful about herself. And decide that she was going to change; she didn't want to lose him. And apologize to Ranma and Ran.

* * *

The next morning, Akane wakes up and dresses herself. It was Sunday so there were no classes. She headed for the Tendo Dojo were Ranma and Ran were practicing their Katas.

Ran and Ranma saw her coming toward them:

Ranma whispers, "Oh great, Akane's awake, I wonder what she'll do now?"

"I don't know. I hope she isn't in one of her foul moods." Ran whispers back.

"Hey, look at her face, she looks like she hasn't had a good night's sleep."

When Akane approaches them, she asks, "Um…Ranma, Ran, can I have a word with you guys?"

Ranma's confused, "With us? About what?"

Ran blinks. "Yeah Akane, what is it that you want to talk about?"

Akane lowers her head. "Ranma, I just want to say that I'm very sorry for treating you awful."

This part takes Ranma by the leg, he was very confused at Akane's apology. "What! What did you say Akane…you're apologizing to me…I don't understand."

Akane sadly says, "Ranma, all this time I've been a real pain to you. I've being hitting you, insulting you, and many horrible things… and you took it and never ever complained to me. I feel very sorry for ever doing those things to you…I'm very sorry Ranma, I'm so sorry!"

Ranma seems genuinely touched by this. "Akane…"

"I know that I done many bad things to you. If you don't forgive me, I'll understand, but you must know that I never wanted those things to happen to you." Now sobbing, she says, " J-just don't hate me, Ranma!"

"Akane… I don't know what to say… I couldn't ever hate you.Sure, you're sometimes violent but, Ran told me about your 'awful past'. I didn't know that, and, I couldn't understand your actions back then, but I do now."

Akane:"-(raising her eyes for hope)- "So, do you forgive me Ranma?"

"Sure, I guess…"

After hearing that Akane hugs Ranma tight and cries, "Oh Ranma Thank you thank you…I don't want to lose you, I love you very much. Say you'll give me another chance at being your fiancé, please?"

"Akane, only if you trust me more and listen to me…", Ranma's about to say.

"Sure, sure, I'll promise you that I'll try to trust you more and listen to you, and, I promise that I'll try to learn how to cook"

It's settled for Ranma. He smiles. "That's all I wanted to hear, Akane. I know we'll get through this together, right Ran?"

"Right" Ran happily agrees.

"Oh Ranma, I'm very happy!"

"Glad that you reflected, right Akane?"

Akane turns to Ran. "And thank you Ran, for everything you done for me. I know I acted like a bitch."

Ran aw'shucks at this. "No problem, like I said before, I was only trying to help you."

Ranma for the first time in his life felt secure about this. Then Akane decided to ask another help. "Um Ranma, can I ask you a big favor, please"

"A favor? Sure Akane, what is it?"

"Ranma, Ran, can you teach me how to fight"

"You want 'me' to teach 'you' how to fight?"

"Yeah, I thought I knew, but thanks to Ran, I found out I don't know anything. Please Ranma, would you teach me how to fight just as good as you and Ran?"

Ranma agrees. "Sure Akane, happy to do it, right Ran?"

"Yep!" Ran says.

Akane:"-(happy)- Really? Thank you!"

"But, it will be tough," Ranma warns. "You're up for it Akane?"

"Yes, I will do it, no matter how hard will be."

"I'm sure you'll do fine" Ran assures Akane.

After that. Ranma and Ran began to train Akane in the Saotome-Martial Art, mostly Ranma. At first she was slow, but as time went by, she began to learn a lot, she actually learning how to fight, not whit brute force, but whit training, concentrated. Ranma began to teach Akane some of the ability's of the Saotome…in the training of the Katchu-tenshi-Amaguriken Akane was having trouble learned it, cause she had to put her hands on the open fire, but, slowly and slowly she began to mastered. Ranma also began to teach her how to harness her Ki. She was learning well. She even made a dress for the Martial Art. It was similar to Ranma's but in a female way, yellow with a white belt.

Their parents were dancing with joy at the sight of Ranma and Akane practicing 'together' in the Dojo all the times. Ranma and Akane were enjoying their company a lot. Akane was indeed learning how to fight. Ran also helped her a lot.

During the times, Akane began to change, she no longer accused Ranma of being a pervert, she began to listen to him before she jumped to conclusions. And most of all… with the help of Kasumi and Ran, Akane began to learn how to cook. It took her quite some time, but she began to make decent meals. Ranma was impressed by her progress.

Akane was feeling alive. Not only because the training that she was receiving, but also, of her life.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	5. Two New Players Make Their Appearance!

CHAPTER 05

**_-"TWO NEW PLAYERS MAKE THEIR APPEARANCE! RAN'S SEARCH FOR ANSWERS"-_**

It is nighttime in the city of Tokyo. A man is standing out on the rooftop of a tall office building overlooking the city. It is the young man we saw earlier in chapter 3, the one who R bumped into on the way to the hotel. We get a good look at him. He's still wearing his white school uniform, black T-shirt, and cross necklace. Most people who had seen him thought he was a foreigner. His sun-tanned, golden brown skin and facial features made it hard to tell if he was a black man, Japanese, or both. It didn't matter anyway. Besides, the man had other things on his mind at the moment.

He looks up to the night sky, and sees the stars shining brightly. He lets out a long sigh. For him, the stars remind him of his home. That celestial city. A place called heaven.

The young man thinks about how he came to his present state. Before coming to Japan, the man made a brief stopover in China. He was there to investigate some cursed springs…. in Jusenkyo.

BEGIN FLASHBACK

"Here, sir, is legendary training ground of Accursed Springs," the Jusenkyo Guide says. He notices his latest visitor's appearance. "You very very strange one, no, sir? This place very dangerous. Nobody use now. Is more than one hundred spring here, and every one have own tragic legend.

The man is wearing dark sunglasses, so it's hard to tell what exactly he's looking at. But his face shows no emotion, and he seems to be looking straight ahead at the springs. "I can hear them…"

"Hear what, sir?" the Guide asks.

"I hear the souls of those who drowned here." The man turns to the Guide. "Listen, I know that it's your job to care for this training ground and warn those who come here to use it, but I can honestly say that this place gives me the creeps! I've seen enough."

Later, they are at the Guide's house, drinking tea. The man notices an ornate picture hanging on the wall. The picture shows an angel fighting a large purple cat. Something about it gets the man's attention. Pointing to the picture, he asks the Guide about it. "Excuse me, but could you tell me about that picture over there?"

"Ah, yes. That picture given to me by my father, who got it from my grandfather, who got it from my great-grandfather," the Guide explains. "It tells of very, very, very, tragic tale. Many, many years ago, angel from heaven fight evil Cat Ghost King. Cat Ghost King was banished, but not before he knock angel into Spring of Drowned Man. Now angel have body of man, no can go back to heaven. Is very tragic story."

The young man thinks back to that terrible day. A group of angels were sent from heaven to China to battle an evil spirit calling itself the Cat Ghost King that was going around terrorizing the countryside, kidnapping people, and brainwashing them into soldiers for his army. While the angels fought the soldiers who were under the spirit's control, the leader of the angelic attack force took on the Cat Ghost King in one-on-one combat. The two foes fought high in the sky over Jusenkyo in an intense battle. Just as the leader was about to defeat the Cat Ghost King, the fiendish feline struck the angel with one of his energy blasts. POW! A direct hit! The angel fell from the sky, and into one of the cursed springs! His comrades came to his aid and finished off the Cat Ghost King, sealing away his evil power in a deserted place that would years later be called the Gods and Demons Graveyard. As for the angelic leader, he reemerged from the cursed spring but something was wrong. His wings, and his powers, were gone!

The man sits there for a moment, lost in thought. He then comes to his senses, and asks the Guide, "So what happened to the angel after that?

"Don't know. After Cat Ghost King banished, angel disappear. May have gone back to heaven after all, or still here on Earth. No one know. Why you ask?"

"Because… " The man concentrates, and glows with a soft white light. He changes into an angel right before the Jusenkyo Guide's eyes!

The Guide is totally surprised, shocked even. "AIYA! YOU IS ANGEL! He panics, "AIYAAA!! I TOO YOUNG TO DIE NOW!" Then, he realizes something. "Hey…how come you change without getting wet?

The angel facefaults, thinking _Aw, man! Why is it when some people see an angel, they freak out and think they're gonna die? It's like those shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Geez! Sigh… Some things never change._ Out loud, he tries to calm the frightened man. "That's not important. Look, fear not, OK? My name is **_Michael Angelus_**, and I need your help. Please, tell me… is there a spring that can cure me of the curse I carry? A "Spring of Drowned Angel"?"

"Oh, I very sorry, Mr. Angel," the Guide tells him. "No such spring here."

_I knew it. I just didn't want to believe it. There goes my one chance to be normal again and return home!_ He sighs, "I see… Well, thank you anyway. Oh, and thanks for the tea."

And so, the angel walks out of the Guide's house, flaps his wings, and flies off into the clear blue sky. The Jusenkyo Guide is still in shock by what he just saw…

"Aiya, poor Mr. Angel…."

END FLASHBACK

_The Guide's story was true_, the young man thinks. _Because of the Jusenkyo curse, I could not go back to my home. Since that day, I've been here on Earth, waiting, hoping, and longing to return. But that day never came…_

And so he continued to wait. But over the years, the man found out that the curse was really a blessing in disguise. He noticed that his human body, his cursed form, never seemed to age. He reasoned that it was due to the effects of the cursed spring mixed in with his angelic powers. Even though he could no longer fly, he could perform feats of superhuman strength and agility while in his cursed form. Unlike others who had Jusenkyo curses, he didn't need hot or cold water to change; his powers allowed him to control his transformations at will. So, rather than get all depressed because he couldn't go home, he decided to try living as a human.

Thus **_Michael Angelus_**, the Messenger of Light became **_THE MCD_**.

He has been many things throughout his lifetime, - a teacher, a musician, a counselor, and…a fighter. In his spare time, THE MCD trained in martial arts and quickly became a master. He then set out to test his skills in tournaments around the world. With the prize money he won, he bought himself a nice house, some sports cars, and gave the rest of his winnings to people in need. After a while, he got used to his new lifestyle, until one day….

Due to the lack of competition (he beat down all challengers), THE MCD retired from fighting, sold his house and cars, took the last of his money, and went on a journey. He had stopped in China, hoping to find a cure for his Jusenkyo curse, then ended up in Japan.

Why, then, is THE MCD in Japan anyway?

THE MCD holds his cross necklace in his hand_. Someday, I'll return home_, he thinks. _But I think there's a reason I came here. Somewhere out there, there are two people who need my help. _(Thinks of Ran Hayami and R) _And I sense a great evil approaching. If it's what I think it is, then the world is in danger! Cat Ghost King! I'm coming for you! I'm going to pay you back for what you did to me 500 years ago – with interest!_

And with that, THE MCD transforms into Michael Angelus and flies off into the evening sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the secret fortress of the RED CAT GANG, Dr. Wily and Bass are in the secret chamber with the statue of the Cat Ghost King.

The statue gulps. "Uh oh…."

"What's wrong, Big Cat? Cat got your tongue? Ha ha!" Bass laughs.

"That's not funny, Bass! Meow!"

Dr. Wily comments, "You seem awfully worked up. Is something troubling you?

The statue sweatdrops. "OH! Um…nothing….!" _NO! He can't be here! Not now! I thought I got rid of him 500 years ago! If it's who I think it is, then I'm REALLY screwed! Grrr…Angelus! If it is you… Be prepared. I WILL get my revenge on Ranma Saotome, but… It looks like I may have to make a little detour to take care of you first. Meow!_

"Well, in that case, we'll return to the lab now," Dr. Wily says. He orders his second-in-command, "Bass, contact R and see how he's doing on his mission."

Bass snorts, "Sure thing, Doc. Let's see what new lame excuse "Dog-Boy" has for not killing Ranma this time!

"Stop calling him that, Bass! R will not fail me! Unlike YOU, on the other hand…

"There you go again, defending him! And how dare you compare him to ME! You know, if "Dog-Boy" ever figures out what you've done to him and his sister, he's gonna kick your butt! And I'm gonna be around to watch and laugh at you when he does!

The Cat Ghost King can only watch as Dr. Wily and Bass argue about R.

The Statue sweatdrops, thinking: _Why did I have to team up with those two? Oh well, at least I still have my own secret plan, meow! When the time comes, R will come to me. Then, watch out Ranma Saotome! Hee hee hee! Meow!_

* * *

-(Dream-Sequence)-

Ran is in a foggy place, running from something. A shadowy figure appears in front of her. "Ha ha ha haaaa, you can't run away from your destiny, from your mission!" the shadow laughs.

"No! Keep away from me! I'm warning you!" Ran says defiantly.

"You will do as you were commanded to do…to destroy Ranma Saotome!" the shadow commands.

A scared Ran says, "NOOOO, I will not do that! He's my best friend!"

The shadow just laughs at this. "HA ha ha haaa, Friend? You think that? You think that 'he' will be your friend after he finds out your 'true' nature?"

"What do you mean?"

"Once he finds out all about you, he'll reject you, and despise you."

Ran shakes her head. "Noooooo, you're lying! We're friends!"

"That's right, keep telling yourself that… but in the end, you will kill him."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!", Ran screams.

-(End of Dream)-

Ran wakes up screaming in her room, all the Tendos and Saotomes rush to her room – again.

Kasumi is by Ran's beside and holds her in a comforting embrace. Obviously concerned for her, she asks, "Ran, what's wrong? Did you have another bad dream?"

"Yeah Ran. Sounds like it was a horrible one." Ranma says.

Covered in sweat, Ran says: "Yes…you might say that…"

"Wanna talk about it Ran?" Akane asks.

Ran puts a hand to her forehead, as if her head hurt. "It was horrible. In my dreams I see this shadowy figure that's telling me that I have to kill you Ranma, saying that it is my destiny."

"And…what do you think Ran?" Ranma asks her.

"I don't know," Ran replies. Looking up to Ranma, she continues, "All I know is, that's been haunting me ever since I came to Nerima, ever since I met you Ranma."

"You don't say..," Akane says inquisitively.

Nervous about (or possibly because of) the dream, Ran tells Akane, "Yes, and I don't know what to do with it, but… it scares me."

Ranma puts a reassuring hand on Ran's shoulder. The warmth of his touch sends a rather pleasant feeling through Ran. The spark that has been ignited a while ago within Ran's heart now becomes a small burning flame. The growing connection between Ranma and Ran is a little stronger than before, and for the moment Ran no longer feels afraid. Ranma tells her, "There, there, Ran, you shouldn't have to worry about it, you're with us. We'll help you through it…right guys?"

"Right," everyone in the room agrees.

Ran's grateful for the care and concern these people are showing. With tears in her eyes, she happily says, " Oh thank you Ranma, thank you all for being my friends."

"Well now, now that's taken care of, shall we go to bed?" Kasumi says.

And everyone went to bed.

Meanwhile...

* * *

**_CHINA_****_ – THE RED CAT GANG'S FORTRESS:_**

Back at the temple, the Cat Ghost King's statue called everyone for a special meeting. Dr. Wily and especially Bass weren't too pleased to be called at 3:00 am, so they head for the shrine where the Cat Ghost King lay:

Dr. Wily still half-asleep, yawns, "What is the meaning of this at calling us at this time of the night, Cat Ghost King?"

A cranky Bass adds, "Yeah, it better be important or else I might have…"

"SILENCE… !!" the Cat Ghost King's statue shouts. Then calmly, he speaks. "Now meow…I called you here to say that we need to speed up our plans, we're very far behind schedule meow."

"I already told you, you don't need to worry. Everything will run according to our plans." Dr. Wily reminds the statue.

It better be…oh before I forget, I want to introduce you all to our new member…say hello to Erick Genryusai…"

From the shadows a man emerges, wearing a dark red cloak, silver iron boots, a purple scar around his neck, black shirt with a skull-shaped necklace, and black pants. Erick bows to the group and introduces himself. "Hello you all, I am Erick Genryusai. Pleased to meet you."

The statue purrs with approval. "Erick here is my High Priest… and he is our new "Chief Advisor"."

Dr. Wily blinks at this. "Chief Advisor!"

"That's right. He's a very wise and educated young man, full of experience and knowledge. And polite and patient unlike SOME people I know," the statue glares – if such a thing were possible – at Bass.

Bass is irritated by the Cat Ghost King's remark. "HEY! WHAT'S THAT'S SUPPOSED TO MEAN YOU MISERABLE…!!"

Erick interrupts, "Now now, Mr. Bass, no need to get violent."

"WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO?" Bass roars at the priest.

Erick's unfazed by Bass' behavior. He's dealt with people like this many times before. He goes on to say, "Well, I will be your advisor, and my advice to you will be to cool down. Relax. You'll gain nothing from anger."

"But, why do we need a 'Chief Advisor?" Dr Wily asks.

"Meow…we'll need all the help we can get for this mission, and Erick here, with his experience in 'War Strategies' will be able to pull it off fast meow."

"That's right. I've been analyzing your 'strategies' guys…and I'm afraid that they are lame." Erick comments.

Dr. Wily's shocked. "WHAT!"

"I'm afraid so. You're trying to accomplish everything in such a short time."

"Well, that's the plan isn't it? The faster the better!" Dr. Wily

"That's your problem. As the old saying goes…-_Ambitions without Knowledge is like a boat in dry land. -"_

Bass is confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Erick explains, "It means that if you don't have any solid plans and strategies, you'll never be able to accomplish anything. My advice will be to review all you have right now, then… Well, let's do this in the morning. I see that everyone is kinda sleepy and grumpy…" He looks at Bass and the others assembled, and then says, "So, let's go and rest."

"Perhaps you're right meow, tomorrow we'll discuss this meow," the Cat Ghost King agrees.

And everyone went back to sleep. Erick, however, chuckles to himself, "So, it has begun. How much fun this will be for me… Hm hm hm hmm…So, Michael, it appears that I'll be seeing you soon."

* * *

The next morning at the Tendo Dojo, Ran wakes up, still worried about the nightmare she had. She's a little scared and confused. "Why, why is this happening to me? What do those nightmares mean?" she wonders quietly.

Ranma comes in. "Hey Ran, good morning. How're you doing?"

Ran's train of thought is broken for the moment. "Wha…? Good morning Ranma, I'm better now. Thanks for asking."

"That's good. Hey, Kasumi's making breakfast. Wanna dig in?"

Ran smiles, "Yeah, let's go."

Then Ran and Ranma go to the kitchen. Upon arriving they see Kasumi cooking, Kasumi turns around and sees Ran and Ranma. "Ran, Ranma, how are you? Did you sleep well Ran?"

"Yeah Kasumi, thanks." Ran sniffs the the delicious aroma. "Mmmm, that sure smells good Kasumi"

Ranma:" Ditto"

Kasumi:" Thanks, sit down, I'll serve it in a moment."

Ranma-Ran:" YEAAA"

Once they eat, they head for school. During classes, Ran was always thinking about the bad dreams she's being having. _I wonder what those dreams could mean. I mean, I really don't know anything about myself, nor my past… this is very strange, I must find out._

During lunch, Ran went to have lunch with Ranma and Akane. They sit by the tree. "So Ran, are you feeling better?" Ranma asks.

"Yeah, that was a really big scream you gave last night," Akane says..

Ran blushes. " Um…gomen. Yeah it was wasn't it? But, it just bothers me not knowing what it meant…but that's not the only thing that's bothering me."

"Oh! What's the other thing Ran?" Ranma wants to know.

"Well, like how is it that I don't know much about myself, I mean, before coming to Nerima. I don't remember much about my past, where I live, who are my parents?"

"You're right, even Nabiki and Dr. Tofu couldn't find out much. You don't have an I.D."

"And that's what's scaring me, who am I? Is Ran my real name? I wish I could remember anything… something."

Akane speaks up. "Hey you guys, how about if we take Ran to Dr. Tofu?"

"What for Akane?" Ranma asks. "Ran's not sick."

"No, it's just that Dr. Tofu knows a little about hypnosis…maybe that could help Ran."

"Y'know Akane, you're right. That's a good idea. Whaddya say Ran?"

Ran thinks about it a moment, then says, "Well…sure. Why not?"

After classes were over, they went straight to Dr. Tofu's clinic. When they arrive they see the doctor cleaning his office. Dr. Tofu greets them. "Hey guys, how are you?"

Ranma says, "We're fine, Doc. Listen, there's something we need to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Doctor Tofu, you think you could hypnotize Ran?" Akane asks.

Dr. Tofu blinks. "Ah, Akane, psychology isn't my specialty. I DO know a few techniques, though ... so I believe I could hypnotize Ran, but why?"  
Ranma explains, "You see, Ran doesn't remember much about her past, and we thought that with hypnosis she could see and remember something."

"I see, very well, let's give it a try. You're up for it Ran?"

Ran's excited. To find out a little bit more about herself, she's willing to do this. "Yes. Yes I am, and thanks!"

"Then let's get started, shall we?" Dr. Tofu then leads her to a couch and motions for her to sit there. Ranma and Akane take seats in chairs on the opposite side of the doctor's office. Then Dr. Tofu pulls up a chair from his desk and wheels it beside the couch. Before he does anything, he explains to Ran (and to the others in the room) what's involved. How hypnosis is a kind of half-sleep state that can (in Ran's case) help to bring up the memories she has buried inside her. He assures her that while under the trance, she won't be asked to do anything strange or that would make her feel uncomfortable.

Then, after everything is set, Ran is resting on the couch. Dr. Tofu's right beside her while Ranma and Akane are in front of her.

Dr. Tofu's ready to begin. "Okay, everything is ready. Listen Ran, I'll need your total cooperation on this one, just relax and concentrate okay?"

Ran nods. "Okay. Let's do it."

Then Dr. Tofu reaches into his pocket, takes out a gold coin, and shows it to Ran. "Ran, I want you to look at this golden coin I have in my hand. Keep your eyes on it. Take a few deep breaths. Just keep breathing deeply. Listen to the sound of my voice. You will find that your eyelids have a tendency to get heavy, almost as if they had a heavy weight attached to them…"

As Dr. Tofu speaks, Ran does exactly as he says. She looks deeply at the coin he's holding. Her attention is so focused that she does not notice the steady rhythm of her breathing. She can barely feel her eyes starting to close. She almost feels like she's floating on a cloud. Floating… floating…

"And the longer you stare at this, the more your eyelids get heavy, and you blink,…"

Dr. Tofu says this just after Ran blinks her eyes. He prepares to intensify the induction by watching Ran and timing his suggestions very closely with her reactions.

He continues, "…and they have a feeling like something is pulling them down, as if they wanted to slowly close, and get drowsier and sleepier and heavier. And you have a feeling as if they were slowly closing, slowly closing, getting drowsier and more tired, and when they finally do close, how good you'll feel. Drowsy, heavy, pulling down, down, down, slowly closing, getting harder and harder to see, and you feel good. Very, very hard to keep them open, feel that very soon they will close tightly, almost tightly closing, almost tightly closing, tightly closing. Your eyes are tightly closed; you feel good; you feel comfortable; you're relaxed all over; just let yourself drift and enjoy this comfortable relaxed state. You will find that you head will get heavier; tends to nod forward some, and you just let yourself drift in an easy, calm, relaxed state."

At this point Dr. Tofu checks on Ran. He gently lifts her hand and then lets go of it. It falls in her lap. "Ran, can you hear me?", he asks.

"Yes…", Ran says distantly.

"That's good. Now, when I count to three and snap my fingers you'll fall asleep…one…two…three…"

SNAP.

After Dr. Tofu snaps his fingers, Ran closes her eyes and falls asleep.

Akane is impressed. She whispers excitedly, "WOW! That was cool, wasn't it Ranma…? Ranma? Ranma!"

When Akane looks at Ranma, she notices that Ranma(!) has fallen asleep.

Akane blinks. "Ranma?" Then she gently elbows him awake. Well, gently, for Akane anyway…

Dr. Tofu begins to ask questions to the sleepy Ran. "Now Ran, I want you to tell me what you see, tell me about what you can see about your past…dig deeply into your mind…can you see something?"

Ran's voice takes on a soft, quiet dreaminess while she's in a deep trance. "Y..Yeah… I see… I see water. I see a… tube, a crystal tube in front of me; there are lots and lots of bubbles all around me, like a Jacuzzi. I see a shadow figure in front of me; I can't see his face, but…"

"But what Ran, can you explain it to me?"  
"I… I can't, I don't know. Then, I see a big shadow figure in the background, then I see a fire star, or something, then I see someone calling for me, someone who's in danger, he's in danger…!" Suddenly, she's shouting, "HE'S IN DANGER! I MUST HELP HIM! NEED HELP…!"

Dr. Tofu sees that Ran's beginning to panic. She's twitching and convulsing like she having a seizure. Without hesitation, he decides to wake her up, due to the danger that she (thought) was happening.

"Listen Ran, when I snap my fingers you'll wake up…!"

SNAP.

Then Ran wakes up, all sweating and panting. "What happened to me, I feel so tired and, well… a little dizzy…ohhhh…," she groans putting a hand to her head. "Did it work Doc?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. But don't worry Ran, we'll continue with this treatment at a later time, okay?"

"Uh…sure." Ran says tiredly.

After Akane takes Ran back home, Ranma stays behind with the doctor. "So what happened Doc, did it work?", he asks.

"Well, not at first Ranma, but I'll keep doing it until we find out all about Ran."

"Say Doc, why did you wake Ran? Why didn't you let her finish what she was saying?"

Now serious, Dr. Tofu says, "Because Ranma, if I had allowed Ran to continue, she would have been in serious trouble. The shock to her mind would have been too much for her to handle. Still, I've never seen anybody react so strongly while under trance; the process is supposed to be calming."

Ranma bows, apologizing. "Um…. Gomen, I didn't know. I'm sure you did just fine, Doc. It's just that whatever Ran's dealing with here, it's kinda got me concerned too... She mentioned that she'd thought she had amnesia. She doesn't remember anything that happened before she came here."

"Well, if that's true…and if her amnesia is genuine, she'll need someone to trust and confide in..." Dr. Tofu glances over in Ranma's direction.

"What should we do?"

"In a way, you and Akane are already doing something about it. You're friends, so continue to be her friend. Just treat her as a human being. Don't try to help her remember the past, but do tell her whatever she asks about it. You won't have to spend time trying to make her remember everything. That doesn't mean you should treat her any differently than before."

"Hey, thanks, Doc. We're sorry for asking you to do this for Ran."

Dr. Tofu tells him, "That's okay Ranma. Now go home ok?"

Leaving the clinic, Ranma goes home to check on Ran.

* * *

In the Red Cat Gang's fortress, we see Dr. Wily, Bass, Bubbleman, some cat foot soldiers, the High Priest and Chief Advisor Erick Genryusai in front of the Cat Ghost King's statue.

"So, what are the plans for today meow" the statue asks.

Dr. Wily reveals his latest plan. "To lure Ranma Saotome into a trap where Bass here will eliminate him and…"

Erick interrupts, "You must be kidding me Doctor. Do you think that Bass can even handle Ranma?"

An angry Bass objects. "HEY! IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, I'M A HIGH-TECH SUPER ANDROID! I CAN TAKE HIM WITH NO PROBLEM! WHAT CAN THAT MISERABLE HUMAN DO TO ME?"

"The question is…What can 'you' do to 'him'?" Erick chuckles.

"WHAT!?"

"Listen Bass, strong you may be. Smart and skilled you're not."

With pure rage, Bass explodes on the priest. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?"

"What I mean is… This Ranma is not just any ordinary human. He's a great fighter and an excellent Marital Artist who possesses special abilities that are considerably inhuman. He has defeated many strong and powerful enemies, among them the immortal prince of Phoenix Mountain Saffron. He was almost a GOD, and Ranma won."

"You don't say…sounds like he's a great fighter for a human." Dr. Wily observes.

Erick confirms Wily's comment. "That's right Doc." Then, he turns in Bass' direction, "…and besides Bass…if you can't even defeat your enemy Megaman, and he's a cyborg like you, what makes you think you can defeat this 'human' Ranma?"

Further enraged, Bass growls, "GRRRR…OF COURSE I CAN TAKE HIM ON! WITH MY BUSTER I'LL VAPORIZE HIM, NO SWEAT!"

Seriously, Erick says, "Bass, until you accept your own weakness and lose that vanity you have, you will always lose."

Bass repeats his earlier question. "What that's supposed to mean?"

Erick says with a knowing grin, "Try to find out…my plans for today will be to set up surveillance cameras on many areas of Nerima. That way we will have eyes and ears everywhere."

"But, what good will that do?" Bubbleman asks.

"Simple, in order to attack our enemies, we must first know our enemies, know their weakness, their desires, everything."

The statue nods – oh, c'mon he's a STATUE for crying out loud! – in agreement with his High Priest's plan. "Meow, that's a great idea Erick meow. Okay, Erick's idea will be put in motion meow, now go."

Erick remembers the other reason he called for this meeting. "Oh before we go, I'd like to introduce someone…okay, you may come out now."

And everyone turns to the corner of the shadows…and from those shadows emerges a girl. She wears a long black dress with long white gloves that cover her hands all the way up to her elbows. Her hair is long and black; she has pale white skin, and wears black lipstick. Despite her rather ghoulish appearance, she is very beautiful.

With a dramatic wave of his hand, Erick introduces the girl. "Gentlemen, I'd like you all to meet Delia."

Delia quietly says, "Hi."

Dr. Wily thinks. _Hmm, pretty lady. Weird, but pretty…_ Out loud, he says, "Emm, Not the talking type is she?"

"Quiet," Erick silences Wily. "Delia here is gonna be MY Assistant. All your reports you must deliver to her, and she in turn will report to us, is that understood?"

"But why?"

"Sometimes 'DOC', it is better not to ask too many questions. So it's settled – let's get to work."

* * *

It was a beautiful afternoon. Ran, Ranma and Akane were in the park having a good time. They were heading for the ice cream shop, when they hear a very familiar sound.

"Hey guys, what's that sound?" Ran asks.

Ranma is about to say, "It sounds like…" Now worried, he says, "No, it couldn't be…!"

"What? What is it?"

Akane points in the direction of the commotion. "Guys, look over there!"

They turn around and see Happosai being chased by a mob of very angry women. Happosai was yelling happily…-" WHAT A HAUL, WHAT A HAUL!!"

Ran blinks. "Who in the world is that little old man?"

"THAT Ran, is Happosai," Ranma disgustedly says.

"He's a first-class old pervert, who you should stay far, far away from," Akane warns.

"I see, but why are all those women chasing him?" Ran asks.

"Because he likes to steal women's panties," Ranma replies.

Ran's eyes go wide at this. "Say what…women's panties?"

Akane adds, "That's right, not only that, but also women's bras."

Ran gasps, "Bra…Bras! Why would he do that?"

"Like we said before, he's a pervert. Oh, and whenever he sees a pretty girl, he salutes her by glomping onto her chest," Ranma further explains.

Ran's horrifed. "HE WHAT!?"

"That's right. Our advice to you is to never cross paths with him." Akane tells her

A little bit shaken, Ran says, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind"

Unfortunately, Happosai sees Ran, and decides to say 'hello' in his own special way. So he rushes over to Ran, Ranma and Akane:

"Hiya cuties! Say, just who is this beautiful young girl Ranma? She looks very much like your cursed form!"

Ranma tries to be civil toward the Old Pervert, resisting the urge to boot him into the stratosphere. "Her name is Ran."

Happosai's surprised. "Ran! Just like Ranma! Is she your long lost cousin or something, or sister?"

Ranma blinks. "Um, no… why do you say that?"

"Because Ranma my boy, her aura and Ki are very similar to yours."

"Really?" Ranma and Ran both say simultaneously.

"That's very weird," Akane notices. Then she says, "And dig this Happosai, she knows the Anything-Goes fighting style."

"She does?"

"Yeah…," Ran nods.

"But how? I only taught it to those clods Soun and Genma – no one else. How is it that you know it?" Happosai wonders.

"I really don't know. I just…know it."

Happosai smokes his pipe. "Hmm, that's really weird, I must look into the matter, I will investigate. In the meantime…" At this point he looks at Ran with a sly, lecherous grin. "I must verify if those are real."

"What things?" Ran nervously asks.

Ranma and Akane both gasp, "Oh no…"

Then, in a blink of an eye, Happosai glomps into Ran's chest. He happily declares as he nuzzles between her breasts, "Woo-hoo, they ARE real! And my, what softness and warmth you have in them, my dear Ran!"

Ran screams, "GYAAAAAAA, DON'T TOUCH YOU DIRTY OLD MAN…KYAAAAAA!!"

Then Ran unleashes a big powerful wave of flame – think Kyo Kusanagi's 108 Shiki Orochinagi! – toward Happosai. Can anybody say, "One pervert – well done?"

Later Happosai, all charbroiled and burnt to a crisp (and dizzy on top of that!), croaks, "Cough cough…just like Ranma, with a fiery spirit…" Then he falls to the ground.

Panting fast, Ran breathes out, "Man, you weren't kidding about him guys."

"Told you so," Ranma says.

* * *

In another part of Nerima, there was R trying to master a new martial art move…Miss. Hinako's ki draining Happo Gojuuensatsu (Eight Treasures 50 Yen Kill):

"Almost there. Once I learn that move from that vampire teacher, I'll be able to beat that Ranma person!" R says confidently. "Ha ha ha haaaa… ! After that…"

Suddenly, R is interrupted by…Dan! Dan's kinda mad about what happened three episodes ago. "There you are you, you Inuyasha clone!"

R's not surprised. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Famous! What do you want? I'm busy."

"I CAME HERE TO DEFEAT YOU FOR THE HUMILIATION YOU PUT ME THROUGH THE OTHER DAY!"

"Oh please, you really think you can even hope to defeat me? You make me laugh."

At this, Dan does a rather disturbingly accurate impression of Ryoga. Enraged, he yells, "R, PREPARE TO DIE! CAUSE OF YOU I'VE SEEN HELL…HYAAAAAA!!"

Dan rushes toward R with a flying kick. R just releases one of his special moves on him.

"ACTIVE RED PEARL!"

Dan is struck hard by a red and purple tinted Ki blast. The next thing we see is Dan flying away all bruised:

"Man, what a loser that guy is." R complains. "I hope I can fight someone who can fight for real, like that wandering Martial Artist, the one who defeated Sagat. Now he's a REAL fighter…after I defeat Ranma, I'll search for him and challenge him again. Hmmm, I wonder if that school girl found him yet?"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	6. Bass Gets A New Ally!

CHAPTER 06

**_-"BASS GETS A NEW ALLY!"-_**

Last time:

Well, Akane beats up on Ranma and poisons him with her cooking (As usual). Then, she gets beat up by Ryu's number one fan Sakura (If you ask me, Akane had it coming, in my opinion!). Ran learns an awful secret about Akane's past (Aww, that poor girl!). We find out THE MCD's really an angel with a Jusenkyo curse, which causes him to turn human! (WHOA! Didn't see that one coming did you?) And he does it without cold water! Now that Michael Angelus (THE MCD's true identity) has appeared, the Cat Ghost King's getting a little nervous. (OK, he's freaking out!). In response to this as well as to speed up their plans, the feline fiend has summoned his High Priest and Chief Advisor Erick Genryusai. But it seems Erick has a secret agenda of his own – what could it be? Meanwhile, hoping to remember something from her past, Ran willingly undergoes hypnosis – with some unexpected results.

Interesting stuff, huh, folks? Well, if you thought that was cool, check out what happens next!

* * *

In the secret fortress of the RED CAT GANG, Dr. Wily, Bass, Treble, and Bubbleman, are in the secret chamber with the statue of the Cat Ghost King. Bass is about to give his report on the progress he's made in locating the Phoenix Stone.

The statue speaks. "Meow! OK, before we go over Erick's new plan, let's hear today's report. Bass, have you found the Phoenix Stone yet?

Bass gives his report. "Funny you should ask, Big Cat. Ya see, we've searched the area around the cliff where we last saw Lady Ran, and….

"We didn't find her," Bubbleman completes Bass' sentence.

This irks Bass, but he continues. "So I assumed that if she fell off the cliff, she would have fallen into the ocean and drowned. I had a team of divers go underwater, you know, to find her body…."

"We didn't find her there, either," Bubbleman completes Bass' sentence - again. That's strike two.

Treble (Bass' mecha-wolf companion), embarrassed, puts his paw to his face. "Grrrrf….(Oh, brother…)", he growls.

An irritated Bass turns on Bubbleman and says, "Hey, Bubbles! You tryin' to make me look bad in front of the Doc and the Big Cat?"

"Oh no, Bass! I was only trying to help."

"Be quiet."

"I mean, all you had to tell them was that we didn't find the girl and…."

"Shut up!"

"Well, I don't see why you're so mad at me. I was just saying…."

Bass has had it! He grabs Bubbleman by the collar and shakes him. "Shut up, will you, shut up!"

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Wily yells. Bass stops shaking Bubbleman and tosses him to the ground. Bubbleman's out cold, with little dizzy swirls in his eyes.

"No more delays, Bass. I want that stone, and I want it NOW!" Dr. Wily tells Bass.

"Don't you start up with me! This mess is all "Dog-Boy's" fault, you know! Grrr! When I get my hands on that guy, I'm gonna….!"

"You'll do what to him, Bass?" a mysterious voice says out of nowhere.

"HUH?" Bass looks around. "Who said that?"

They all turn around to see who it is. Out of the shadows, High Priest Erick Genryusai and his assistant Delia appear.

"Ah, it is my loyal High Priest, Erick!" the Cat Statue purrs.

Erick addresses the Cat Ghost King, "Greetings, oh great one!" Then, to the others, he says, "Greetings to you too, Dr. Wily and Lord Bass."

The sincerity of Erick's greeting catches Bass off guard. "Uhh…yeah, right." _Who is this Erick guy, anyway? There's something funny about him and his gal pal…This keeps on getting interesting._

The statue speaks. "You came just in time, Erick. We were discussing about…."

"The Phoenix Stone?" Erick finishes his master's statement. "Yes, I already know about the incident. But you guys may have already made things worse. While you were searching for Lady Ran here, she may have already gone somewhere else. At any rate, she's not here. Trust me, I know."

"What? How?" Bass wants to know.

"You forget, Bass. Lady Ran has the Phoenix Stone. It's got powers that even I don't know about yet. In fact, I believe it protected her, preventing her from falling to a watery grave. You still want to find her, right? I'll even give you a hint: go fishing."

"Go fishing?" WHAT KIND OF A HINT IS THAT?

"Hey, it's a hint, Bass. Take it or leave it. Oh, one more thing!"

Erick looks over in Delia's direction, and she pulls out a small, clear, crystal ball the size of a baseball and gives it to Bass. "Use this to find the Phoenix Stone. And…" He then pulls out a piece of paper with something written on it and gives that to Bass, too. " …if anyone gives you trouble, just use this; it's the sacred word of the RED CAT GANG. It'll come in handy."

"By the way, Dr. Wily meow, how's R doing on his mission?" the statue asks.

Dr. Wily reports, "R is currently attending Furinkan High School as a transfer student. He's learned some new moves that he believes will help him destroy Ranma Saotome. It won't be long before he takes care of him."

"That's good. Meow! OK, now let's talk about the new plan Erick has for us. Take it away, Erick! Meow!"

Erick bows. "Thank you. As I said last time, my plan is to set up surveillance cameras on many areas of Nerima, that way we will have eyes and ears everywhere. By doing this, we will know our enemies, know their weakness, their desires, everything. But in order for us to carry out this plan, I'll need to borrow the men under Lord Bass's command."

"WHAT? HEY! He can't do that! That's MY search party!" Bass exclaims.

"Well, somebody has to put up the cameras all over Nerima. Delia and I can't do it all by ourselves, you know."

"But how am I supposed to find Lady Ran WITHOUT my search party?"

"Oh, Bass, don't whine! Just use that crystal. It's like a metal detector; only it's attracted to magical objects. Find the Phoenix Stone, and you'll find Lady Ran. Simple."

Satisfied with the current plan, the statue of the Cat Ghost King glows in approval. "Meow! OK! You all know what to do. Now..." A dramatic pause. "Go! Meow!"

Dr. Wily turns to his second-in-command, "Bass….!"

Bass rolls his eyes – he knows what the old fool's going to say. So he replies, "Yeah, yeah, I know, grab Bubbleman, and let's go back to the lab."

Bass picks up the unconscious Bubbleman, effortlessly slinging him over his shoulder, and then he and Dr. Wily leave the secret chamber. Erick and Delia, however, remained behind. Then, Erick and the Cat Ghost King have a conversation of their own… "Erick, it seems our "old friend" has returned," the statue says.

Erick pretends to be surprised. "Michael Angelus? But how?"

Little does the Cat Ghost King know that Erick ALREADY knows that his rival Michael Angelus is on Earth.

"It doesn't matter. Erick, it will be your job to keep Angelus from interfering. Give him a hard time, bug him, tease him, whatever it takes, but do NOT allow him to foil my master plan!"

"Don't worry. I'll keep Angelus out of your fur."

"See that you do, Erick. Meow!"

"Of course, my master."

Then Erick and Delia leave the secret chamber.

* * *

Later, Bass is getting ready to leave the secret fortress and continue his search for Ran and the Phoenix Stone.

Erick appears out of nowhere, startling Bass. "Hey, Bass!"

"ACK! Why, you….! DON'T DO THAT!"

"Sorry. Actually, I wanted to speak to you in private. I heard that the Cat Ghost King has promised you a kingdom if you get the Phoenix Stone back for him. Am I right?"

_He's been talking to the Big Cat behind my back. He's up to something,_ Bass thinks. Out loud, annoyed, he replies, "Yeah? What's it to you?"

"Well… Every good king needs a royal advisor. Allow me to serve you, Lord Bass." Erick bows to Bass.

This surprises Bass. "HUH? Uhh……" Then, "Yeah, right. Serve me? Why would you want to do that?"

"I have my reasons, Bass. For now, let's just say that you're not the only one who's not too keen on the new star of the RED CATS."

Bass knows who Erick's talking about. "Lemme guess…."Dog-Boy"?"

Erick laughs, "Yes, that's a good name for Lord R. I like it! It fits him. He is a dog isn't he? You have a great sense of humor, Bass!" His tone of voice at this point gets serious. "But anyway, with my help, you'll be able to find Lady Ran and the Phoenix Stone a lot quicker."

Bass seems to like Erick's idea. "Hmm…. Sounds interesting. But what do YOU get out of it?"

"Bass, I'm hurt! I guess working for Dr. Wily has made you rather skeptical. Believe me, I'm on YOUR side. I believe we'll make a great team. Besides, seeing Lord R humiliated and broken is more than enough reward for me." _For now, anyway…_

Bass is interested. "Really? Is that so? Hmmm…. Very well, you've got a deal." He then shakes hands with Erick.

Erick seems pleased. "I knew I could count on you, Bass. You won't be disappointed."

"I had better not!"

Erick sweatdrops. "Err…right. Anyway, you go ahead and continue the search. That crystal I gave you also acts as a communicator. I'll be keeping in touch with you from time to time until we join R in Nerima."

Then Bass leaves. Delia appears behind Erick. "Can we really depend on him, Erick?"

"Of course, De-chan," he tells her. "Dr. Wily might not think so, but Bass WILL succeed in his mission. I personally intend to make sure that he does. We'll need him if we're going to deal with Michael Angelus. And once both Angelus and Ranma Saotome are out of the way, then nothing will stand in the way of the Cat Ghost King's return. The world will be ours, my love. It won't be long…"

* * *

Bass, along with Treble and Bubbleman, continues to search for Ran and the Phoenix Stone. They left the secret fortress, and are wandering through the woods when all of a sudden the crystal that Erick and Delia gave him starts to glow. It shoots out a ray of light, pointing them in the direction they should go. The three robots follow it all the way through the forest until they reach a small town. In this town, the people make their living by fishing. Bass thinks: _Ah! This must be what Erick meant when he said, "Go fishing"._

"Say, Bass, why did that crystal lead us here?" Bubbleman asks.

"I dunno, Bubbles. But we're here now, and it's a LOT better than wandering around in that forest! Let's go in; besides, somebody might have seen Lady Ran here."

They enter the town and head for the docks. We can see fishing boats of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. Then, we see an old man sitting on the dock of the bay. Bass and Bubbleman walk up to the man. Rudely, Bass asks, "HEY! Old man! Do you know where we can find this girl?" He shows the old man a picture of Ran.

The old man crosses himself with a look of terror. "Aaaagh! Who sent you?"

"The RED CAT GANG, that's who!"

The name hits like a shot. "Aaaagh! No. Never. We've seen no girls here," the old man tells Bass.

"Look here, you old geezer! If you don't tell us where we can find the girl, my friend and I will say ..." Bass looks around worriedly, as if he's embarrassed concerning what he's about to say next. "... We will say..." He pulls out the piece of paper with the RED CATS "Sacred Word" and reads it. "NI!"

"OH! Do your worst!"

"Very well. If you won't help us voluntarily, then ... NI!"

"ACK! No! Never! No, I will not tell you anything! No girls!"

"NI!"

Bubbleman tries to say the word, but instead it comes out like "NU! NU!"

Bass winces at Bubbleman's error. "No, it's not that, it's "NI!""

"NU!"

"No, no, no! It's "NI!" You're not doing it right. NI!"

Bubbleman tries to say "Ni". "Nee. Neeee….!"

"Ni, that's it! That's it! You've got it! NI! NI!"

Bass and Bubbleman continue to say "Ni" to the old man until he passes out unconscious. Then, a stranger driving an old, beat-up truck loaded with fresh fish appears out of nowhere. "Excuse me, but are you saying "Ni" to that old man?"

"Uhh…. Yeah?" Bass replies innocently.

"Oh, these are sad times are they not?" the fisherman laments. "When passing ruffians can say "Ni!" at will to innocent people! There is a pestilence upon this land! Nothing is sacred. Even those who catch and sell fish are under considerable economic stress at this period in history."

"Wait a minute! Did you say ... fish?"

The fisherman proudly says, "Yes. Fish are my trade. I am a fisherman. I catch, and sell fish!"

Bubbleman waves his arms and yells rather aggressively at the fisherman, "NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI!"

At this point, Bass pulls out a large mallet and whacks Bubbleman over the head with it!

**WHUNK!!**

"Ni….," Bubbleman says weakly, as he falls over, unconscious, with little dizzy swirls in his eyes – again!

Bass points to the now-unconscious form of Bubbleman. "You'll have to excuse my friend; he's an idiot. Say, you wouldn't have seen this girl by any chance, would you?" He shows the fisherman Ran's picture.

The fisherman looks at the picture, and says. "Nope, sorry. Can't say I've seen her before… (Realizes something) Although, I did see something strange floating in the water while I was out fishing a few days ago. It looked like a glass bubble, and it was giving off an eerie red glow…. I doubt if that's any help to you.

Bass remembers what Erick said back in the secret chamber. _"Lady Ran has the Phoenix Stone. It's got powers that even I don't know about yet. In fact, I believe it protected her, preventing her from falling to a watery grave."_

Bass smiles knowingly, "Oh…you've been really helpful, sir. Thanks a lot!"

The fisherman cheerfully says, "Oh, you're welcome. And, please, feel free to come and buy your fresh fish from me, instead of saying "Ni" to innocent people!" He then drives off in his truck.

Bass thinks, _What__ a weirdo!_ Then he notices the crystal's vibrating and takes it out; out loud, he says, "OK, you stupid crystal! Show me where that Phoenix Stone is!"

Once again, the crystal shoots out a ray of light, pointing out the location of the Phoenix Stone. Only this time, a bunch of numbers appears inside it. Remembering that the crystal can also be used as a communicator, Bass decides to call Erick. He yells at the crystal ball, "HEY! YO! ERICK!"

Erick's voice responds, _You__ don't have to yell Bass! I can hear and see you just fine._

"Whatever. Listen, this crystal of yours is acting funny. I got a bunch of numbers popping up inside it!"

_Numbers?__ They might be map coordinates. Tell me what they are, and I'll check, OK?_

Bass gives Erick the numbers. We see Erick in a darkened room, with a lot of mist floating around on the ground. It's his private lair, hidden somewhere in the RED CAT GANG's secret fortress. He goes over to a large crystal ball floating on a platform and pushes a button on the side. A hidden keyboard slides out from a panel on the platform. Erick punches the numbers in with the keyboard, and a map appears inside the crystal ball. They ARE map coordinates, and they lead to….)

_Uh oh…_

"What? What's wrong?"

_Bass, abort your mission and return to base immediately!_

WHAT?

_Look, I'll explain everything when you get back, OK? Just hurry up!_

Then Erick hangs up. Bass, wondering what got Erick so worried, picked up the unconscious Bubbleman (again!), and he and Treble return to to the secret fortress.

* * *

When they arrive, two RED CAT soldiers escort them to Erick's secret lair. Once inside, Bass wants to know what's gotten this so-called High Priest all worked up. "OK, Erick, what's going on?"

Erick is still at his crystal ball / computer when Bass and Treble enter his room. He turns to Bass and says, "Bass, take a look at this map, and tell me what you see."

Bass goes over to the crystal ball and looks at the map. He's surprised when he sees where the object of their quest is currently located. "Well, whaddya know, it's…"

Erick replies, "Yep. Nerima, Japan. Lady Ran is there, and so is the Phoenix Stone."

"But how?"

"It's like I said. It's the Phoenix Stone's power at work. I overheard your conversation with that fisherman earlier, and what he said just proves it. The Phoenix Stone created a protective bubble around Lady Ran. Then the bubble, with Lady Ran inside, floated all the way across the ocean, washing ashore somewhere in Japan. From there, I believe she made her way on foot to Nerima."

"Well, that's just great! All we have to do now is go to Nerima, force Lady Ran to give us that stone, and finish her off once we get it, right? No problem!"

"You're wrong Bass; there IS a problem! You forget – that dog R is also in Nerima, too. I fear that Lady Ran's presence may have an adverse effect on his brainwashed mind. He's difficult enough to work with as is. Imagine if Lord R regained his memories and finds out what we intend to do with him? I shudder to think what would happen!"

"Is that what's bothering you? Gimme a break! Look, Doc Wily took care of that by brainwashing the idiot! "Dog-Boy" might be a pain in our rears, but at least he's on our side. So stop worrying already!"

"Well, anyway, we'll go ahead and put up the surveillance cameras like we originally planned. But, we should also go and report these new developments about Lady Ran and the Phoenix Stone to Dr. Wily and the Cat Ghost King."

Bass shrugs, "Yeah, maybe you're right."

And so Erick, Bass (still carrying the unconscious Bubbleman), and Treble leave and head for the Cat Ghost King's secret chamber. There's going to be a change in plans….

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	7. Erick's Plan

CHAPTER 7

_**-"ERICK'S PLAN"-**_

Last time:

Erick Genryusai and Bass find out they have something in common – they don't like R! They decide to team up in order to find Ran and the Phoenix Stone…. and maybe humiliate R in the process.

We seen Ranma, Ran, and Akane running to school very fast – (well, Akane is kinda way behind). "We'd better hustle Ran, or we're gonna be late for school!"

Ran replies, "Tell me about it. It's bad enough that we have to deal with that jerk Kuno or something, but to deal with that weird ki-sucking teacher Miss. Hinako!"

Ranma nods. "Yeah. Come on, I'll race you to it; last one has to clean the Dojo!"

"You're on! Prepare to eat my dust!"

Then, they run like bullets. Akane however:

Man, I better train a lot if I'm gonna be as great as those two," she pants.

* * *

Little do they know, several hidden cameras were monitoring them. For far far away, somewhere in China, within the castle of the Red Cat Gang, Dr. Wily, Bass, Bubbleman, Erick and Delia and the Statue of the Cat Ghost King were watching the video:

"And there they go." Erick says as he observes Ranma and his companions.

Dr. Wily plainly objects, "I still don't like the idea of just 'watching' them. I mean, why can't we just go and destroy them already?"

"Tsk tsk, Doctor. I already told you all, in order to beat our enemies, we must first know our enemies."

"But, how will watching them help us?"

"Tell me Dr. Wily, do you know how the Praying Mantis gets its prey?"

"Praying Mantis…? Just what the heck insects have to do with this?"

"A lot, now answer me."

"How should I know? I'm a scientist, not a bug expert!"

Erick sighs in frustration, "Ugh!…Listen, the Praying Mantis stands still in the leaves, waiting, it doesn't move an inch. When the prey comes closer to it, the Praying Mantis raises his mighty claws; then, when the prey is in its range…it slashes with its claws!"

Confused, Bass replies, "Yeah…but what's the idea of this?"

"Idiots…," Erick mutters. Aloud, he explains, "In order to attack our enemies, we must wait for the right time, you must be patient. Then, they'll come for us, and then we can attack."

"Meow…very wise Erick-san," the statue says approvingly.

"Thank you, now go to your duties…and report to Delia about your progress…before you go…Dr. Wily, I want you to bring me forth Slashman and Cutman."

"Slashman and Cutman! Why?" Dr. Wily wanted to know.

"Just do it."

30 minutes later Slashman and Cutman enter the room. "You called, Doc?" Slashman says responding to Dr. Wily's summons.

"**I** called you forth." Erick corrects.

"You? But, why?" Cutman asks.

Erick tells them, "I have a little assignment for you guys."

"An Assignment? About what?" Slashman says awaiting his instructions.

Erick reveals the reason he summoned the two robots. "Listen up, I want you guys to go to Nerima, find Ranma Saotome and Lady Ran…and destroy them."

"WHAT?" Dr. Wily exclaims.

Cutman:" Destroy Ranma and Ran! Who are they?"

Erick:" Delia here will inform you on your mission…now go, that's an order."

Slashman:" Hey, Doc…"

Dr. Wily:" Do what he says!"

Cutman:" Ooookay…"

Slashman:"-(sighs)- Fine, let's do it"

Delia:" Now if you two will follow me, please."

Then, Slashman and Cutman followed Delia, after that:

Dr. Wily:" Hey you, what's the meaning of this? I thought you said that we were gonna be patient?"

Erick:" Yes, that is correct."

"So why are you sending them to destroy Ranma and Ran…I thought that…"

"Listen Doc…don't worry about Ranma and Lady Ran…those two clowns will lose against them anyway."

Dr. Wily's confused. "Then…why are you sending them to fight them if they're gonna lose?"

Erick:" Simple…by fighting them, we'll be able to watch the powers those two will create, therefore we'll know their 'special techniques'!"

NOW, the old man understands. Dr. Wily nods. "I see…I see, indeed!"

The statue of the Cay Ghost King shares Wily's sentiment and purrs, "That's an intelligent idea of yours, Erick! Meow!"

Erick smiles. "Now, we wait."

* * *

Meanwhile, R was planning his next attack on Ranma as he was walking toward his home:

R thinks: _Soon, very soon Saotome, we will fight, and then, after I defeat you, I'll be the supreme fighter!_

Then, R is stopped by some horrible laughter. He scans the area. "Just what in the hell is that horrible laugh? Sounds like a witch!"

When he sees something that intrigues him… a girl, wearing a black gymnastic leotard, black hair, tied back with a ribbon, she was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, laughing all the way:

R blinks. "Who is that weird girl…?"

Then R overhears the girl saying:"Ho Ho Ho Hoooo! Oh Ranma Darling, I'll set you free from those harlots…"

"Did she say Ranma? Could she know him…? I'd better investigate!" R then proceeds to follow her…he sees that she's headed in the direction of Furinkan High. This intrigues him a lot.

"Why would she go there…," R wonders. "Maybe she's meeting with that cursed Ranma…"

Unaware to him, the girl senses someone following her and turn around to face R.

_Uh oh …busted!_ R thinks.

"Who are you…? Why are you following me?" the girl demands of R.

"Um…me?" R asks innocently.

The girl sarcastically replies, "No, the other boy with the Inuyasha-hair…of course, YOU!"

"Well…the thing is…"

"Listen, I don't care. I mustn't be late for my Ranma-Darling, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

"Just who the heck are you, and why are you so interested in this Ranma fellow?"

"Oh how rude of me!" The girl now introduces herself, "My name is Kodachi Kuno –"The Black Rose"!"

R snorts, "The Black Rose"? Weird name you have there, lady."

Kodachi's insulted. "How rude of you! And who might you be?"

"The name's R!"

Kodachi blinks. "R! And you said my nickname is weird…what does R mean?"

For a moment, R's confused. " Um…I don't know, just R."

"Well R, I must go see my Ranma darling, goodbye!"

" Hey wait a minute! You still haven't answered my question about why are you interested in seeing Ranma?"

"And why should I tell you…I don't have time to deal with this…take this!"

Kodachi throws a black rose at R. R catches it with his hand:

R smirks, "You missed, lady!"

Kodachi laughs, "Oh ho ho ho hoooo…that's what you think!"

Then R begins to feel very weak, and then he falls to the ground, paralyzed. "Wha…what happened, why can't I move?"

Kodachi tells him, "It's because of the paralysis powder that my rose had…and you absorbed it!"

R croaks, "Say…what…!?"

"Well R, I bid you farewell….Ta taaaaaa!!"

Kodachi blows him a kiss and jumps away, laughing her dreadful laugh all the while. Meanwhile R's on the floor:

_That's the second time I've been paralyzed…first by that weird teacher, and now this crazy girl…things can't get any worse!_ R thinks.

Then, the ghostly image of Delia appeared in front of R.

_Me and my BIG mouth!_

"R, what is your Report…" Delia sees R on the floor. "R, why are you lying on the floor, taking a nap?"

R sweatdrops, "Um, NO! You see, it's like this, you know…"

"How's the location of the Phoenix Stone R…? Have you found it?"

R's sweating. "No, but, I'm very close to it"

"Close to it! Exactly how close are you?"

R laughs nervously, "Ehe he heee… you see, I'm doing some investigations and stuff about its location and…"

"In other words R…you still haven't found it…am I right?"

"R panics, "No nooo…! But I'll find it…you can count on that!"

Delia says seriously, "Well, you'd better R, cause time for you is running out and my superior Erick and the Cat Ghost King are waiting for my report from you…so you'd better hurry."

"I will! I will!"

"Good…now I must leave…don't fail."

Then the ghostly image of Delia disappears, leaving R very worried:

"Damn…I'd better find that blasted stone before that weird witch comes back to bug me!"

* * *

Within his dark chamber, Erick meditates in front of the blue flame, levitating a few inches off the ground, when Delia appears:

"How did it go Delia-chan?" Erick asks his beloved companion / assistant.

Delia chuckles, "Just as you said darling…R hasn't found the Phoenix Stone, and he was lying on the floor."

"Just as Bass said about him…-"_Like the dog he is_"

"It is…but tell me Erick-san…"

"Yes, Delia?"

"Why can't WE get the Stone? I mean, we both know where it is, so why not go and get it?"

"Yes, we could do that, but that would ruin our fun, wouldn't it Delia?"

"Yes, I suppose…"

"Listen, if we get the Stone now, we won't be able to have some laughs out of it. Think about it Delia. Aren't you having a great time with these "Talking Monkeys" with their poor acting and failures?"

Delia nods, "Yes, you're right, I AM having a great time. I haven't laughed like this in…well…ever!"

"But don't worry…the fun will soon begin."

"I wonder Erick…will you really be under that robot Bass's command, I mean, what's the deal with that?"

"Ah Delia, as an old saying goes…-"_Fools only see what they want to see, blind are they by their ambitions, easy to command"-_

Delia nods, "Ah, I get it…in other words…you're just using him for your entertainment…right?"

Erick chuckles, "Right you are Delia, my love. Right you are."

"And what about Michael Angelus?"

"Oh, "him"… Not to worry Delia-chan, his time of reckoning will come soon…but at this point, he's not our concern…for now."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Nerima, Ranma and Ran were coming from the store with groceries for the house:

Ranma wonders, "Hope this is enough for dinner."

Ran replies, "It should be. I mean, we got enough food to feed an army."

"Yeah, but Pop eats a lot"

Ran sweatdrops. "You gotta point there, Ranma"

Suddenly, Ranma's danger senses went wild, as well as Ran's. They began to scan the area.

Ranma looks around as he says, "Come out! We know you're there!"

"Yea, show yourselves!" Ran says while getting into her fighting stance.

Then, from the bushes, two shadows drop in front of them…it was Slashman and Cutman!

Slashman remarks, "Amazing, even with our highly advanced stealth mode, you managed to locate us!"

"Who the heck are you?" Ranma demands of the two robots.

"We were sent by Dr. Wily to eliminate you two!" Cutman tells them.

" Us…? Why?" Ran wants to know.

"Cause you're in his way of world domination…nothing personal," Slashman assures Ran.

Ranma snorts, "Is that a fact…? Well, sorry to break your bubbles…but we won't be beaten by two junk robots!"

Cutman's mad. "What did you say?"

"You have a short-circuit or something? He said we won't be defeated by you two!" Ran talks back.

Slashman growls, "You don't stand a chance against us, humans! We're powerful warriors!"

Ranma's heard that line of boasting plenty of times before. "Yeah, yeah, many enemies have said that same thing…and I've beaten them all!"

Cutman turns to his partner and says, "Slashman, let's shut their mouths…!"

Slashman flashes a feral grin as he unleashes his claws with a…

**SNIKT!!**

"You got it…I'll take on the male, you take on the female."

Ranma cracks his knuckles. "Ran, you ready to send these bozos to the junkyard?"

Ran smiles, "You bet I am!"

Then they break apart to start the fight…Slashman follows Ranma to the Park…while Cutman chases Ran to the playground…

Slashman was trying to strike Ranma with his metal claws, but Ranma was just too fast for him.

"Hey, Slash-jerk, is that the best you can do? I know pandas who can move a lot faster then you!" Ranma teases.

Slashman's angry. " WHY YOU…GRYAAAA!"

And again he launches many strikes at Ranma, but with no such luck. Then Ranma decides to launch one of his own. "Okay, now it's my turn to fight back!"

"Oh yeah, how are you gonna do that, you pitiful human?"

"Like this…MOUKO TAKABISHAAA!"

Ranma then launches his Fierce Tiger Ball against Slashman. The blast hits Slashman hard and sends him flying away. He crashes into a wall.

Slashman's eyes go wide at this opponent's rather unusual abilities – for a human, anyway. He gasps, "What the…no way…!" Glaring at Ranma, he angrily questions, "How did you do that? You're not a robot! Only Megaman can fire energy blasts!"

"That was no energy blast…but a Ki blast!" Ranma tells him.

"A what?"

"Less talking…more fighting"

Slashman thinks: _This Ranma person is something else…this 'ki' blast of his is as very powerful as Megaman's Mega-Buster! But, how did he do that? He's just a human! I'd better be careful!_

Slashman then release his signature attack onto Ranma. "All right, human…time to feel my power…SLASH CUTTER!!"

Slashman goes forward at Ranma, waving his claws at him very fast, creating blades of force. But Ranma dodges them all. Slashman's getting very irritated.

Slashman thinks: _What the heck is this human made of? I can't even touch_ _him!_ Out loud, he growls, "GRRRRR STAND STILL HUMAN!"

"Now why would I want to do that…give up, you can't touch me!"

"GRRRRR.YOU PITIFUL….PREPARE TO DIEEEE!"

"Hey, that's Ryoga's line, and I don't think so…KATCHU-TENSHI-AMAGURIKEN!!"

When Ranma releases that move, Slashman was hit by about 523 or so punches all over his metallic body. Slashman goes down:

Slashman, shocked, thinks: _No way…! This human's punches move like lightning…not even…not even Megama moves this fast! Who… no… what is this human?"_

Ranma taunts, "Had enough, bub?"

Slashman snarls, "No way, I wont be beaten by some weak human!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the playground, Cutman was ready to face Ran:

Cutman laughs, "Prepared to be cut down to size, pretty girl!"

Ran's like, "Whatever, Shorty. Show me what you got!"

"Catch!" Cutman releases his Head Blade against Ran.

When the blade came close to Ran, she jumps away and glares at Cutman. "You gotta do better then that if you want to beat me!"

"And that's what I'm about to do, when I'm done with you you'll be down to size!"

Ran mocks him. "Oooohhhh….I'm shaking in my boots!"

"You should be…take this!"

Cutman throws two Rolling Cutters at Ran, she tries to dodge them, but they were like boomerangs. Then there's Cut-man attacking with his Giant Scissor atop his head.

Ran waits for the right moment to attack. When Cutman comes close Ran punches him in his face, and Cutman went down to the floor:

Cutman gasps in surprise. As he rubs his chin, he thinks:_ Is this girl a robot or something? She packs a strong punch for a human, just like Megaman!_

Ran smiles triumphantly at Cutman. "Score one for me, Shorty."

Cutman gets mad. "Why you…you're gonna be sorry for that! I'll turn you into mush!"

Ran's mocking him again. "Come on, I bet you can't even hit a beach ball…much less me!"

Cutman angrily says, "I'LL SHOW YOU!"

Then Cutman charges toward Ran with his Scissor Head Blade pointing at her…like a bull…Ran waits for the right moment, when he's in close range, Ran jumps up and Cutman crashes into a wall. His Head Blade (along with his head!) gets stuck into the wall:

"Hey, I'm stuck, get me outta here!" Cutman cries.

Ran giggles, "Stick around now would you…? I'll be right back."

Ran leaves Cutman stuck in the wall, then runs to join Ranma:

Ran:"-(thinking)- _I wonder how's Ranma doing?_"

When she arrives to the Park, she sees Ranma fighting Slashman, but with no problem whatsoever. She sees that Slashman is furious at Ranma for evading all his attacks, meaning that Ranma's winning:

Ran yells, "Hey Ranma, how you doing, any problems?"

Ranma says while dodging, "Nah, no problems at all, these jerks are all fools!"

Slashman yells back, "STOP IGNORING ME AND FIGHT MEEEE! GYRAAAAA!"

Then Ranma decides to end this fight, he waitsfor Slashman to get more steamed for his attack:

Ranma snickers quietly, "That's it, just a little more…"

At that moment Cutman appears - without his Head Blade.

Ran says to Cutman, as if he'd came late to the party, "Hey Shorty, so you got out, eh?"

When Cutman's mad, it's actually kinda funny to watch. He stomps up and down like a little kid having a temper tantrum "NOBODY MAKES A FOOL OUTTA ME!" he squeaks angrily.

Ran giggles, "No, you do that very well on your own!"

Slashman shouts at his buddy, "HEY CUTMAN, DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP ME GET RID OF THIS JERK HUMAN BOY!"

"Right!" then Both Slashman and Cutman charge against Ranma. "GYRAAAAAAAAA…YOU'RE DONE FOR!" the two robots yell fiercely.

"I don't think so…-HIRYU-SHOTEN- HAAAAAAA!!" Ranma then launches his fist up to heaven, and then a mighty hurricane was made. The hurricane lifts up Slashman and Cutman and sends them flying away into the sky until they disappear:

Ran's in awe at the sight of Ranma's signature attack – the Flying Dragon Ascending to Heaven Blast. "WOW, RANMA! THAT MOVE WAS TOTALLY COOL! WHAT WAS IT?!"

Humbled by ran's praise, Ranma blushes and says proudly, "Thanks Ran…and that move was called the Hiryu Shoten-Ha!"

"Well, it was indeed a very powerful move…think you can teach me?"

"I suppose, say Ran, we're very late. We better get this food to the house before it gets dark!"

Ran nods, "You're right, let's go!"

Minutes later…Slashman and Cutman landed in a Jacuzzi-like tub inside a house, they were very pissed and very embarrassed, at being defeated by a human:

Slashman's mad. "I can't believe that we were defeated by a human, how embarrassing!"

Cutman nods. "Tell me about it! I hope nobody saw that fight. We would never hear the end of that incident."

"So it's settled. You don't say anything I won't say anything, agreed?"

"Agreed, say Slashman…where are we?"

Slashman looks around. "I don't know… but let's check it out."

They saw that they were inside a house, when they head for the door. "Man, now that that's over let's head back to the base." Slashman says, thinking it's safe.

Cutman replies, "Yea, nothing can't go wrong, right?"

When they open the door, they saw three females naked with towels in their hands going inside…when the females see them everyone was quiet for a couple of seconds when one of them, a short girl with blue hair and two long ponytails (Sasami) runs away and yells…-" HELP, TENCHI! THERE'S TWO PERVERTS INSIDE THE HOUSE…!!"-:

Cutman blinks, then panics, looking everywhere around him. "Perverts? Where? I don't see anyone!"

Slashman gulps, "I think they mean 'us'!"

The girl with the cyan hair then starts charging a lot of energy and creates an energy sword in her hand. Ryoko is PISSED. "YOU PERVERTS! NOBODY SEES MY BEAUTIFUL BODY EXCEPT TENCHI! NOW I'M GONNA HAVE TO ELIMINATE YOU!"

Another girl, this one with dark purple hair and normally rather ladylike in her manners, is equally outraged. "HOW DARE YOU COME INSIDE AND SEE US NAKED! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT…KAZIDAKE, AYAMA, COME FORWARD!"

Then 2 floating logs appear and stand on either side of Ayeka. Slashman and Cutman were like…scared:

Cutman wave his arms frantically. "No, wait! You got it all wrong! We just dropped from the sky, really!"

Slashman, scared, blurts out, "That's true. We never wanted to see you naked, any of you!"

Good one, Slashman! NOT! NOW, Ryoko's overflowing with rage. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT I DON'T HAVE A GOOD BODY? THAT I'M UGLY…? THAT'S EVEN WORSE THEN BEFORE!!"

Then both girls advance toward Slashman and Cutman to beat them up…

Cutman whimpers, "Mommy..!"

* * *

Ryoga Hibiki was having a bad day – as usual. First, because he was just turned into a pig; second was that he's being chased by a bunch of little kindergartners yelling…-"Oh, what a cute piggy!"-, -"Let me hold it, let hold it!"-…but, that didn't scare him, he just runs away.

But, there was a girl that Ryoga had met while wandering through the USA…a girl who was just as evil and dangerous as Azusa Shiratori, a girl with red hair, white and blue skirt and shirt, and had a little skull-like bow in her head… When she saw the piglet, the little girl grabs it and hugs it so strongly that Ryoga's suffocating…-"Ooooooh, what a cute little piggy! I'm gonna take you home with me and I'll nurse you, and feed you and play many games with you…"- the girl was singing and hopping around, while she was swinging the little pig with her arm up and down, hitting it with every rock on the road. Fortunately, Ryoga was strong enough to resist those blows. He managed to escape from that crazy girl's house with the help of two white mice who also lived in that house…one was short but with a large head, who always said something about trying to take over the world. The other one was taller than the first, but he was rather dumb, who always laughed at anything and said…-"NARF!"-.

When he made it to the Tendo Dojo, he was happy…

_I made it. I made it to the Tendo Dojo! Could it be love guiding me? Oh, Akane!_ Ryoga thinks, and then he proceeds to enter.

When he enters he sees Kasumi. "Hey, Kasumi."

Kasumi smiles. " Ryoga, how are you? Where have you been?"

"You know, been there, gone there. Say, is Akane here?"

"Yes, she's in the Dojo practicing with Ranma and Ran."

An angry look crosses Ryoga's face as he thinks: _What? That damn Ranma is here as well as that clone of his?_

When Ryoga rushes over to the Dojo, he sees Akane and Ranma "together", something that Ryoga didn't like to see at all. And that girl Ran is here too. Ranma spots Ryoga in the entrance:

Ranma:"-(waving)- Hey Ryoga, were you being…lost as usual?"

Ryoga was getting mad. He waits for Akane to do her usual –"Stop picking on Ryoga"- line on Ranma, but when he sees that Akane doesn't do anything, he is rather shocked. Why didn't Akane help him against Ranma?

"RANMAAA…!" Ryoga growls.

Akane notices Ryoga at this point. "Hey Ryoga, can you like wait? Ranma and I are practicing."

Ryoga blinks. "Say what…practicing? Practicing what?"

"Martial Arts…Ranma and Ran are teaching me how to fight."

"They are?"

"Oh yeah! We've being teaching her for about three days, and she's a good student!" Ran says.

"She is?" Ryoga, still shocked, asks.

"Yeah. Although she's kinda slow, but she'll learn." Ranma replies.

Mad, Ryoga whirls on Ranma. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO AKANE! I'LL…!"

Akane interrupts Ryoga's rant. "No, they're right Ryoga. The truth is, I didn't know any martial arts."

Ryoga defends her. "That's not true Akane! You are a martial artist! Don't let that jerk Ranma tell you otherwise!"

Akane, shaking her head, honestly says, "That's what I used to think Ryoga. But, thanks to Ran, she helped me see the vanity in me and showed me the hard way that I don't know Martial Arts…" Then she happily says, "And now, thanks to Ranma and Ran, I'm beginning to learn real Martial Arts."

Ranma adds, "That's right, with a little time and dedication, Akane will be a good Martial Artist."

During the next two hours, Ryoga watches as Ranma and Akane were doing the same Katas. Then, they spar for a while. Ryoga sees that Ranma punches Akane on her chest, and predictably, he goes ballistic on Ranma. "RANMA YOU NO GOOD #! YOU HIT AKANE! FOR THAT YOU'LL DIE!!"

He process to charge against Ranma, when Akane stops him. "Wait Ryoga, it's alright!"

In disbelief, Ryoga says, "But Akane, that jerk Ranma hit you! He must be punished!"

"No Ryoga, I told him to hit me during training."

Ryoga's eyes go wide. "You what!? But why?"

"Cause to be a Martial Artist, one must endure through pain…"

"That's right. As the old saying goes (I think)…-_The best way of not getting hurt in combat, is getting hurt in training_" Ranma comments.

Then Ran further explains, "So, Akane agreed that in training, Ranma will fight her for real and hit her for real, but, he won't use all his might."

Now Ryoga finds this kinda hard to swallow. "I don't believe in this. Why should Akane do this with you?"

Akane admits. "Cause I wanted to learn how to fight, and Ranma and Ran are the best of the best that I know. If anyone can teach me how to fight, it's them."

Ranma blushes, "Gee, thanks Akane."

Akane smiles. "No problem"

Ryoga is in total disbelief at the scene in front of him. Akane's being 'nice' to Ranma! He couldn't believe it; she didn't hit him, or even call him a pervert or a jerk. On the contrary, he sees that Akane's enjoying Ranma company, and this makes him mad.

When the training was over, Akane and Ran decide to hit the showers:

Ran whistles, "Well, that went well Akane, now, how's about if we take a shower."

Akane nods, "You're right…" Then, to Ranma, she says, "We're going to take a shower Ranma. You wanna come with us?"

Ryoga's mind explodes after hearing those words. He's boiling with rage on the inside - he couldn't believe that Akane just asked Ranma to take a shower with her!

Ranma tells the girls, "No that's alright. You go ahead, I'll take the shower after you; besides, ladies first…right?"

Ran places a hand on her chest in an "oh, my" gesture. "Why thank you Ranma. I see that you're quite the gentleman, isn't that right Akane?"

"Yeah, so nice and polite," Akane agrees.

_NO HE'S NOT! HE'S A PERVERT!_ Ryoga thinks angrily.

Akane says to her fiancée, " I'll see you later Ranma, and you too Ryoga."

Then she gives Ranma a kiss on his cheek, and then leaves with Ran giggling. When Ranma was alone with Ryoga in the Dojo, Ryoga turns to him and says, "Okay Ranma, what did you do to Akane?"

Ranma blinks. "Did what? What are you talking about Ryoga?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME RANMA! HOW IS IT THAT AKANE SUDDENLY TREATS YOU NICE?"

Ranma's confused. "Is something wrong with that Ryoga?"

"OF COURSE IT IS! WHY ISNT SHE CALLING YOU A PERVERT, OR BEATING YOU UP. DID YOU GIVE HER ONE OF THOSE "LOVE MUSHROOMS" OR A LOVE POTION TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU…? ANSWER ME!"

"First of all Ryoga, I did not give Akane any love potion nor mushroom. Second, let's just say that Akane and I talked about it and we resolved our differences."

"AND YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT? RANMA, WHAT KIND OF A FOOL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?"

Not trying to interrupt things here, but would Ryoga actually want Ranma (and the readers of this story) to answer that? Cause we CAN, you know.

"Look, it's the truth. Either believe me or don't okay?" Ranma says, ending the discussion for now.

* * *

In the secret fortress, Erick calls everyone for a special meeting. Dr. Wily, Bass, and some of the Red Cat Gang's Generals arrive. "Thank you for coming gentlemen…", he starts

Bass cuts Erick off with a wave of his hand. "Yeah, yeah, now spill it. Why did you call us here?"

Erick then glares at Bass with an evil look that makes the surly robot tremble. Bass wisely shuts up.

Dr. Wily coughs, "Ahem, sorry to interrupt, but why did you call us?"

Erick tells the assembled group. "Well, first of all, is to say that I have two pieces of news, a good one and a bad one."

"Um, what's the good one?" Bass asks.

"That we may be close to finding the Phoenix Stone…maybe."

Dr. Wily replies, "That's good…and the bad one?"

"That it will be very difficult to find it, much less to obtain it, but, I've come to an idea."

"An idea, what is it?" the Cat Statue queries.

Erick explains, "Yes, I've decided on a partnership, to team up with another one."

Bass snorts, "You know, call me stupid, but, what good will that do us?"

"Very well _'stupid'_" Stung by that insult, Bass gets angry. But Erick continues, "You see, I've noticed that you guys don't have many people, and forgive me to say this oh great Cat Ghost King, but, neither do you."

The Cat Statue grudgingly admits, "That's correct, but it's the fault of that cursed Ranma that I don't have an army anymore."

"I've noticed that too. But, I've met someone who has a large army at his command, someone who is just as evil as you Cat Ghost King, and someone who will surely join us on our quest."

"Who?" Dr. Wily wants to know.

Erick smiles. "You'll meet him soon. In fact, I sent Delia over there to talk to him."

"Really?" Bass asks sarcastically.

"Indeed, she should arrive there as we speak."

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO SECRET BASE:**_

The evil dictator M. Bison is sitting on his throne, watching the big screen, and trying to come up with a plan for world domination, for the last one was spoiled by the cursed army man William Guile and the beautiful Interpol agent Chun-Li:

M. Bison fumes, "Curses, I was so close to fulfilling my destiny. If it weren't for that damn Guile and that bitch Chun-Li I could have success…! Grrrrr…If only there was a way to eliminate them…"

"Perhaps we can help you." A girl's voice says out of nowhere.

M. Bison turns around and sees a girl dressed in a long, black nightgown, with long black hair, and pale white skin. She's standing in the entrance door to his chamber.

"Who are you, how did you get in here?" Bison demands.

"My name is Delia, and I came here to deliver a message from my master," the girl explains.

"Listen here girly, I don't know who you are, but no one, absolutely NO ONE enters here without permission…GUARDS!"

Then 20-armed Shadowloo soldiers enter the chamber. Soldier 1 responds, "Yes sir!"

M. Bison commands his men, "Take away that girl, throw her into the cells!"

"Yes sir!"

Then two soldiers grab her by her shoulders. "Come with us girl and you won't get hurt!" Soldier 2 says.

Then, Delia smiles wickedly, then her eyes glow white…suddenly, the two soldiers drop to the ground. There more soldiers went to their fallen comrades, they touch their pulses to see if they were okay, but Soldier 3 fearfully wonders, "What's the matter with those two?"

Horrified, Soldier 4 cries out, "They're…they're…they're dead!"

Soldier 5 gasps, "What the…how?"

M. Bison didn't like this. This girl just killed two soldiers without doing anything. When they remove their helmets, what they see scares them a lot…their faces of their fallen comrades were rather dry, ugly, shriveled up, almost like skeletons. –(Similar to the Mummy)-

"Soldiers…eliminate that girl now!" M. Bison roars.

Then all the soldiers began to fire their machine guns at Delia. But Delia just raises her hand, and all the bullets coming towards her suddenly stop in Mid-Air, inches away from her…-(Similar to Neo, MATRIX-Style)-. All the soldiers, as well as M. Bison, were gasping in awe, at this strange girl.

M. Bison, unlike his men, calmly asks Delia, "Who are you…? How did you do that?"

"Please, listen to what I have to say…"

"Very well, I'm listening."

"My master and I are working with an organization called –"The Red Cat Gang"- led by their leader, the Cat Ghost King."

M. Bison chuckles "A cat? How funny."

"Funny he may be, but he's very powerful Mr. Bison."

"I doubt that." Bison scolds.

Delia continues. "Anyway, my master asked me to ask you if you would like to join our quest in finding the Phoenix Stone."  
"Phoenix Stone? What's that?"

"It's a powerful stone that is said to have the power to destroy the world and it has infinite power."

Bison was starting to like this idea. "Really, do tell me more of this Phoenix Stone, lady."

Delia softly chuckles, "Sorry M. Bison, I was only told to deliver this message to you if you'd like to join us."

Bison thinks about it for a couple of minutes, then, "Very well, I accept."

Delia happily congratulates the leader of Shadowloo. "Well done, M. Bison. You won't regret this."

"I better not…so, when can I meet your master and the rest of your 'society"?"

"He will inform you…well, I must go. Glad to meet you M. Bison."

Delia begins to walk away. M. Bison begins to think about it. _Ha, I think I'm gonna like this! Once I learn more about this stone, I'll manipulate them, find that stone, claim it for myself, and then, I will take over all! Hahahahaaa!"_

Delia then stops and without turning around. "One more thing M. Bison…It is easy to manipulate the people who my master works with cause they are fools…but try to manipulate my Master and me, and the fool will be you."

This takes Bison by surprise. Then Delia disappears.

* * *

_**TOKYO – R's APARTMENT:**_

Meanwhile, R was working on his next plan…to find Kodachi and learn all about her –"Paralyzing"- powers…-"I got to find out how that weird gymnastic girl does those dangerous paralyzing powers, once I learn how to do those… Saotome will be finished!"-…R says while laughing.

* * *

_**UNTED STATES – WEST COAST:**_

In a laboratory, there was an old man with a long white beard wearing a lab coat. He was working on his latest project, when a boy and a blonde girl enter, the boy was wearing a blue armor and blue helmet, the girl was wearing a orange skirt, white shirt, she had her hair in a pony tail. The man (who, if the reader hasn't guessed by now, is Dr. Thomas Light!) sees them and greets them. "Why, hello Megaman and Roll, anything new?"

Megaman replies, "No, everything is quiet now that Dr. Wily is not around here to cause any trouble."

Dr. Light seems to agree with Megaman's statement. "Yes, you're right, but that's what worries me."

"You think he gave up and retired?" Roll wonders.

"Him? Retired? No way?" Megaman's quick to answer.

"Megaman's right Roll, Dr. Wily is not someone who will give up that easily." Dr. Light says seriously.

"The question is…where is he…there hasn't been any sign of him or Bass."

"Or any of his goons," Roll adds.

"I don't know…but we'd better be on our guard," Dr. Light tells the kids.

"Right," Megaman & Roll both nod.

* * *

Back in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, Ranma, Ran and Akane are walking to their house:

Ranma complains, "Boy, why do they have to leave so much homework! It's like, they do it on purpose."

Ran sympathizes with him. "Tell me about it, Ranma."

Akane chides both of them. "Oh stop complaining you guys! It's not like they leave us that much!"

Suddenly, Shampoo appears and hugs Ranma:

**GLOMP!**

"Aiyah! Ranma, Shampoo here to ask you to take Shampoo out on a date!"

"Shampoo, get off me!" Ranma gasps as he struggles out of the Chinese Amazon's strong embrace.

"Nope!" Shampoo purrs happily as she holds her "Airen" tightly.

Ryoga sees that from a distance. He snickers, "Ha! Now Ranma is gonna get what he deserves!"

Akane's getting mad at Shampoo. "Shampoo, get off Ranma NOW!"

"Man, who is she?" Ran asks.

"That's Shampoo, one of Ranma's crazy fiancées."

"Really. Weird name she has."

"Yeah, she's an Amazon, from China, but, we'll talk about it later. Right now, I gotta teach that Amazon bimbo a lesson about messing with MY fiancée"

"Are you sure you're up to it Akane?"

Akane nods, "Definitely, it's time that I start helping Ranma with this, don't you think so?" She winks at Ran.

Ran smiles approvingly. "You bet! Go for it Akane!"

Then:

"Shampoo, leave me alone would you?" Ranma pleads as he continues to struggle with Shampoo.

"Come Ranma, take Shampoo on date now!"

"Hey Shampoo!"

Shampoo turns around and sees Akane. "What you want Violent Girl?"

Akane stands her ground. "First of all, it's Akane! Second, I want you to leave Ranma alone, or else I'm gonna have to kick your cute butt! So what's it gonna be?"

Shampoo laughs, "Shampoo say you're crazy! You make threats to Shampoo? Shampoo laugh!"

"I'm warning you Shampoo. Leave or I'll make you leave!"

"Ha! You think you stand chance against Shampoo? You more crazy then before! Stupid violent girl no know how to fight!"

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that. How about we make a deal Shampoo?"

"A deal…? What kind of deal?"

" We have a fight right now. The winner will be declared as the official Fiancée of Ranma…"

"Really!"

"And the loser will have to forget about him forever…so Shampoo, are you in, or out?"

Shampoo accepts her challenge (and releases Ranma, who was almost turning blue from the iron glomp of Shampoo!). "Shampoo in! You no stand a chance against Shampoo! This be an easy fight for Shampoo, so prepare to lose!"

Then both girls assume their fighting stance:

Now worried, Ranma breathes out, "Akane, are you sure what you're doing?"

Akane declares, "Yes. It's time to stand for what I love and believe in."

"Are you sure you can fight her? I mean, you've just began to fight. Shampoo has a lot of experience."

Akane nods, "I know I can beat her."

"Yeah, but…"

Akane's tone of voice softens. "Ranma, you gotta have faith in me, just as I have faith in your abilities. Please, trust me. I wont lose."

Ranma thinks about it for a couple of seconds, then: "Very well Akane, I know you'll do it, and I believe in you."

Akane smile brightens. She's grateful for Ranma's support. "Thank you Ranma. I'll make you proud!"

Then both girls get back into their fighting stances, ready for the fight.

Shampoo snickers, "Ready to lose, Violent Girl?"

Akane's all business now. "Put up or shut up"

Ran acts as an impromptu referee. "Okay…fighters ready…set…GOOOOO!!"

Shampoo rushes toward Akane with a straight punch. _Ha, Violent Girl be sorry ever challenge Shampoo to fight. she no can fight_, she thinks while dashing. Akane just waits for the right moment to attack. When Shampoo comes so close to Akane with the punch, Akane ducks over it, grabs her hand, lifts her up and throws her over her shoulder. Shampoo goes flying and lands on her butt.

Shampoo blinks. "What happen…did violent girl…?" She shakes her head, "No, no way!"

She then glares at Akane with a serious look. "Shampoo not know what happen, but Shampoo fight for real now! Get ready violent girl!"

Akane motions at Shampoo with a "come here" gesture. "Bring it on!"

Shampoo once again charges toward Akane. She was launching many punches and kicks toward Akane, but, thanks to the training that she's getting from Ranma and Ran, she manages to block them. Although some punches hit her, they didn't stop her. Shampoo is surprised that the violent girl is actually blocking ALL her attacks.

Shampoo thinks: _What wrong…no punches are getting to violent girl, why?_

"What's wrong Shampoo, getting tired?" Akane taunts.

Mad, Shampoo hisses, "That's it…now Shampoo mad! Shampoo hurt you bad Violent Girl!"

"I'm waiting, Amazon hussy!"

Then Shampoo takes out her 2 Bonboris. Ran tosses Akane a pair of black iron sticks (probably from the same place Akane whips out her mallets!). Akane grabs them and resumes her posture. Shampoo sees that and demi-laughs. "You even know how to use those Violent Girl?"

Akane then performs some maneuvers with them, Shampoo smile disappears after seeing that. Then, both girls start to swing their weapons, Shampoo was trying to hit Akane with her Bonboris, but Akane's blocking them with one of her iron rods, Shampoo's getting frustrated at not being able to hit her. When she evade one of her attacks, Akane hits Shampoo in the stomach with one stick, then with the other one she sweeps her feet out from under her. Shampoo goes down to the floor. Ranma and Ran are impressed with Akane's new abilities.

Ranma has a huge grin on his face as he comments, "Akane sure has learned to fight, hasn't she Ran?"

Ran nods in agreement, "She sure has Ranma."

Shampoo's trying to get up, in total pain, due to the attacks she received from Akane. She looks at Akane with rage and pain in her eyes:

Akane says, "So Shampoo, guess that means I win…right?"

Shampoo can barely say, "You…you…no, you use tricks…no way you could win against Shampoo!"

"Excuse me? I beat you fear and square! Now you'll have to fulfill your promise and leave Ranma alone, okay?"

Even though Shampoo was in pain, she gets up and yells at Akane, "NO! SHAMPOO NEVER LEAVE AIREN! FIGHT NOT OVER! YOU MUST HAVE USE TRICKS AGAINST SHAMPOO, SO FIGHT NOT VALID!"

Then Shampoo leaves, Akane was rather speechless.

Ran runs up to her to congratulate here victory. "Akane, you did it! You won your first fight!"

Akane hmph'ed, "Guess I did, And Shampoo says **I** cheated?"

"Yeah. So?" Ranma asks her.

"Was 'I' like that?"

Ranma bows his head apologetically. "I'm afraid so Akane."

Embarrassed, Akane sighs, "Geez, I never ever thought I could see my errors shown to me."

"Yea, it's like on old Irish saying…-"_Ah, If only we had the power to see ourselves," _Ran says.

Akane sadly remarks, "And I used to be like that…how awful."

Ranma puts his arm around her shoulders. "C'mon Akane, lighten up. That was then, and this is now. You won against Shampoo! You should be happy."

Akane hugs Ranma tightly and with happiness shining on her face, tells him, "And I have you and Ran to thank. If it weren't for you guys I've could have been defeated…you guys are the best!"

Ran smiles, "No problem Akane."

"Now, how's about if we go to eat something?" Ranma asks the girls.

That sounds like the best thing Akane's heard all day. "Yeah, I'm starving after that fight!"

Ran teases, "I see that you're acting like a Saotome, Akane."

Akane, in mock hurt, says giggling, "You take that back Ran!"

Ran giggles back, "Make me! Tee hee hee hee…!!" Then she runs away.

Akane laughs, "Come back here!"

Then both girls chase each other home. Ranma stays behind. Alone, he thinks aloud, "Man, life's sure getting better these days. Akane treats me nice; I never thought I could see THAT day. I almost gave up on her, but now, now I will fight to keep that feeling for her and vice-versa…I sure hope nothing ruins this moment of peace."

Then Ranma runs toward the girls.

* * *

In the Secret Base of the Red Cat Gang, Erick was meditating in front of a dark blue flame.

"Soon, very soon, we will have the Phoenix Stone, and then…the 'real' fun will begin, well, for me and Delia anyway…Soon Michael, soon I'll see you again, wonder what you were doing all this time? The moment of "Final Judgment" will soon come. For all of them…Ranma, Ran, R, as well as those nut balls Doc. Wily, Bass…even…that Fur-ball Statue…ha ha ha ha haaa Ha Ha Ha Ha Haaa HAAAAAAAAA!!

Erick laughs out loud. Behind him, his shadow was the form of an evil demon, with bat-like wings and eyes as red as blood.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	8. Ryoga's Last Declaration of Love!

CHAPTER 8

_**-"RYOGA'S LAST DECLARATION OF LOVE!**_ _**RANMA VS. VEGA... PLUS ANOTHER BATH BEATDOWN!"-**_

It was 9:30 pm. At the Secret Fortress of the Red Cat Gang, a huge airship landed near those mountains…from it, the doors open, and many Shadowloo armed-soldiers come out and form a 2 line division… Three gentlemen appear…one of them was a black Afro-American boxer. The second was a slender man, with blonde hair in a long pig-tail, a claw on his hand and a mask that covered all his face, and with a tattoo of a snake on his chest. The third was a huge bald man with a black eye patch and blue trunks…they were Balrog, Vega, and Sagat …the last man to step out was M. Bison.

"So, this is the place. Hmph, not exactly what I expected." M. Bison remarks.

"Why are we here anyway?" Sagat, Bison's right-hand man, asks.

"We were asked to join some Red Cat Gang."

Balrog blinks. "'Red Cat Gang'? what the heck is that…? Some bunch of pussy cats?"

Vega snickers, "Hoo hoo hoo hooo. How funny is that?"

M. Bison replies, "I don't know, but, I was told to meet them, so let's go."

Then they walk to the gates of the castle. There, Delia awaits them. "Hello gentlemen, we are so glad you made it."

"Yes, well, take us to your um…leader," Bison says.

"Yes, please come with me."

Then they follow Delia inside. While walking, Vega takes a look at Delia's 'behind' (that pervert!) He was very fascinated by this girl's beauty.

Vega thinks: _Mmmmm… My my, this girl has such beauty in her. I wonder if I can 'play' with her later._

Without turning around, Delia warns the lusty matador, "I suggest that you keep your mindless lustful ideas to yourself, for if you value your soul, keep your space."

Vega gasps, "ACK…!!" _Did she read my mind?…No way!_

"On the contrary, I read your feeble mind like an open book."

Then, Delia escorts them to the Throne Room, where Dr. Wily, Bass, Bubbleman, some Red Cat Gang Soldiers, High Priest Erick and the statue of the Cat Ghost King are awaiting them. Erick is first to greet the Four Bosses of Shadowloo. "Hello M. Bison, we are so glad that you've decided to come here."

The Cat Statue glows as it speaks. "Meow, I the Great Cat Ghost King salute you, gentlemen."

"Yes, well, I came here because I was told of a partnership." Bison tells the group.

Erick confirms the reason for the High Lord of Shadowloo's presence today. "Yes, you are correct, but before we discuss business, how's about if we have lunch?"

"Perhaps you're right."

"Then, if you'll come with me I'll take you to the dining room," Delia says.

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Ryoga was heading back to the Tendo Dojo. He's made a decision, a BIG decision:

"Okay now, now it's the time to tell Akane what I feel for her, to tell her how much I love her! I wont let that jerk Ranma take her away from me…" He strikes a dramatic pose. "AKANE, TODAY WILL BE THE DAY THAT…"

Suddenly, an old lady tosses out some water, which splashes him and changes him into a little pig. But in spite of that, he manages to get to the Tendo Dojo. But, when he arrives there, he sees Akane coming out of the house to throw away the garbage. She sees the little pig:

Akane's happy to see her pet piggy. "P-Chan, where were you? Come here."

P-Chan didn't need it to hear that twice, so he jumps into her arms and feels her breasts (Pervert!).

"Oh, P-Chan, you're just in time for special news…what, you say? You'll have to wait and see."

Then, she goes inside. Once inside, she heads for the living room. on her way she meets up with Ranma and Ran. P-Chan is furious at them, and he tries to jump toward them to attack them, he began to wriggle around a lot in Akane's arms.

Akane holds P-Chan. "P-Chan, stand still, what's got into you?"

Then, Ryoga manages to jump out of Akane's arms and dashes toward Ranma. Ranma moves away, but the pig just keeps attacking. Akane catches him. "P-Chan, what's the matter with you? Why are you attacking Ranma? He hasn't done anything to you!"

P-Chan squeals, "KUI KUUI KUUI KUI KUIIII!!" (_Yes he has! Cause of him, I've seen_ _HELL!! I'll kill him!_)

Akane shouts, "P-CHAN, THAT'S ENOUGH…!!" Now serious, she says, "Listen, either you behave or you'll be sleeping outside! Is that understood P-Chan!?"

P-Chan gasps, "Kui?" (_Akane?_)

Ryoga is in total shock. Akane has never ever said those words to him as her favorite piggy, but, being as stubborn (or pig-headed, in this case) as he is, he continues to attack Ranma. Akane then takes P-Chan outside and closes the door. Then Ranma, Akane and Ran are in the Living Room to make an announcement to their parents:

Akane starts, "Dad, Mr. Saotome, Ranma and I have made a decision about our engagement…"

After hearing that their parents started to dance with joy together in the living room. Soun & Genma shout together, "Oh joy oh joy! Our children decided that they will get married! Now the schools will be joined!"

Ranma interrupts the early celebration. "Excuse me Mr. Tendo and Pop, but, Akane and I aren't gonna get married."

This stops their dancing for joy and the fathers look at them with shocked faces. Poor Soun looks like he's about to cry. "Wha…what do you mean you're not getting married?"

"You mean you don't love each other anymore?" Genma asks worriedly.

Ranma tells his father, "No, it's not that."

"Then what?" Soun asks, trying to keep his composure and bust out in a flood of tears.

Akane explains, "Ranma and I… we do love each very much, but decided that marriage is just too early for us."

Ranma adds, "Yeah. I mean, we're still kinda young for something that big. We still have our whole lives up ahead, so why rush it?"

Genma, fearing the worst, asks, "So that means that…you…"

Akane shakes her head, "No no Mr. Saotome, Ranma will still be my fiancée. Our love for each other will not change a bit, right Ranma?"

Ranma hugs Akane from behind. "That's right!" he proudly says.

Soun and Genma think about it for a while, then, they came up with a decision:

Soun's the first to speak. "Well Akane, Ranma, Genma and I have talked about it and, even though we are a little sad about you two not getting married, we are still happy that you two will still be fiancées, isn't that right Saotome?"

Genma nods, "Quite so Tendo. At least the future of the Schools is secure now. So, we are happy."

"Hey Saotome, how's about if we celebrate this moment with some good sake?"

Genma laughs, "I couldn't agree more Tendo! Ha hah haaaaa!"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE…**_

Back at the Secret Fortress of the Red Cat Gang, Erick was chatting with the leader of Shadowloo, M. Bison during dinner. Of course, they were eating in a luxurious dining room; it had 17th century chandeliers, tables, wallpaper, chairs, with were many candles on the table. Erick is sitting in the middle of the table, with his girlfriend Delia seated beside him. They were eating –"_Chicken le_ _craust_"- with mushrooms and cream and for drinking they had imported VERY expensive red wine.

Holding a glass of wine in one hand, Erick says, "I hope that dinner was to your liking Mr. Bison."

Bison nods, "It was very delicious - my complements to the chef."

"Yeah, that chicken tasted awesome!" Balrog says

"Hoo hoo, a meal fitting for nobility such as I." Vega comments.

"Dinner was good, thank you." Sagat politely says.

"Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed it…," Erick says. Then, as he's rising from his seat, "…now, if you may, let's talk about business now shall we?"

And they rise from their seats and head for the Dark Chamber. Erick turns to some Cat Soldiers. "Okay boys, would you clean this place up?"

"Um…okay." RED CAT Soldier 001 says.

"Whatever you command Lord Erick," replies RED CAT Soldier 002.

Once they arrive at the chambers where the Cat Ghost King's statue is located, they begin to discuss their proposal. Erick states, "As you may already know Bison, we of the Red Cat Gang are asking you for your partnership…a team-up as you may call it."

M. Bison's skeptical at this point. "I don't know. I still don't know much about this. Why do you need my cooperation?"

Erick cheerfully explains, "You're just the right man for it…I mean, Shadowloo has a powerful army at its disposal; you have almost all the necessary equipment to accomplish our ultimate goal."

Bison snickers, "Finding the Phoenix Stone I presume?"

"Yes…I see that Delia told you about it, didn't she?"

"Yes, but only a little…just what is this Phoenix Stone?"

"The Phoenix Stone is a powerful magic stone that is said to have come from the –"Legendary Phoenix Bird"- millions of years ago…legend says that the stone has enough power to destroy an entire world…or conquer it in a flash!."

Power…that word rings true to M. Bison. He loves that word:

Erick continues, "And…it's power is so destructive that it makes an nuclear blast looks like a little firecracker."

Sagat gasps, "Say what?"

Balrog's wide eyed. "No way, you're bluffing!"

Erick points to himself. "Do I LOOK like I'm bluffing…?"

Even Bison is shocked. He gasps, "But, how can a stone have so much power?"

Erick replies, "It's a real mystery…that's why we need your help, to find the stone."

Bison thinks about it for a couple of minutes. He's thinking about the possibilities of obtaining that stone: _Hmm, If I team up with these jokers, I'll be able to find this Phoenix Stone and claim it for myself…then I'll combine its power with my Psycho Power, giving me the powers of a God!"_

Then he addresses Erick. "Very well, I accept. Shadowloo will help you."

Erick smiles. "Good, M. Bison. You have made a wise decision. We are grateful to you."

The Cat Statue purrs contentedly. "Yes meow, you've done well…meow."

M. Bison sweatdrops. "So sorry, but I'm still not used to talking to a talking cat statue."

"Understood." The Cat Statue says.

Furthermore, Erick adds, "If you help us with our enemies M. Bison, we'll help you with yours…whaddya say?"

Bison likes that last part…they would help him destroy his enemies…like Ryu, that damn Guile and that cop Chun-Li. "Yes, you'll help me deal with some of my problems…and I'll help you with yours."

Erick thanks Bison, "Thank you…as an old saying goes…-"_You scratch our back…we'll scratch your back_"-

"Just out of curiosity, who's your enemy that you want dead?"

"Well…we have a list, but the one THESE guys (he points at Dr. Wily, Bass, and the Cat Statue) really hate - is a boy named Ranma Saotome."

Bison's intrigued. "Ranma Saotome…did you say Ranma Saotome?"

"Well yes…why, you know him?"

"Not quite…but, I've heard rumors about a boy who is a skilled and powerful warrior in the Martial Arts as Ryu, or maybe more."

Erick raises an eyebrow at this. "You don't say?"

Bison continues, "Yes, at first I though they were only rumors. But, when I read and saw some news by others warriors about him, about a boy who defeated a powerful warrior named Saffron, who called himself the Phoenix God, in China, it caught my attention."

"Really?"

"But tell me, why destroy such a powerful warrior…when you can have him as a servant!"

"What do you mean, M. Bison Meow?" the Cat Statue asks.

M. Bison grins. "What I mean is, instead of killing him…why not capture him and turn him into one of us…a warrior for Shadowloo!"

The Cat Statue's surprised – hard to tell, y'know, being that he's a statue! It had never occurred to him to go THAT route instead of just scratching Ranma out of existence. Oh sure, his followers, the RED CATS, had tried to turn the boy to their cause before, but they failed miserably. Still the statue likes Bison's idea. "You know…I never thought of that…meow…THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!" it exclaims.

Dr. Wily can't believe this. "Are you out of your minds!? He's the reason my plans failed last year! I hate him just as much as I hate Megaman!"

"An interesting suggestion, M. Bison; we'll keep it in mind. But in the meantime, our goal is to obtain the Phoenix Stone." Erick says, concluding the first official meeting between Shadowloo and the RED CAT GANG.

M. Bison shakes hands with Erick. "Okay…we'll keep in touch."

From there, M. Bison and his 'friends' board his Air Ship and return to Shadowloo's secret base.

* * *

_**BACK IN THE NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Ryoga has managed to find some hot water and turns back into a human. Now, he decides to declare his love for Akane. _Akane, today, today I'll confess my love to you…_ Ryoga thinks and begins to look for Akane. After 3 hours of searching, Ryoga found Akane at the Park. She was coming from a friend's house. Akane saw him:

"Hey Ryoga, what's new"?

Nervous, Ryoga stutters, "Hel…hello Akane…" He thinks: _Okay Ryoga, time to tell Akane your love…_ Out loud, he says, "Akane…I have something to say."

"What is it Ryoga?"

"Akane…I…well…I want to tell you…that…that…"

"Come on Ryoga…spit it out!"

"Akane…I want to say that…" Ryoga's voice shrinks to a soft whisper when he finally says, "I love you."

Akane blinks, "What did you say Ryoga?

"That I love you Akane. I've loved you ever since I first saw you. And I want to ask you if… if you would do me the extreme honor of being my girlfriend."

Akane was totally surprised at Ryoga's declaration. "Ryoga I…I'm speechless! I'm very flattered. I don't know what to say!"

Ryoga pleads, "Say yes Akane, say you'll be my girlfriend."

"Ryoga, I… the thing is that…I love Ranma and…"

"What! NO, how can you say that? Ranma doesn't deserve you Akane! Besides, you hate him!"

"That's not true Ryoga. Well… I'll admit that I thought of that before, but, I was wrong about him - he really is a nice person."

"NO! HE'S A JERK! LISTEN AKANE, RANMA DOESN'T LOVE YOU! I HOWEVER, I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART, AND I'LL GIVE MY LIFE TO YOU IF NEEDED!"

"Look Ryoga, I do love you…but only as a friend, nothing more…"

Ryoga's beginning to cry. "No, Akane…"

Akane sadly tells him, "I'm so sorry Ryoga, but, it's for the best. I don't want to give you any false hopes. My heart belongs to Ranma, but…" She smiles. "We can still be friends! What do you say Ryoga?"

Ryoga was in total shock after hearing this from Akane. His dreams have shattered in front of him, he's boiling mad on the inside, and cursing Ranma Saotome:

Akane's worried when Ryoga doesn't say anything. "Ryoga, are you alright?"

Ryoga turns around. "Akane…I…"

Then Ryoga runs away from that place. He was mad beyond belief, with tears flowing down his face. Driven mad with grief, his heart of glass smashed into thousand of pieces, now he has nothing left but to seek revenge against his hated rival once and for all!

Ryoga angrily thinks: _DAMN YOU RANMA! I WONT FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS…TODAY IS THE DAY YOU'LL DIE!_

Akane's left alone in the park, confused at Ryoga's reaction. "Ryoga! What…what happened?"

Ranma and Ran were coming from the ice cream shop. Ran turns to Ranma and says, "That sure was good ice cream, wasn't it Ranma?"

Ranma agrees. "Yep, especially the Chocolate Mocha."

"Now, where to next?"

"We gotta pick up Akane, then, I was thinking about a movie tonight…sounds good?"

Ran nods. "Sounds great!"

"RANMAAA!" a boy's voice screams. Ranma and Ran turn around see Ryoga in front of them:

Ran points in Ryoga's direction. "Hey Ranma look, it's the eternally-lost boy."

Ranma sighs. "I see…what do you want NOW Ryoga?"

Angry, Ryoga screams, "RANMA, YOU'VE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL! YOU TOOK AWAY MY HAPPINESS, AND MY LOVE! FOR THAT YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

"Ryoga, just what the heck are you talking about? What bug bit you?

Ryoga snarls, "SHUT UP…! RANMA, TODAY IS THE DAY THAT I'LL FINISH YOU OFF ONCE AND FOR ALL! TODAY, I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!!"

"Look Ryoga, I don't know what's gotten into you, but I don't have time for this. Besides, how many times you have told me the same thing of –"Kill me"- and you always fail!…come on Ran."

"Sure, Ranma," Ran says keeping an eye on Ryoga.

Ryoga screams, "YOU'RE NOT GONNA RUN AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME RANMA…PREPARE TO DIE!"

Then Ryoga launches himself against Ranma. Ranma senses him coming and turns around to block his attack:

Ranma's serious. "Hey Ryoga, cut that out! I don't want to fight!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU FOR TAKING AKANE AWAY FROM MEEE!"

Ranma blinks. "Taking Akane from you! What do you mean?"

"AKANE REJECTED ME! AKANE SAYS THAT SHE LOVES YOU MORE THAN ME!"

"So what!"

"SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE, NOT YOURS! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE HER YOU JERK!"

"Ryoga, you're talking as if Akane was an object to be owned."

Ran adds, "That's right Ryoga, Akane always loved Ranma…it's just that she was afraid to admit it."

Ryoga screams angrily, "LIES! NOBODY COULD EVER LOVE A JERK LIKE RANMA! HE'S A WORTHLESS JERK, DISHONORABLE, A COWARD! HE MAKES EVERYONE'S LIVES A LIVING HELL!"

"Listen Ryoga, I'm getting tired of your stubbornness! Ran, let's go."

Ran nods. "Sure Ranma."

Ranma and Ran proceed to leave, when:

"DON'T RUN AWAY YOU COWARD AND FACE MEEE…SHI SHI HOUKODAAAAAAN!"

Ryoga then releases his –"Lion Roar Shot"- toward Ranma. Ranma feels it and jumps away, then he face him:

Ranma's annoyed. "Hey Ryoga, watch where you're launching those attacks! You could hurt somebody!"

"SHUT UP AND DIEEE!"

Ryoga then attacks Ranma with a series of punches and kicks. But, unlike their ordinary fights, Ryoga was really determined to kill Ranma.

Ranma thinks: _Damn, Ryoga wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to kill me, but, I can't let him do that!_

Ran was seeing this fight; She didn't like it a bit. She pleads, "Hey Ryoga, please stop this! You don't want to do this! Ranma hasn't done anything to you!"

"Nothing…? NOTHING…!? THAT MISERABLE BASTARD STOLE AKANE FROM MEEE! HE GOT ME CURSED! HE'S MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL…HE WILL DIEE!"

"Ryoga, you don't have that right to take away a life! If you're an honorable man, you know this is wrong!"

"WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO A STUPID CLONE OF THAT JERK… "

Ranma sees that Ryoga's even more depressed then before. Ryoga's covered in a huge green flame; his eyes were glowing green, meaning that he's reached the absolute bottom limits of his depression. He was dangerous. The fight lasts for about 30 minutes:

Ranma tries to reason with the enraged and equally depressed Eternal Lost Boy. "Ryoga, stop this fight! This isn't gonna solve anything!"

Ryoga finally says, "RANMA…I SAID THAT TODAY YOU'LL DIE…AND I MEAN IT…SHI SHI HOUKODAN!-SHI SHI HOUKODAN!-SHI SHI HOUKODAAAAAAAAAAAN!!"

Ryoga lets rip with three –"Lion Roar Shots", the blasts hurtling toward Ranma. Ranma sees the incoming attacks and smirks, thinking: _Three attacks, no problem!_ …and he was about to jump away, when he hears Ran yelling at him. When he sees her, Ran has a worried look on her face:

Ran's waving her hands frantically, yelling, "Ranma…behind you, quickly!"

Ranma turns around and what he sees makes him gasp in horror. Behind him, not so far away, there's a group of kindergartners with their young teacher. They were scared and would not be able to move in time. Ranma's worried. _Oh no, if those kids get hit by Ryoga's attack they'll be killed! I must stop those attacks and fast!_

And he dashes toward the children like a bullet, he has to make it before those ki-balls hit them! Ran's worried, everything's seen in slow motion. Then the three depression-fueled blasts make impact and explode. Ran's waiting to seewhat would happen.

When the smoke clears, Ran sees that the children were okay. She breathe a sigh of relief, and a silent prayer of thanks.

When the children and their teacher open their eyes they see a person in front of them - it was Ranma. He's just acted as a human shield for them and protects them from the blast. But, he's severely damaged from the impact. His clothes are almost gone, he's got small burns all over his back, and with small bloodly cuts covering his body.

Weakly, Ranma asks, "Hey… are…are you guys okay?"

Happy, greatful even, the teacher says, "Yes…yes we are, thank you sir, thank you!"

"Now…", Ranma coughs, "Get them away from here."

The teacher nods. "You got it…come along children."

She takes the young children. The kids thank Ranma for his actions. "Thank you mister." A little boy says.

"Yes, thank you kind sir," says a little girl.

Ranma smiles weakly, "No problem kids."

Then he turns around and glares at Ryoga. "Ryoga, you JACKASS!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL MEE!?" Ryoga howls, furious that Ranma's not dead yet.

"A jackass…! Do you know what you were about to do Ryoga?"

"YES! ABOUT TO KILL YOU IF YOU DIDN'T MOVE YOU COWARD!"

"No…cough cough…Ryoga, you were about to kill some innocent kids!"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME RANMA! YOU'RE JUST MAKING THAT UP!"

Ran interferes, shouting, "You moron! Didn't you see those children…!? My God, what kind of a man are you?"

"Look Ryoga, I can forgive you for trying to kill me, but…but I cannot forgive you for trying to kill some poor kids…THAT, Ryoga, was the lowest, most cowardly thing you have ever done."

Ryoga explodes, "SHUT UP YOU JERK!"

The children hear that and decided to tell Ryoga the truth about himself."

One boy angrily yells, "Hey, why don't you leave him alone you bully!"

Ryoga snaps, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Another little girl speaks up. "A bully! He saved us from your attack!"

Another boy says to Ryoga, "You're a monster! an evil monster!"

"And a bully!" this one, from another girl.

Ryoga was hearing the shouts of the children calling him a bully and a monster. He can't believe this! He's thinking, panicking: _NO, THEY'RE WRONG, I'M NOT A MONSTER! RANMA IS!_"-…then he addresses the children. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP ALL OF YOU! I'M NOT A MONSTER! THAT JERK RANMA IS!"

Needless to say, the children all boo him and call him, "BULLY! BULLY! BULLY!"

"SHUT UP, DON'T CALL ME THAT…GRYAAAAA… SHI SHI HOUKODAAAAAAN!!"

"NO, RYOGA! DON'T DO IT!" Ran cries.

Being blinded by rage, Ryoga doesn't know what he's doing. He releases the Perfect –"Lion Roar Shot"- at the children. Ranma, even though he was weakened by Ryoga earlier assault, manages to once again act as a human shield for the kids and takes the blast. However, after this, Ranma collapses to the ground. Ran rushes toward the fallen Ranma, she takes his hand to feel his pulse:

Desperate, Ran says, "Ranma, are you alright? Come on, Ranma! Speak to me!"

The children were also worried for their 'hero':

Worried, one girl asks, "Is he okay?"

Ran grimly says, "Yeah, but he needs to go to the hospital."

Then Ran addresses Ryoga; now she's pissed. "WHY YOU…YOU…'BULLY'…! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO RANMA, AND THOSE CHILDREN…!? HAVE YOU NO HONOR?"

Ryoga fires back, "SHUT UP…! NOW MOVE SO THAT I CAN FINISH THAT JERK RANMA ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL! RYOGA, I'VE NEVER HATED ANYBODY, BUT NOW, YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON…! I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM YOU JACKASS!!"

Ryoga cracks his knuckles, ready for blood. "THEN I'LL KILL YOU TOO!…"

Ran whispers, "This one's for you Ranma…!"

Then Ran begins to concentrate, then she's covered by furious lively orange-red flames around her:

Unleashing her strongest attack, she yells, "HEAT TRIGGER DX…KYAAAAA!!"

Ran then releases a big, red, blast of flame at Ryoga. Once the ball hits Ryoga, he goes flying away, burning up like a fireball cursing Ran and Ranma all the way. Next Ran takes Ranma to the nearest hospital.

Back at the Secret Base of the Red Cat Gang, Erick saw the fight between Ranma and Ryoga:

He remarks, "Fascinating, very fascinating indeed…wouldn't you agree De-Chan?"

Delia nods, "Yes, quite a sight."

"It appears that the traitor Ran is getting more and more powerful each day meow…," the Cat Statue notices.

Bass snorts, "Big deal. I can take care of her no problem, as well as Dog Boy…!"

Erick turns to Bass and tells him, "Look Bass, I don't want to sound rude, but you wouldn't hurt Ranma even if he were blind and handicapped."

"WHAT, ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME THAT MISERABLE HUMAN CAN BEAT ME?" Bass yells.

"Yes." Delia simply says.

"WHY YOUU!" Bass has just about had it with this girl's stuck-up, self-righteousness and putting down his abilities. He decides to take out his frustration on Delia, when Erick, with just a wave of his finger, stops Bass in his movement and applies an immense amount of invisible force on him. Poor Bass feels like he's being crushed by a scrap compactor; he's in intense pain:

Bass screams in agony, "GYRA…IAAAAAA", IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOOOP!!"

Erick givee him a death glare and firmly says, "Now, Listen Bass and listen good, cause I'm only gonna say this once…if you EVER raise your voice and hand against Delia or me…you'll going to know and see the true hell of pain…pain so intense that death would be your only salvation! Is that understood Bass?"

"YES!…YESS!! IAAAAA…!!"

"Now…apologize to Delia!"

"OKAY! OKAY…!" Bass cries to Delia, "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

"Good!" Then Erick releases Bass from his grasp. Calmly he continues, "Well, as I was saying…Ran is getting stronger, and, by doing that, she'll start to remember. We can't allow that."

Having survived nearly being crushed into a pile of scrap metal, Bass risks asking, "Why?"

Erick replies, "Because, if she starts to remember, she'll remember many things…among them…her brother."

Dr. Wily assures Erick, "Not to worry, the brainwash we gave R will prevent THAT from happening, hee hee hee!"

Erick is serious, so he looks the mad scientist right in the eye. "Can you guarantee that, Doctor?"

Sweating in fear from Erick's gaze, Dr. Wily blurts, "Well…um…yea, I have the best machines to do that and…"

Erick interrupts, "That wasn't what I asked you Doctor."

Dr. Wily was in a pickle, when, saved by the bell, two RED CAT soldiers enter the room:

"Excuse me, but the warriors Slashman and Cutman have arrived and wish to see you," one soldier reports.

"Send them in." Erick commands.

And the soldiers leave. Then Slashman and Cutman enter the chamber. All gasp at seeing them. Slashman and Cutman are severely injured, beaten up, almost like scrap for the junkyard. They could barely stand up:

Bass blinks, "What the heck happened to you guys?"

Dr. Wily notices the state his robots are in. "Look at you guys. You look if you were in the middle of a big blast!"

The Cat Statue sneers, "I presume that you fools failed in your mission."

Slashman, worried, tries to avert the Cat Ghost King's wrath. "Wait, it's not like that! We almost finished them…"

"Almost counts as nothing!" the Cat Statue hisses angrily. "You didn't destroy Ranma Saotome and Lady Ran, and therefore you failed!"

Cutman whispers to Slashman, "Guess we're screwed now."

Erick cheerfully says, "Not to worry guys. Failing in this mission was your mission."

Slashman blinks, "Huh!?"

"You see, we only sent you there to fight them so that we can see their powers; once we saw them, well, you know the rest."

Shocked by what he's just heard, Cutman can only say, "You mean, you knew that we were gonna fail and you sent us anyway?"

"Yep…" Erick's expression darkens, and he glars at them evilily. "Why? Is there a problem?"

Slashman & Cutman both wave frantically. "No, NO! No problem at all!"

"Good, but tell me guys…Ranma didn't do that much damage to you, so how come you look like this?"

Slashman says, "Oh that. You see, after that damn Ranma sent us flying, we landed inside a house, and we were attacked by a bunch of crazy girls!"

"Crazy girls?" Dr. Wily asks, surprised.

Cutman explains, "Yeah, there was this one girl with a crazy cyan hairdo who could generate energy and make a sword and throw energy balls, another one was a purple short-haired girl, who had some weird floating logs beside her, and they threw electric balls…"

Slashman follows up, "…then, there was one blonde girl and a long haired woman with some blasters, with a logo that said –"Galaxy Police"- or something…"

Cutman finishes, "They attacked us, cause they thought we were perverts…we barely got out of that place in one piece!"

Erick considers what they've reported to him. Then, he says, "I see…well, go and rest, you've earned it!"

"THANK YOU!" Slashman & Cutman sigh happily. Then, both of them collapse on the floor. Then some of Dr. Wily's robots pick them up and take them away for repairs. After that:

"What do you think happened to those two?" Dr. Wily wonders aloud to the rest of the group.

Delia turns to her beloved master. "Hmmm. Erick-san, those figures they describe, they're familiar…"

Erick chuckles, "Of course De-Chan, those morons must have met up with that space pirate Ryoko, and also that Juraian Princess Ayeka."

Delia nods, "I see, so those other two must have been those cadets of the –"Galaxy Police"- Kiyone and that blonde air-head Mihoshi…am I right?"

"Right you are Delia, right you are."

Dr. Wily wanted to know, "Who are they? What are you're talking about?"

Erick stops Wily from asking any further questions. "That's not important right now. The important thing is that we must prevent any failures, because failure is an option none of you guys will accept."

The Cat Statue agrees with Erick. "Meow…that's right, I don't want any failures in our mission. Erick, I hope that everything goes according to plan."

Erick smiles. "But of course Cat Ghost King, you just have to be patient."

Dr. Wily fumes impatiently, "I still don't like to wait! I mean, we could send my robots to finish the job."

"That's right!" Bass says, coming to Wily's defense.

Erick wags his finger in a no-no gesture. "Doctor, Doctor, Doctor…You'll send them all on a wild goose chase, blind…as an old saying goes…-"_Slow and Steady wins the race_"-."

"What does that mean?" Dr. Wily asks. Oh c'mon now, Wily! For somebody who's SUPPOSED to be an evil genius, you're kinda slow to catch on!

"In order to know that answer Dr. Wily, read the story of the –"Tortoise and the Hare"-, and you'll find out why…"

* * *

The next day, Ranma wakes up and sees himself in a hospital room:

Ranma thinks: _Man, where am I?…_ He scans the area. _Hey, why am I in a hospital bed? …Oh yeah, I forgot, stupid Ryoga. I don't know what got into him, but the next time I see him, I'll bake his butt!_"

"Ranma! You're awake!" a girl's voice says.

When Ranma turns around, he sees Ran and Akane coming to his room, Akane rushes over and hugs Ranma:

Ranma talks to them like nothings wrong. "Hey Ran, Akane, how you doing?"

Akane sobs, "Oh Ranma, I was so worried! Are you okay? Do you need anything…?"

"Nah, Akane, that's okay. You don't have to worry about me, you know I heal fast, but thanks anyway."

Ran asks, "So Ranma, how are you doing?"

Ranma replies, "Me? I'm fine, just a little tired that's all."

Akane tells him, "Ran told me about what Ryoga did…I still don't know what could have happened to him, I mean, Ryoga's never done that before."

"Well, when (or IF) we see him again, you can ask him."

Ran's still kinda upset about what happened. "That's right, I'm still mad at that jerk! I mean, attacking you would be okay, 'cause you can defend yourself, but to attack innocent children, that's unforgivable!"

Then the door opens and some children step in. It was the kids who Ranma saved; they were carrying some roses, cards, and letters. Ranma greets them. "Hey you guys, how's it going?"

"We're fine," says one little boy.

"Yes, we're fine," a little girl says.

"That's good to hear…but tell me, why are you here?"

Their teacher walks in. "The children came here to thank you for helping, no, saving them from that mean boy yesterday."

Ranma's surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, thank you for saving us, mister," another little boy says.

Happy, another little girl squeals, "Yeah, you are our hero."

Ranma blushes. "Um….Oh! It was nothing, really…eh heh!"

Akane and Ran giggle at Ranma being so humble, then the children give Ranma the roses and cards:

"Here, these are for you." A third little girl says as she hands Ranma the roses.

Ranma's genuinely touched by all this. "Geez guys, thanks. They're beautiful, and smell nice too."

And a third little boy says, "We made this card for you in our school. Hope you like it, mister!"

Ranma takes the card and looks at it. On it was a picture of him, drawn up like a superhero by the children. He liked it a lot. "It's very awesome kids, I love it…thanks a lot, I mean it."

The kindergarten teacher bows. "The children's are very grateful to you Ranma-san; somehow, you became their hero."

Ranma blushes a deeper shade. "Oh c'mon, I'm no hero; I only did what was right."

"Well, you are a hero in our book!" little girl no. 2 says.

"Thanks," Ranma bows ihis head in reply.

Teacher gathers her young charges. "Well children, say goodbye to Ranma. We have to leave."

"Okay…bye Ranma!" says little girl no. 3

Little boy 2 says, "Yeah, take care…"

Little girl 2 pleads, "Promise us that you'll come to our school, would you Ranma?"

"Sure…I guess," is all Ranma can say.

"YEAAAAA!" all the kids cheer.

Then they leave, waving at Ranma, after that:

Ran giggles, "Well Ranma, it seems that you gained a little fan club."

Akane teases her fiancée, "So, how's it feel…Mr. Hero?"

Ranma shrugs innocently, "Like I said before guys, I'm no superhero, just Ranma."

Akane hugs Ranma, "But, you are a hero in my book."

Ranma blushes. "Akane…"

Then, the girls stay with Ranma at the hospital.

* * *

At Shadowloo HQ, the evil Leader M. Bison was watching the tapes he'd obtained on Ranma Saotome. He saw almost all his battles that he fought. He saw the enemies that Ranma fought…from Prince Kirin, Touma, Herb…he even obtained the video of him battling Saffron…at the end, he was very impressed:

M. Bison:" This Ranma is indeed a strong and powerful warrior, he has tremendous powers for someone so young. Oh yes, if I could get him to join Shadowloo, I could obtain such a powerful soldier in my army"

Then, Vega and Balrog enter the chamber:

"Excuse sir, but why do you watch those images of a brat?" Vega asks.

M. Bison harshly replies, "Cause that 'brat' that you refer to is a powerful and skilled warrior, even more than you Vega."

Vega's offended. "SAY WHAT!? ARE YOU JOKING ME? THERE'S NO WAY A LITTLE BABY COULD EVER BE AS GOOD AS ME!"

"On the contrary Vega, that Ranma may be a kid, but he's indeed a worthy warrior for Shadowloo."

Balrog speaks up. "But, how can that be sir…?"

M. Bison explains, "Size does not matter. That Ranma kid has many special abilities, and, he has mastered the art of Ki."

Vega blinks, "Ki?"

"It is the inner energy that all living people have. But, to master it is very hard; not many can obtain it…only a few have done it…Myself, Rose, and that cursed Ryu and Ken."

Balrog seems impressed – sorta. "Really? Wow, that's intense!"

Bison smiles wickedly. "Now imagine if I could get Ranma to get into the Psycho Power…he could even be my successor. I must have him!"

Vega mutters, "I don't believe this!…He didn't think that of me!"

Overhearing Vega's complaint, Bison glares at his henchman. "That's because, unlike you Vega, Ranma has fought many, many strong enemies all his young life, while you only fought weak opponents, and bulls, and that just it. You can't even summon your Ki."

"Grrrrr…!!"

"But, if you'd like to prove me wrong Vega…go to Nerima and capture Ranma. If you can do that, I'll even name you my second in command…"

Vega's interested. "Really?"

"Yes. You think you can do it, Vega? Can you defeat this 'kid'?"

Vega scoffs, "Ha, it will be a piece of cake for me! I mean, he's only a child!"

"Well then, go!"

And Vega went to carry out his mission. Once he was gone:

"You think he will do it, Sir?" Balrog asks.

M. Bison laughs, "Ha ha haaaa! Of course not. I only sent him to make a fool out of him. He will learn the price for talking too much, and to never underestimate his opponent."

Balrog snickers, "Ha, guess you got a point!"

"Now, let's get in contact with our new 'partners', …the Red Cat Gang."

"You got it, sir."

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO – TENDO DOJO, RAN'S ROOM:**_

-(Dream-Sequence)-

Ran is standing on a cliff… suddenly, the sky turns red, and a huge fire-bird appears before Ran:

Ran blinks at the magnificent creature. "Who…who are you? What are you"

The Fire-bird speaks telepathically. Its beak doesn't even move, and yet Ran can hear its voice so clearly: (Listen Ran, you must be prepared for the outcome…for the approaching evil.)

"What are you talking about?"

(There is an evil being who wants to take over the world. You must stop him.)

"But, how will I do that?"

(Listen carefully Ran…_When_ _Fire and Lightning become one, evil will fall._)

Ran blinks. "When Fire and Lightning become one? What does that mean?"

(You'll know it, when the time is right.)

-(End of Dream)-

Then Ran wakes up, and thinks about it: _What a weird dream…but, what could it mean?_

* * *

The next morning Ranma was coming from school. He came alone 'cause Ran and Akane went to the Shopping Mall. And, as always, an old lady splashes him with some water she was tossing to the street, and he's (now she's) mad about that.. "Damn old lady, how does she do it?", she curses. Unaware to her, on a rooftop near him, Vega was standing there, watching his prey:

Vega thinks: _Hmmm…So that's him…but, I thought Bison said that Ranma Saotome was a boy, but, she has hair that matches the description. She even has a pig-tail, so she must be Ranma! Now, let's see if she is as good as Bison says…_

Then, he waits for the right moment and follows Ranma. Ranma-chan's reaching the Tendo compound when suddenly her danger senses went wild, and without turning around she jumps up and a figure dashes by her. When Ranma-chan lands she sees a person in front of her…it was a blonde man with a long pig-tail like his, a long tattoo of a snake on his chest, and had on his hand a claw-like weapon, with a mask that covers his face:

Ranma-chan's annoyed. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

Vega compliments his opponent. "So, you have excellent reflexes for a little girl!"

"Thanks, but who are you?"

"My name is Vega, and I charmed to meet you girly."

"I don't care. Why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"That's easy. I came here to take you with me to Shadowloo."

"Listen here buster, I don't go out with anybody, especially with blonde air heads wearing masks, is that understood?"

Vega laughs, "Hoo hoo hoo, but I wasn't asking if you 'wanted' to come along, cause you WILL come."

"Is that a fact…sorry to disappoint you buster, but the answer's no."

"Then you leave me no choice but to take you by force, so get ready pretty!"

Ranma-chan laughs, "Ha, please, I wouldn't worry about myself that much!"

Then, Vega launches himself toward Ranma with his claw, ready to attack. Ranma just waits and when he was close she evade all his attacks, even his Rolling Barcelona attack:

Vega's impressed with this girl's skill. "Impressive. I'm truly impressed, no one has ever evaded my attacks."

Ranma-chan snorts, "Oh please, I have seen girls move faster then that!"

Now Vega's mad. "WHAT! You have a big mouth! Now I will show you my special skills, be prepared!"

"Bring it on!"

Vega then swings his claw at Ranma many times, faster then before, but Ranma-chan with her superior skills dodges them all. Vega then jumps on a fence and drops toward Ranma with his claws. Ranma-chan just moves away, Vega's getting irritated by this red-haired girl, she's faster then him:

Vega pants, "This girl moves like the wind, but I won't be defeated, I'll show her!"

Ranma-chan taunts, "Come on buster, don't tell me you're tired! I haven't even broken a sweat here!"

"Laugh all you want girly, it will be more satisfying when I beat you."

"That is 'if' you beat me. Come on, give up already!"

"NEVER!"

Then once again Vega throws many claws toward Ranma. Then, in a swift motion, Ranma punches Vega with a hard punch in his masked face. Vega goes flying toward the ground, and lands hard. The punch was so strong that Vega's mask breaks apart. Vega then takes out a mirror and sees himself in it. What he sees makes him gasp in horror. There was a nasty scar of blood on his left cheek:

Gasping, Vega mutters, "No, It can't be, my beautiful face…" Outrarged, he turns toward Ranma. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL FACE YOU BASTARD…I'LL KILL YOU,! NOBODY TOUCHES MY WORTHY FACE AND LIVES!"

Ranma-chan thinks this pretty boy's overacting here. "Geez, you sound worse than Kuno!"

Vega yells, "INSOLENT WORM! I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE! I'LL MAKE YOU BLEED LIKE A PIG! PREPARE TO DIE…KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Vega, filled with rage launches himself against Ranma. Ranma-chan thinks: _Man, I didn't knaw that Ryoga's annoying catchphrase could be so popular…_

Then, in one of those attacks, Vega manage to hit Ranma in his/her chest…when Ranma looks at his chest he gasps, his clothes from his chest were shredded apart:

Ranma-chan, looking down, gasps, "Oh no, my shirt…" She glares at Vega with a look that could kill, "LOOK WHAT YOU DID YOU JERK! THIS WAS MY FAVORITE SHIRT, NOW YOU'VE MADE ME REALLY MAD! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SORRY BUTT!"

Vega taunts, laughing, "Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo…. And how are you gonna do that little girl?"

"LIKE THIS!"

Ranma, using one of the Forbidden Techniques of Saotome-ryuu Yamesenken (Saotome Style Mountain of a Thousand Fists), yells…-"KIJIN-RAISHUU DAN"-… and she swings her arms and releases a Vacuum Blade of Air toward Vega. Vega blocks the attack, but, after that his claw its cut into pieces, and his chest is cut a little, blood is pouring out:

Vega's eyes go wide in shock. "No! My…my claw, you've destroyed my claw…but, how did you do it?"

"Doesn't matter…now leave or the next thing I'll re-arrange is that face of yours!"

"NEVER! VEGA DOESN'T LOSE TO ANYONE, ESPECIALLY NOT TO A LITTLE GIRL!!"

"Have it your way then," Ranma-chan says, ready to finish this fight.

This time, Ranma's striking Vega with some ferocious punches and kicks. Vega didn't stand a chance against Ranma's superior attacks; Ranma gave Vega a punch in his chest, a kick in his ribs, one on his legs, another punch in his chest. In the end, Vega was almost all bruised up, but he wouldn't give up:

"Had enough….Blondie?" Ranma-chan wants to know.

Coughing blood, Vega says, "Ugn…never, I will win…CAUSE I WON'T LOOSE TO A GIIIIIIIIIIRL!"

"Okay then…" Ranma-chan start to charge her ki

Vega saw that the redhead was emitting strong amount of energy within her. He sees that she's covered in a red light; consequently, he's gotten scared at the sight:

Vega shakes. "What…what's happening, what's she doing, what's that?"

Ranma-chan declares, "This is my power, now you'll feel it…! MOUKO TAKABISHAAAAAA!!"

Ranma then releases her Pride of the Fierce Tiger projectile against Vega. Vega sees that Golden Ball coming toward him, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. Upon contact, Vega goes flying away until he disappears:

Triumphant, Ranma-chan says, "Hmph, that will teach him not to mess with me!"

Ranma-chan heads back to the Dojo. She didn't know that her fight was being watched by a hidden camera.

* * *

In the fortress of the RED CAT GANG…Erick with his loved one Delia watches the fight between Ranma and Vega…

Erick chuckles, "How was the fight for you De-chan?"

"It was entertaining, very funny," Delia lightly giggles.

"It was…that Vega person has a lot of vanity in him, but unfortunately, he lacks skill, and brains."

"True, he thinks of himself as a supreme example of beauty, God's gift to women."

"Hahahahaaa…oh how sad of him, caring only for beauty, when beauty's only temporal, and it fades away in the stream of time."

"He, and those of his kind I've met before, will end up alone, with a lot of sorrow and hate. Truly, a lost soul."

Erick raises an eyebrow in surprise. "I see that you know a lot about these things, eh Delia?"

Delia giggles, "It's what I do a lot Erick, or have you forgotten that that's my job?"

Erick blushes, "How dumb of me… Well, let's check on how those people's plans are doing."

"Yes, let's shall."

* * *

Meanwhile…Vega crashed into a house, and into some hot springs…when he woke up, he looks around and sees himself in a hot spring:

Vega, aching from his wounds, rubs his head. "Ouch! Damn that red haired girl! I never knew she could be so strong! Next time I see her I'll get her for sure!…" He looks around. "Hey, where am I?…looks like I'm inside some hot springs…how fortunate for me. Now I'll be able to relax and head back to headquarters. Hope that M. Bison doesn't find out or else I'll be the laughing stock in all Shadowloo…!"

Vega then proceeds to remove his remaining clothes and relax in the hot water. "Aaaaaa, this is the life, so relaxing, good for my beautiful body…"-…Vega thinks aloud while soaking in the warm water. He then saw something on the wall, like a sign…-"Hmm what's that…?" He looks closer. "…hmmm Hinata…Residence…Hinata Residence, well, how curious…well, I think I better leave, for I have to get back to the base and train to get that miserable red haired girl…!"

As Vega stands up to get dressed, he feels someone behind him. When he turns around, he sees in front of him five young girls –(Naru, Mitsune, Motoko, Shinobu, Kaolla Su, Mutsune)-, naked, each other saw themselves for a couple of seconds…then, they all scream –"EEEEKKKK….PERVERT!!"-…Next thing Vega sees is a punch to his face thrown by one of the angry girls –(Naru)-, then, the tall girl took out a Wooden Bokken –(Motoko)- and starts to strike him with it. Vega's trying to dodge all those crazy girls' attacks…-(thinking)- _Man, I don't need this, I'm outta here!_"-…Vega then proceeds to run for the exit from that place, while running to the hallway, something blocks his way…he sees small turtle-like robots, and behind them was a short ebony little girl, with blonde hair –(Kaolla Su)-, she had a remote control in her hands to control the robot turtles. The girl, with a wicked smile and laugh says…-"Tee hee hee, you little pervert, behold my creation…! It's the Cyber Turtles X3O…ready…FIRE!!"-…

Then the Turtle-Robots' Shells lift up and begin firing many micro-missiles at Vega. Many explosions detonate on Vega. Vega jumps up, Kaolla is mad. She whines, "Hey, no fair!"

Vega yells, "ARE YOU CRAZY LITTLE GIRL? GIRLS LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T BE PLAYING WITH DANGEROUS TOYS!!"

Vega was almost to the exit door, when Motoko stands in his way with her wooden Bokken:

Though hurt, Vega demands, "Get out of my way little girl! I don't want to hurt you!"

Motoko bravely declares, "You're not getting away from here…I will punish you!"

Motoko then attacks Vega with her arm…Since Vega was hurt, he was kinda slow. Motoko lands a strike on his damaged ribs…Vega screams in pain…despite his injuries, he manages to get out of that place…once outside, he glares back at the girls:

Naru yells, "And stay out you pervert!"

"Or next time I'll hurt you even more!" Mokoto says, still brandishing her sword.

Vega glares evilly at Motoko and sneers, "You only won this round girl cause I was weak and injured!" Then to all of the young women, he says, "But, mark my words girls, especially YOU girl –(pointing to Motoko)- I will return! No one wounds Vega and gets away with it, NO ONE! Remember my name!"

Vega then runs away. The girls celebrate, and then a boy arrives on the scene:

"Hey girls, what's going on here?" Keitaro asks.

Naru says, "Nothing…just a pervert entered here and tried to peep at us…"

Motoko says firmly, "But, I taught him a lesson he'll never forget. He will not come here again."

"But, he was strong and agile." Kaolla Su says, commenting on their intruder's rather handsome appearance.

But, he was kind of cute, wasn't he girls?" Mutsumi dreamily asks the other girls.

Mitsune says, "Yeah, he was…maybe more then Keitaro!"

Keitaro's insulted. "Hey!"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE….**_

R was in his apartment, happy, for he's nearly mastered Ms. Hinako's Chi- Sucking Technique. "I'm nearly through learning that –"Chi Draining"- from that Vampire-lady Ms. Hinako, then, Saotome will be mine! Hahahahahahaaaaa!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	9. Erick's Tragic Origin

CHAPTER 9

_**-"ERICK'S TRAGIC ORIGIN"-**_

While the Red Cat Gang was making plans for the Phoenix Stone, Shadowloo was also making their own. Everyone had his or her own secret reasons. But soon, every villain will soon be hearing about it…about the Phoenix Stone.

* * *

While trying to find the Phoenix Stone, Erick decided he wanted to go for a 'walk' to clear some things on his mind. He told Delia and he left the RED CAT GANG's Base.

Later, Dr. Wily, Bass, and the Cat Statue were looking for him:

The Cat Statue asks, "Meow…where's Erick? I cannot find him."

"He's not in the base, Cat Ghost King. We've searched everywhere," Dr. Wily replies.

"Where could he be meow?…Find him!"

"Not to worry gentlemen, Erick will be back," a familiar girl's voice says out of nowhere.

Scared out of his wits, Dr. Wily jumps up. "WAAAAAAAAAA….!!"

Then, Delia emerges from the shadows of a corner. Dr. Wily was panting slowly with his hand on his chest:

Dr. Wily scolds, "DON'T DO THAT, YOU GIRL! YOU CAN'T KEEP POPPING OUTTA NOWHERE BEHIND PEOPLE! I'M AN OLD MAN YOU KNOW! DO YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?!"

Delia apologizes, "So sorry, force of habit. As I was saying, Erick is not here."

"Then where is he?" the Cat Statue wanted to know. "We need him right here."

"Don't worry you guys, he just went out for a little walk, to clear some things on his mind, but he'll be back."

"Are you sure of that?" Dr. Wily asks her.

"He gave me his word…that should be enough for you…" Then, she looks the old scientist right dead in the eye, and in a serious tone of voice which left ABSOLUETLY no room for further questions, says, "Understand?"

Delia tends to have the same effect on Dr. Wily that Erick does. Nervous, he gulps, "Gulp…Okay."

* * *

Meanwhile…in the cliff of a high mountain lies Erick.

He's looking at the beautiful scene before him. He's wearing a black trench coat that covers most of his body, a purple scar around his neck, black shoes and black glasses…

Erick thinks: _Ah, such a beautiful scene. I almost forgot its beauty. I should go out more often, but, first things first… Once the mission is over, I'll take Delia to see all those wonders this world of the 'humans' has._

Then Erick starts to remember his past…

Sadly, Erick thinks: _How long have I've been around? Too long, I'm afraid. Ever since I became what I am today…ever since that 'incident' that change my life forever…ever since that 'they' betrayed me…_

_It's just like yesterday…I'll never forget that time…_

* * *

(Begin Flashback)

_**ROMANIA -(EUROPE)- 65 B.C.**_

…_My life was a happy one. I was once a Priest that helped many who were in need…_

We see Erick dressed in white priest-like vestments, wearing a golden medallion around his neck, in a little church on a little town, helping people with his white magic. Erick studied the Ancient Religions and Ancient White Magic of the Gods so he could help the people in need.

Erick's just cured a little girl from a rare disease with his knowledge of the mixing of herbs and White Magic, the little girl's family was very grateful to him:

Happily, the girl's mother cries, "Oh thank you Mr. Erick for rescuing our baby girl, thank you, thank you!"

Her father says, while bowing at Erick's feet, "Yes, you saved her! We don't have much money, but we'll pay you whenever we can."

Erick smiles and tells them, "No need, my friends. To save this young girl's life was all the reward I needed."

The woman continues to show her gratitude, "But, thank you! Thank you!"

_Ah yes, such a wonderful life I had, all the people used to love me… But unfortunately, there were those who didn't love me at all, they hated me…Those who were jealous of me, jealous of my knowledge that they couldn't have…But, that didn't bother me at…at least not yet…I had a good life, and a good love, I had a woman named Cassandra, she was my inspiration, my motivation for my love for life…I loved her more then my life, she loved me cause of my noble heart and loyalty to her…but, as time went by, the love she had for me started to weaken…_

Cassandra was waiting for Erick to finish his work…when Erick finished another good deed, helping another poor person she asked him, "Erick, I was wondering, why can't you start charging fees for your deeds?"

"Cassandra, most of these people don't have much money, and besides, helping them is very rewarding." Erick tells her.

Cassandra scoffs, "Oh come on! You have a unique gift Erick. Don't you think that it would be a shame to waste such a wonderful talent without making any gain from it?"

Erick, with conviction, firmly says:" NO…! Cassandra Darling…my gift is to be used to help people, not to take it for granted, nor to make money out of it."

"But why? Come on, don't you wish to have it all? Jewels, Money, Power…" A wicked smile crosses her lips. "With that gift of yours, you could have it all and we could be happy."

Erick gasps, "CASSANDRA… ! What you're saying is rubbish! We don't need those things to be happy!"

"Surely YOU don't have ambitions, don't you?"

"I do…but not THOSE kinds of ambitions… such ambitions always lead to destruction."

Cassandra objects, "No they don't!…Tell me Erick…wouldn't you like to live like a Prince, and I as a Princess…Remember that Princess that lived in the Palace of Carnesius that we passed by…she had it all…riches, power, love…the life that 'I' should be living!"

Erick simply says to her, "Are you sure about that, Cassandra? She may have all those gold rings and jewels and fancy clothes and everything…but she lives alone… and she's miserable."

Cassandra doesn't want to admit that Erick's right. So, she continues to elaborate her point. "That's…that's not true…I heard she had lots and lots of friends in high society…and many men that want to marry her."

Erick corrects her. "Wrong again Cassandra…all those 'friends' that you said she has are all fakes…They're not her friends - they don't care about her for herself…but for her money. Those men only want her because she's rich…like bees when they want to take the pollen off the flower…Don't be blind…Things aren't what they appear to be."

Cassandra gives up, and gives him the benefit of the doubt – this time. "Could be…but…with all that money she has…she could buy anything."

"Only material things…for she cannot buy love, compassion, health, or friendship. And, she, like her family, live with greed, envy, hate toward each other and for the less fortunate, like jackals for the food."

_After that, I left for another job, without knowing that Cassandra was getting quite impatient._

(End of Flashback)

Erick is walking through the city, and thinking about his past life…

He was now walking in the streets of Odaiba –(home of the Digimon)-…

_Oh yeah…I kept on helping people because it was something I loved to do…not for the money, but for the joy of seeing those happy faces…unfortunately, Cassandra began to change her mind about my ideas…she began to evade me little by little, she stop calling me to tell me how much she loved me, I didn't know why. When I was studying the books that I had, I found some scrolls to have more power. _

_The scrolls I found were written in an ancient language, written by some ancient Priestess. They intrigued me, perhaps they could help me in my job, but I found out that they were 'evil', it would give me the powers of a powerful being…of an angel, or, demon, so I locked them up. The price would be too high. Things with Cassandra were going from bad to worse…but, later I found out something that I couldn't believe…_

(Continue Flashback)

_I was returning to my home-church after a hard day of helping some poor folks with their village, when I entered the house I heard some noises coming from the room where Cassandra slept. I took a closer look and what I saw almost destroyed me…_

_I saw that Cassandra was in bed with another person, which I wasn't…_

Erick enters the room, and Cassandra sees him. Needless to say, she was surprised to see him:

Cassandra gasps, "Erick…!"

Erick shocked. "Ca.Cassandra…!? What is the meaning of this…?" Pointing to the man in bed beside her, he demanded to know, "Who is THIS man?"

The man, stretching his arms, introduces himself. "Oh hello, I am Prince Halker of Ravel."

Erick sweatdrops. The nerve of this man! "Ooookay…Cassandra…WHAT is he doing here?"

"Oh, him…? He's my fiancée!" Cassandra reveals, dropping the bomb on poor Erick.

Erick gasps, "WHAT! Fian…fiancée…? But, I'M your fiancée!"

"Not anymore, you're not!"

Erick wants an explanation from the woman he loved. He's hoping this is just a big mistake. "What… What do you mean Cassandra? I don't understand!"

Cassandra flatly tells him, "He is RICH! He can give me the life that I want…he has jewels, lands and a castle…What can YOU give me Erick? Nothing! You're just wasting your life! Well, I won't waste mine!"

Erick's heart shatters after hearing those words from the mouth of the woman who he thought loved him…he lowers his head:

Deeply hurt, Erick whispers, "I see…so jewels and money bought you over, is that it Cassandra? I gave you all of my love and all my heart and you didn't care, but for jewels…!"

Cassandra snorts, "Well, your love is not going to buy me anything! Face it Erick, you're a lowlife and you'll always be a lowlife, but that doesn't mean that I have to be…! I have to get going now…" Then, hugging the prince, she says, "…let's go honey!"

Prince Halker laughs, "Yes, let's shall. Tough luck fellow hahahahaha, right darling?"

Cassandra laughs, "Yeah…!"

Erick, for the first time in his life, began to get angry, so, he addresses the Prince in a dangerous tone:

"So this is how's it's gonna be…" Then, to Cassandra, he says, "…I gave you my love and you tossed it over and chose money. You turned into what I never would have thought you could…a tramp…!"

The foolish idiot of a prince Halker objects to Erick's insulting Cassandra. So nobly, he defends her honor. "Now watch that mouth of yours, you filthy lowlife! I will not allow you to insult her!"

Erick whirls on the prince, with fire in his eyes. "And don't YOU dare to talk to me! You came here and stole my love away from me!"

The prince, in turn, says, "That's it…! Sir, you have insulted my honor, I challenge you to a duel of swords… That is, if you have the courage to fight me!"

" If you think that you can intimidate me with your lousy talk, then you're a fool…I accept!"

Then both men went outside. Once outside they took out some swords, and get into their fighting stances:

Being a man of war, used to battles, Prince Halker asks his soon-to-be defeated foe, "Are you ready?"

Erick hmph's at this. "I am…the question is, are YOU ready?"

Halker scoffs, "I'll have you know that I've been trained in the many ways of the sword, you don't stand a chance against me!"

"Prove it with actions…not words!"

"So be it…this will be a duel to the death!"

Then, both men started to fight with their swords clashing against each other. Prince Halker was trying to decapitate Erick, but Erick was dodging them all, Erick landed some slashes on the Prince…he was getting tired and irritated:

P. Halker is surprised at his opponent's skill, "How come you're so good with the sword…you're only a priest!"

"That's true," Erick replies. " …but before that I was a noble knight, and one of the best in her Majesty's army!"

They continue to fight…when Erick, with superior skill, takes out the Prince's sword. The prince falls down to the floor, when he looks up, he sees Erick pointing his sword at his face, the Prince was scared:

Prince Halker pleads, "Please…please don't kill me, sir…I'll give you anything you want, please!"

Putting his sword away, Erick regards his defeated adversary, saying, "Forget it…I'm not that kind of man, now get out before …UGH!"

Erick then felt something strike him in his back, like something sharp. When he turns around he sees Cassandra with a sword in her hands. The sword was covered in blood, which meant that SHE struck him with it in the back. Erick was seriously hurt and shocked at her act. "Ca, Cassandra…ugn…how could you…?"

Cassandra says coldly, "Better YOU than him…" Then, to Halker, "…Finish him off, hurry!"

While distracted, he was impaled by the swords of the cowardly Prince and, from his former love, then, he falls to the ground…

_Then they both laughed and left me at the empty room of that house to die. And to make it worse, they incinerated the house to burn me up. But, what they didn't expect was that I was ready to take my revenge upon them…_

In the midst of the widening flame, Erick is in his room, weak and bleeding, he was carving with his sword and using his own blood to write some words, he draws a pentagram and some ancient letters on it…he was dying, so he had to finish it fast…then, he began to chant some incantations:

Weakened by his fatal wounds, Erick chants, "Akiryo atiryo con tembela…akiryo atiryo con tembela…give me the power I beg of you!"

Then, the pentagram began to shine in red and white…

"Kakyo, Akyo seres ku shin sera ko mint kyo…give me the power I beg of you…so that I can destroy my enemies…NOW!" He slams the sword in the center of the pentagram with the very last of his strength, then fainting, he cries,"…avenge me!…ugn!!"

Then, he dies and falls to the ground. But, suddenly the floor the pentagram was carved into explodes into a burst of unholy flames, so huge that it destroys the entire place. Outside Cassandra and Halker saw the explosion:

Cassandra comments, as if to say 'oops'. "Guess we overdid it, didn't we?"

Prince Halker laughs, "We sure did… THEN, he stops. He gasps, "Hey, what's that!? Something's coming from the fire!"

"What is it, what could it be?" Cassandra wonders aloud.

And, from the flames, Erick emerges, like a dark phoenix reborn; walking slowly toward his betrayers with a cold stare, with all his wounds healed. The betrayers upon seeing him began to panic:

Cassandra's horrified. "NO! It can't be…he's alive!"

Prince Halker does his best impersonation of one Tatewaki Kuno. "That's not possible! What sorcery is this?"

When the prince tries to chop Erick with his sword, Erick grabs it with his hand, and then the sword melted away in an instant! The prince was horrified at the scene before him. Erick then taps Prince Halker on his chest with his left finger and walks away from him. The prince, all confused by Erick's one simple gesture, began to felt an intense pain in his chest. Then, like a balloon, he began to swell up, bigger and bigger, the pain in his chest increasing, until…

**BOOM!**

…went his heart, and then…

**BOOOMMMM!!**

….HE exploded into pieces!

Erick stood in front of Cassandra. She was scared beyond belief; she cowered in front of him and began to plead. "Erick…please…listen to me…sweetheart, baby…I…I…was joking, I always loved you…He forced me to do it…you gotta believe me!"

Erick says nothing, all traces of the man Cassandra once loved, gone forever. "……….….."

Cassandra begs one last time, "Please…would you let me go? Set me free please!"

Erick still says nothing. His silence frightens Cassandra. Then, with a weak smile, he finally says, "Of course, I'll set you free Cassandra."

Cassandra felt a wave of relief after hearing this from him, but in her mind she's thinking: _Ha, sucker!_

HOWEVER, things weren't going to be like she hoped…For Erick continues…

"I'll set you free…" With a cold look in his eyes, that really COULD freeze hell a thousand times over(!), he then says, "I'll set you free from the sins that you have committed against me.." He conjures a fireball in his right hand. "….set you free from the pain that you've caused me…" He raises his arm holding said blast of hellfire up. "….and set you free from this world…!" He points his hand at Cassandra.

Cassandra saw that and began to panic a lot. Horrified, crying, she begs in vain, "No…Erick no…don't do this…Pleaaaaaaaaaaase!!"

Erick did not listen to her pleadings…

"May God have mercy on your soul Cassandra." Erick says with finality.

Cassandra, wide eyed in fear, shrieks, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Erick releases the fireball at her, striking her with it, burning her in the flames of its intense heat, he heard her screams of pain and agony…then, after the flames were gone, she was gone; not even her ashes remained.

_After that incident, I left from that place forever, I knew that I condemned myself, but it was too late._

(End of Flashback)

* * *

_From that day, my life changed…those powers gave me the powers of an angel and a demon…those powers were a gift…and a curse. They also gave me immortality._

_Ah, how I seen it all…all the wars these humans wage, all the killing, I've seen them all._

_And HIM_, he thinks, referring to Michael Angelus. _How dare he say that lame phrase to me…-"Absolute Power corrupts"- On the contrary, humanity is totally corrupt! Sometimes they're worse than animals! Animals only kill to defend themselves, while humans kill for fun and for stupid reasons._

Erick then stops. "Man…all this thinking has made me kinda bored… and hungry! I think I'll grab something to eat…." Then he spots a restaurant and decides to eat there.

Once he enters, he order one big meal for himself, and started to eat.

He was eating in peace when he began to hear a lot of noise outside. _Oh man, what now…,_ a frustrated Erick thinks. Then he steps outside and sees crowds of people running away, but from what? He then sees many weird creatures in front of him. Then he notices three young children with weird devices in their hands, and in front of those kids were three creatures…one of them was a small red dinosaur –(Guilmon)-, one big rabbit with machine guns for its hands –(Gargomon)-, and a tall, yellow 'fox' –(Renamon)-. Close to Erick there were five large, evil digimon…two Black Tyrannosaurus, two big Praying Mantis-like things (for lack of a better description) and one Serpent Digimon. The children see him and started to worry for 'him':

Takato gasps, "Oh no! That person is in trouble, we gotta help him!"

Henry agrees, "Right…Gargomon, go save that person!"

"Right!" Gargomon says as he and the other two charge into battle.

But when the good Digimon rush to save "Erick", the other Digimon out-power them all; they even attack the Tamers. They were all on the ground. Erick was rather enjoying this farce of a battle.

"Well, this is entertaining…food AND a show!" he says, mostly to himself.

Then, the evil Digimon see Erick:

"Well, looky here, a human!" one of the Black Tyrannosaurus says hungrily.

A Praying Mantis sqwaks, "How's about if we have some fun with this puny human?"

The other Black Tyrannosaurus growls, "Sounds good to me! Hee hee hee heee!"

The evil Digimon gang up on Erick. Erick doesn't seem to be intimidated by them. The Tamers begin to panic:

Takato cries, "Oh no, those evil Digimon are gonna attack that person! We gotta save him!"

Weakened from the previous battle, Henry says, "But, what can we do? They're very powerful!"

"We gotta try…Renamon, help him." Rika orders her fox Digimon.

Renamon says, while trying to get up, "I'm trying, Riko…but I'm too weak."

Black Tyrannosaurus no. 2, asks jokingly, "Are you ready to become our lunch? Hahahahahaha!"

Erick's already bored with the creature's tough talk. "How curious of you…You don't even have a soul in you, how pathetic."

The Black Tyrannosaurus, now mad, roars, "WHAT DID YOU SAY…OKAY, YOU ASKED FOR IT…GET HIM!"

The, before the evil Digimon could do something to Erick, he conjures up a little ball of purple light on his finger and points it toward them. They, predictably, laugh at this:

Black Tyrannosaurus no. 1 laughs, "What's this? Is this some kind of trick?"

Praying Mantis no. 2wonders, "What's he trying to do? Look at that little fireball! Hahahahaha!"

Then Erick speaks a phrase: "_Requiescat in pace._" The quintet of evil Digimon was confused by the words he spoke:

Black Tyrannosaurus no. 2 blinks. "What did he say?"

Erick explains, "Foolish creature. Obviously, you don't understand Latin, so I'll gladly translate. It means…-"Rest in Peace"!"

Praying Mantis no. 1 cackles, "Is that so…? KILL HIM!"

The evil Digimon proceed to attack him. Erick just waves his finger and the little purple light is shot forth; gaining speed, it turns into a massive purple wave of hellfire hurtling toward the evil Digimon, burning them alive! They scream in intense pain before disappearing, the fire was so big that it burns a lot of ground around the park. After that…

Erick says to himself, "Hmm…you know, I feel good! Well, guess I should be going before those jokers start looking for me."

Then he addresses the kids, waving and bowing, as he bids them farewell. "Good day children, good bye." And with that, he walks away, disappearing from sight. The Tamers were still shocked and scared of this person, so scared that some of them –(Takato and Rika)- almost peed in their pants!

His teeth chattering, Takato says, "Did…did you see what I saw gu…gu…guys?"

Henry, shaking in awe, gasps, "Yeah…that person…defeated…no…killed five powerful Digimon like they were…no…nothing…! Just who is he?"

Rika, usually all tough, calm, cool, and collected, trembles. "He…he's a monster…no hu…human can do that!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	10. Ran Meets Ranma’s Mom, Shattered Dreams

CHAPTER 10

_**-"RAN MEETS RANMA'S MOM… SHATTERED DREAMS"-**_

Ranma arrives at the Tendo Dojo, after defeating the Spanish ninja Vega…when he enters the living room, Kasumi sees him and greets him: "Oh, hello, Ranma! Already back from school I see."

"Yeah, what're you doing?"

"Oh, just preparing lunch, you know me."

Then Kasumi sees Ranma's shirt, it was shredded, and it makes her gasp. "Oh my! Ranma, what happened to you?"

"Nothing, just a little fight with a blonde wacko," Ranma tells her.

Still, Kasumi's concerned. "Are you all right Ranma?"

"Yeah, Kasumi, I'm okay. It's nothing really. Well, I'll go get dressed."

Later, Ran and Akane arrive to their house and learn from Kasumi about Ranma's fights, they rush toward Ranma's room and barge inside:

Ran's quick to speak. "Hey Ranma! Kasumi told us that you had another fight, is that true?"

Ranma says plainly, "Well, yeah."

Akane's worried. "But are you all right Ranma? You're not hurt aren't you?"

Ranma brushes off what's happened recently like it's nothing. "Nah, that guy didn't give me a real fight."

Ran asks, "Say Ranma, who was it?"

Ranma:" A weird blonde guy who called himself Vega."

Akane blinks. "Vega!?"

"Yep. But don't worry guys, that Vega guy won't bother me again…" Ranma assure the girls. In the back of his mind, he's thinking: _I hope so._

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO HQ:**_

Vega has now returned to the base and is headed for the main chamber. When he arrives there, he sees Sagat, Balrog, Zangief, Rolento and Birdie waiting for him, as well as M. Bison himself. When Vega passes his comrades, he hears all of them chuckling and turning their faces away:

M. Bison says pleasantly, "Vega! So glad you made it back…how did it go in your mission? Did you get Ranma?"

Vega's worried. "Well…um…no…the thing is that…she got help from her friends and…they…outmatched me, yeah…so I couldn't get him."

Bison's tone of voice is a slight more menacing. "Are you SURE about that, Vega?…you'd never lie, right?"

Vega's sweating. "Um…NO!…you know me, sir. I'm a man of my word."

"Very well, then… Now, let's watch what's going on lately, shall we?"

Then Bison clicks his remote control and the wide-screen monitor turns on…and it was showing the video footage of the fight of Vega vs. Ranma. Vega sees it, gasps in shock, and his eyes go very wide…everyone assembled in the chamber sees the fight, from the beginning to the end. At the end of the tape:

M. Bison finally asks, "So, Vega, what were you saying about your fight against Ranma…? YOU say that she got help. **I** don't see anyone coming to her aid, and it looks like 'you' couldn't do anything to 'her'. She beat you up pretty good."

Vega's face has turned about a couple of shades of white from fear (of embarrassment, humiliation, or worse!). He can barely say, "Whe…where did you get it?"

Bison tells him, "Oh, THIS…? Courtesy of our partners, the Red Cat Gang…! So Vega, care to explain yourself?"

Vega's REALLY sweating now! "………!!"

"It appears that you underestimated this 'brat', the one that you said that you could take out…and failed."

Vega pleads, "Lord Bison, please, give me another chance! I..I won't fail next time!"

Bison smiles, gloating, "Be fortunate that I need you for later, because if not, I would have you executed right now."

Vega bows gratefully, visibly relived that his beautiful neck's no longer on the chopping block. "*Gulp*…thanks…thank you, Lord Bison! Thank you!"

"Now leave my sight Vega!" Bison angrily commands.

"Yes…yes, whatever you say!"

Once he steps outside, Vega makes plans:

Breathing a great sigh of relief, Vega says, "THAT was a close one…" Now angry, he swears, "That Ranma person is going to pay big for this! Oh YES, he will suffer! But before that, I will also have to pay a little 'visit' to that damned place!"

* * *

Later, in the Tendo Dojo, Ranma, Ran and Akane are practicing, when Nabiki walks in. "Hey Ranma," she greets her future brother-in-law.

"Yeah, Nabiki?" Ranma asks.

Nabiki tells him. "Come into the living room…your mom's arrived."

Ranma brightens up. "MOM? ALL RIGHT!"

For some reason, Ran's excited too. "Your mom, Ranma? Wow!"

Akane says, "Now you'll meet her Ran…come on!"

When they arrive to the living room they see Ranma's mother Nodoka. When Nodoka sees Ranma she's happy. "My son, how are you?"

Ranma excited to see her, too. It HAS been a while since his mother found out about his curse (one only has to read volume 34 of the Ranma ½ manga to see how THAT happened). Since then, Ranma's had to get used to his mother being in his life once again, after being separated from her for so long – no thanks to his idiot father, the dumb ol' panda; Nodoka's had to deal with the fact that her son, with just a splash of cold water, turns into a girl. And her husband's a panda half of the time… oh, well. Anyway, getting back on track here, the relationship between Ranma and his mother has gotten better since those days. And today, he can greet her warmly, "Mom! I'm so happy to see you!"

Mother and son embrace, and then Nodoka spots Ran. She's intrigued by this girl, who looks for the entire world like Ranko, her son's 'former' identity. "Oh my, who are you?"

Ran tries to introduce herself. "Um, my name is Ran," she says, bowing. "It's nice to meet you ma'am."

Nodoka gets a good look at this rather polite young lady, and remarks, "My my…you look so much like my son's cursed form…who are you?"

Ranma explains, "Well mom, it's like this…"

Then, everyone explains to Nodoka all about Ran, from her first appearance, her mysteries, her fights and help, until today. At the end, Nodoka's astonished. "Oh dear lord… so you say that you don't remember anything of your past Ran dear?"

Ran shakes her head, "No ma'am. I don't even know where I lived."

"And you don't even remember your parents?" Ran nods in response to her query. "Poor child, you must be having a hard time, right?"

Ran tells her, "Well, but, the Tendos and Mr. Saotome have being keeping me warm, and treat me as a part of their family."

Nodoka smiles. "How nice of them. And Ranma, what do you think of him, Ran?"

Ran doesn't think twice about her answer to Nodoka's question. "He's the best friend any gal could ever have. He's loyal, fun, and good at Martial Arts!"

"I see, and you, Akane. What do you think of her?", she asks Akane.

Akane replies, "She's cool, and she's a best friend. We are like sisters, she's helped me a lot, and with Ranma too."

"Oh! How?"

"It was her help that helped me realize my love for Ranma, and that helped me see my errors. She's been a lot of help to us."

Nodoka's impressed. "Really…" Then, to Ran, she says, "I must say, I'm very grateful to you Ran. It appears that you are one special girl."

Ran blushes. "Aw… Geez…Thanks a lot, Mrs. Saotome."

"No Ran, please call me Nodoka, after all, you're also part of my family."

Ran's pleased at hearing that part. Being part of a family made her feel…well, happy… Later Nodoka was hearing the rest of Ran's dark past from Soun, Genma, Nabiki, and Dr. Tofu (who'd came by the Tendo house a little while earlier) :

"So you're trying to tell me that you don't know anything about Ran?" Nodoka asks.

Dr. Tofu replies, "No, there is nothing on her. Not a medical file, nor a record, nothing."

Nabiki further explains, "Yes, and I found nothing. It's like she's a ghost."

Nodoka's a little bit worried about all this. "Dear lord, however is that possible? I mean, there's nothing on her?"

"Nothing," Soun tells her.

Nodoka turns to her husband, hoping for some good news in spite what's she heard today. "And how is she taking it?"

Genma honestly (for once!) tells his wife, "Well, at first she was confused and scared, but lately she's cheerful."

Nodoka sighs in relief, "That's good, the poor girl."

* * *

(Cue the Dream Sequence!)

Ran is walking in a foggy place, and then she hears someone calling for her

"Ran, please help me." a boy's voice says from somewhere in the thick fog.

Ran looks around. "Wha…who's there? Where are you?"

"Ran, I need your help! Save me!"

"Where are you, tell me?"

"Listen to your heart, let your heart be your guide, rescue meeeeeee!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!"

(End of dream)

Then she wakes up, panting…-" Who, or what, was calling for me? Who was he?"

* * *

The next day, while going to school, Ran was talking to Ranma and Akane about her dream:

Ranma asks her, "So Ran, you haven't had any bad dreams have you?"

"Not lately," Ran tells him, "But, I had a weird one last night."

"Oh! What kind of dream?" Akane wanted to know.

Ran tires to explain, "In this dream, someone is calling for me, telling me to help him and save him. But I can't see this person."

Ranma considers that. "Well, whatever it is, we'll have to figure it out."

Akane adds, "That's right, and remember Ran, we'll always be there for you."

Ran's happy about this. She thinks of how blessed she is to have friends like Ranma and Akane. The very thought makes her blush, and so she smiles. "Thanks a lot guys. I mean it."

"Now, how's about a race to school…are you up to it Akane?" Ranma asks.

Akane hmph's, accepting Ranma's good-hearted challenge. "You're on Ranma! I've being training a lot and I want to put it to the test."

Ran encourages her friend. "That's the spirit Akane…so, let's go…!"

Ranma nods, "All right…On your marks…"

"…get set…" Ran continues.

"…LET'S GOO!" Akane finishes, and the race is on!

Then, the three of them dash to Furinkan, with Ranma and Ran in the lead. When they arrive, Kuno's waiting for Ran at the front gate, Ranma and Ran see him and groan. Ran, especially, moans, "Oh man, not THAT jerk again!"

Ranma shares Ran's sentiment. "Man, that Kuno doesn't give up, does he?"

Sweatdropping, Akane grudgingly admits, "Got to admit it though, he's persistent."

When Kuno sees Ran coming he dashes toward her. "Oh Pig-Tailed girl, I have come to set you free from that evil sorcerer Saotome, so you and…UGH!!"

Kuno didn't finish his sentence for Ran just punched him in the gut. Ran tells him off. "Listen jerk, I'm not in the mood for your lousy poetry. If you continue to insult my buddy Ranma, I'll kick you hard where the sun don't shine…got it?"

As he's getting up, Kuno implores, "But Pig-Tailed Girl, don't you see what I am trying to do here…? I'm trying to save you from this evil sorcerer Saotome!"

"No you're not! You're bugging me and my friend Ranma…and why do you keep calling him a Sorcerer anyway?"

"Cause he is…he's cast a spell over you and he's controlling you!"

Ran blinks. "Spell…? Controlling me? Are you whacko or something…? Where did you get that stupid idea?"

"He's keeping you away from me, and, since his arrival, all the girls are avoiding me."

Ran laughs, "Oh no Kuno, that's no spell that makes women reject you…it's YOU."

Kuno objects. "What!"

"You heard me. Women reject you because you act like a jerk, you treat everyone else as lowlifes, you think of yourself as God's gift to women…but to them, you are a big jerk, and that's why they reject you!"

Kuno can't believe what the object of his obsessions is saying. "Surely you don't mean that…!? It's probably that cursed Saotome's doing - he's making you say those awful things!"

Ran shakes her head, disappointed. Why hasn't Kuno gotten it through his thick skull yet? "There you go again, Kuno. Wake up and see the reality of things."

Ranma doubts that Kuno will EVER get it. In all the times he's known the poetry-spouting, sword-swinging upperclassman – Ranma knows one thing's for sure; despite his eloquence of speech, skill in swordsmanship, and upper-class attitude – Kuno's eternally dense as a brick. Or dumb as a rock, take your pick. Instead of booting the fool into the sky like he usually does, Ranma decides to be the better man and just turns to Ran saying, "Hey Ran, why don't we leave him, or we're gonna be late."

Ran nods in agreement, "You're right…"

Then they leave Kuno and attend classes. Later in the school day, during recess, Ran was talking to Ranma and Akane about the problem called Kuno. "So he's stalked you ever since you first came to this school?"

Ranma nods, "Yep, ever since I beat him up. But the real kicker was that he'd fallen in love with my cursed form."

Akane, who sweatdrops (knowing Kuno's obsession with her as well), adds, "From that moment till this day."

Ran asks the same question that all of us have been asking, "And, you haven't told that stupid Kuno that you and his fantasy girl are the same person?"

Ranma replies, "I've been trying, but, like his sister, he's just stubborn."

"So, why don't you show BOTH of them 'who' you really are…maybe that will solve a lot of things, don't you think so Ranma?"

Ranma begins to consider Ran's idea…and it hit him…why didn't he think of THAT before! GOSH!

"You know what, Ran? That's an excellent idea! I haven't thought of that - I'll do it…thanks a lot!"

Ran giggles, "No problem, Ranma."

"Say Ran, you think you can help me with this?"

"Sure Ranma…doing what?"

Ranma, with a sneaky grin, says, "You'll see…Akane, can you do me the favor of calling Kuno and Kodachi and have them meet me in the backyard of Furinkan High this afternoon?"

Akane says, "Sure Ranma…but why?"

"Oh… You'll see..." Ranma laughs. "You'll see…for this afternoon, all will be clear for them."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT THE SECRET FORTRESS OF THE RED CAT GANG:**_

"I'd better make sure to call R and tell him that we will move our base of operations to Japan for the next phase of the plan." Dr. Wily tells the statue of the Cat Ghost King.

The Cat Statue agrees. "Yes, do call him Dr. Wily meow."

Bass complains, "I still don't like this. I still say that I should be the one for retrieving that blasted stone!"

Delia scolds – gently for a change, "Don't be stubborn Bass. It is R's job to do that, so stop your whining."

Bass mutters, "……………."

Dr. Wily taps his foot impatiently. "Just where in hell is that High Priest Erick? He should be back already!"

"He will return, Wily. You can bet on that." Delia assures him.

"Right you are, Delia." A man's voice says out of nowhere.

Startled, Bass jumps back about a yard and half. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Then, Erick emerges from the shadows. But, he's wearing a whole NEW wardrobe…He's wearing black armor-like clothing that covers most of his body with black iron gloves; around his waist is a long iron "skirt"-like accessory with sharp blades on the edges, and to top it off he's wearing a small silver skull necklace around his neck. Erick cheerfully says, "Hello you all…missed me?"

Delia smiles, "Welcome back, Erick."

The Cat Statue asks, "Erick, where have you been? You left without telling anyone meow."

"Oh, that. I just went out for a little walk to clear my head…didn't Delia tell you?"

Delia, rolls her eyes, replying, "I DID tell them, Erick, but they're just impatient."

Dr. Wily marches up to Erick and says, scolding him, "Listen here, Erick…we're in the middle of a very important mission here, so it's not the time to disappear when we need you…is that understood?"

Erick's mood darkens – and so does his facial expressions. Then, serious, he says, "First of all Wily, I don't owe YOU any explanations; second, I'm only here as a "Advisor"…that means that I only give advice to you guys…and third…", with an evil glare in his eyes, "Don't you EVER scold ME Wily, or I'll show you the many ways of death …" His eyes glow red, burning with unholy fire, "Is that CLEAR WILY?"

Dr. Wily gulps, cowering in fear, "Y-y-yes…yes sir…pretty clear…like…like water!"

Turning back to normal, Erick's all smiles again. "Good! Now that's settled, what's new Doc?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Akane manages to contact Kuno and Kodachi. (Meeting up with them was HARD, since she had to beat Kuno up to prevent him from hugging on her all the while and keep Kodachi from trying to poison her!) and delivers the message from Ranma to meet him at the backyard behind Furinkan High…of course, Kuno thinks that it's for a fight, while Kodachi thinks it's for a date.

* * *

5:00 pm, Kuno and Kodachi arrive at the school; now, they're waiting for Ranma:

"I wonder why that foul sorcerer wanted to meet me here…could it be cause he wants to surrender to the great Tatewaki Kuno?" Kuno wonders aloud.

Kodachi laughs softly, "Don't flatter yourself, brother dear. If he wanted to meet me here, it's because he wants to take me on a date!"

"I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! HE WILL BE PUNISHED BY THE MIGHT OF…"

"Oh, put a sock in it Kuno…!"

Then, they turn around and see Ranma:

Kodachi, with hearts and black roses(!) in the background, happily cries, "Ranma-Darling, you're here!"

Kuno sneers, "You're here for our duel, foul Sorcerer Saotome?"

Ranma flatly tells him, "No, Kuno, I didn't bring you here to fight either."

Puffing out his chest, Kuno triumphantly smirks, "So, you're here to surrender to me?"

Keeping the urge to beat Kuno up (and down, and around!) in check, Ranma calmly says, "That's not it either…I asked you both here to clear up some 'things' about me, and your platonic loves."

Kuno and Kodachi blink simultaneously. "What!"

Ranma starts, "Kuno, YOU say that you love your famous "Pig-Tailed Girl", right?"

"You're certainly right!" Kuno says, stating the obvious. DUH!

Ranma looks over to Kodachi. "And you Kodachi, YOU say that you love me, right?"

Kodachi says earnestly. "I do, Ranma! I do!" She's already dreaming of wedding bells, her darling Ranma in a white tuxedo with a black rose pinned to his magnificent chest and she in her black wedding gown… oh c'mon, people! Surely you wouldn't expect KODACHI to wear white, would you!?

Ranma interrupts Kodachi's fantasy, right as she's imagining the honeymoon night… which we WON'T go into detail about here, but let's just say that there would be a LOT of "O-HOHOHOHOHOHOOO!!" going on behind closed doors.

The author of this story, seeing where the narrator's going with this, yells, "OH, GET ON WITH IT!!"

"BUT, you say that you hate the –"Pig-Tailed Girl" right?"

Kodachi's dreams of marital, erm… bliss, are smashed into pieces upon the very mention of the 'Pig-Tailed Girl". Her mood darkens, and angrily she says, "I do, that hussy!"

Ranma turns back to Kuno. "And you, Kuno, you also say that you want to kill me."

Kuno's mad. "That's right foul sorcerer Saotome! Only then will the Pig-tailed girl will be free from your evil clutches!"

Ranma makes his decision. "Well, I'm afraid that there's something that BOTH of you must know. Something that has to do with your platonic loves…something that I should have done a LONG time ago."

Then Ranma grabs a bucket of cold water and pours it on himself. When Kuno and Kodachi see Ranma change into a girl RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM, they were both shocked - Especially Kuno! "PIG… PIG…PIG-TAILED GIRL!?" he can only stammer.

Kodachi barely gasps, "RAN…RANMA-DARLING!?"

Ranma-chan says, "So what do you think, Kuno? As you can see guys, I was a girl all this time."

Kuno can barely speak at this point. "But…what kind of sorcery is this?…YOU are the Pig-Tailed Girl…?"

Ranma-chan smiles brightly. "That's right Kuno, and…" Then she takes a kettle of hot water and dumps it on herself, changing back into a guy…

And then Ranma then says to Kodachi, "… I was also your 'Darling', Kodachi…in other words, I'M the one that you guys love and hate at the same time…the Pig-Tailed Girl and I are one and the same!"

Kuno's stunned by this LONG-overdue revelation. "BUT…BUT HOW…!?"

Ranma explains, "You see guys, I'm under a curse that I got in China. When I'm splashed with cold water, I turn into a girl; when splashed with hot water I turn into a guy…"

After hearing this, the Kuno siblings are shocked to the max…they can't believe what they've seen. The person who they're in love with is the same person they want to kill… trying to wrap their minds around THIS is driving both of them nuts (As if they weren't nutty enough already!)!

Still shocked, Kuno thinks: _NO, THIS CANNOT BE! THAT FOUL SORCERER SAOTOME IS ALSO MY PIG-TAILED GIRL…HOW CAN THIS BE!?_

Kodachi looks like she's about to cry. Equally as shocked as her brother, she thinks: _I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!…MY RANMA DARLING IS ALSO THAT RED HARLOT!…WHAT DO I DO?…WHAT?_

Ranma thinks NOW's a good time to wrap things up… and maybe get out of Dodge (or Nerima, in this case) before the Kunos come to their senses and decide to attack him… or preferably, each other, he idly hopes. He says, "Well, now that both of you know the truth about me, what are you gonna do now? I mean, you can't love me and kill me at the same time…um…guys?"

Ranma sees that Kuno and Kodachi are still shocked and not moving at all – kinda like living statues, so he decides to leave them there. "Well guys, I'm outta here. See you later."

Ranma then leaves for home, leaving the Kuno siblings still lost in their respective shattered worlds.

Unfortunately, someone else saw the whole thing happen – R!

Surprised, R thinks_: Wait a minute, isn't Saotome a guy? But, but he just changed into a girl! Then, he turned back into a guy again. How can he do that? Hmm…this must have been what Dr. Wily told me I'd find out for myself when I first came here. _Then, the light bulb goes on in R's head._ Ah, I remember now! I'd heard of a place in China called Jusenkyo. It's said to be some kind of training ground too dangerous to use because of all the cursed springs that are there. _Out loud, he says, "So this is Jusenkyo's curse, huh? Hmph. Saotome, you're one weird individual. I don't know whether to kill you, or kiss you. Oooh, this is gonna be good. Maybe I can use his curse to my advantage. Heh heh heh! Oh, the possibilities…."

R then leaves the backyard of Furinkan High School, with an evil smile on his lips. To kill Ranma when he's a guy, or to seduce his girl form and then go for the kill? That was the question. He was equally willing to do both. May God in Heaven help us all…

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Secret Base of the Red Cat Gang, Erick was in his private dark chamber chatting with Delia. "Everything is going according to our plans, Delia. Soon, victory will rise for us," he tells her.

Delia's cheerful. "That's good, Erick-san."

"It is. Ah, what fun are we having with these pitiful mortals. They're sure a lot of laughs."

At this point, Delia's concerned. "Erick, what if that Cat Ghost King begins to get suspicious about OUR plans? What's going to happen? Will that ruin them?"

"I don't think so, and if he suspects or finds out…I'll just have to…kill him. I don't want any kind of problems, and you can have him Delia."

Delia chuckles, "You sure are very cautious, are you Erick?"

"That's right Delia, cautious… and smart…that's why I have won all the times in the past…right, Delia?"

"Right you are, Erick-san, right you are."

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	11. Let's Eat at the REAL BOUT!

CHAPTER 11

_**-"LET'S EAT AT THE "REAL BOUT"! WHERE YOU'LL GET SERVICE WITH A SMILE…AND A KICK…AND A PUNCH…"-**_

Last time:

Well, Erick had the RED CATS install the surveillance cameras all over Nerima. In order to learn about Ranma and Ran's fighting techniques, Erick sends Slashman and Cutman to fight them! Both robots get whupped by Ranma's Hiryuu Shoten Ha and are sent flying! They land in the Masaki residence and meet the girls from _**Tenchi Muyo**_… and get whupped again, this time by Ryoko and Ayeka! Thanks to Erick's latest plan, M. Bison and his Shadowloo are now involved in the RED CAT GANG's quest to get the Phoenix Stone! Ryoga's hopes of Akane's being his girlfriend are shattered by… Akane! He and Ranma fight in an intense battle, nearly endangering a group of kindergartners and their teacher, ending up with Ranma badly hurt, and Ryoga getting roasted by Ran's "Heat Trigger DX" super special attack! Then, M. Bison sends Vega to fight Ranma, and he too, gets beaten by Ranma's Mouko Takabisha and sent flying! (Gee, sounds familiar?) He lands in the hot springs at the Hinata Inn and gets beaten by up by the girls of _**Love Hina**_… Finally, we learn about Erick's tragic past. Oh, and R meets Kodachi Kuno, "The Black Rose" for the first time! Methinks I see a possible romantic couple, perhaps? Hmmm…. NAAAH! Then again…

The author appears! He seems angry with the narrator!

"Hey, you stupid narrator!" he says insultingly. "Finish the summary already! You're holding up the next chapter!"

Oh, right, sorry! Anyway, it's on to chapter 11 which is a smashing scene with some lovely acting in which THE MCD fights R for the first time, and which Erick meets his old friend and rival Michael Angelus! OH! And I think R and Kodachi might get together…

The author pulls out a large mallet and whacks the narrator over the head with it!

**WHUNK!!**

OOOF!!

The narrator falls over, unconscious!

The author, having taken out the narrator, says, "Geez! That guy talks too much! Hey, Erick, when the narrator wakes up, tell him he's fired, OK? Thanks, dude!" To the readers he says, "And now, on with the story!"

* * *

We see the RED CAT GANG's High Priest Erick Genryusai in his secret lair. He is watching a video replay of Ranma Saotome & Ran Hayami's fight with Slashman and Cutman in his crystal ball. He'd just finished watching the part where Slashman and Cutman were beat up by those strange girls.

Erick laughs, "OH! That was too funny! Let's play that one again!" He pulls out a remote control and rewinds the video to where Slashman and Cutman walk in on those girls…

--BEGIN REPLAY--

When they open the door, they saw 3 females naked with towels on their hands going inside…when the females saw them everyone was quite for a couple of seconds when one of them, a short girl with blue hair with 2 long ponytails (Sasami) runs away and yells…-" HELP, TENCHI! THERE'S TWO PERVERTS INSIDE THE HOUSE…!!"-:

Cutman:"-(blinks-looks everywhere)- Perverts? Where? I don't see anyone!"

Slashman:" I think they mean 'us'!"

The girl with the cyan hair then starts charging a lot of energy and creates an energy sword in her hand. She was pissed:

Ryoko:"-(angry)- YOU PERVERTS! NOBODY SEES MY BEAUTIFUL BODY EXCEPT TENCHI! NOW I'M GONNA HAVE TO ELIMINATE YOU!"

Ayeka:" HOW DARE YOU COME INSIDE AND SEE US NAKED! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT…KAZIDAKE, AYAMA, COME FORWARD!"

Then 2 floating logs appear and stand with the girl, Slashman and Cutman were like…scared:

Cutman:"-(waving his arms)- No, wait! You got it all wrong! We just dropped from the sky, really!"

Slashman:"-(scared)- That's true, we never wanted to see you naked, any of you!"

Ryoko:" ARE YOU SAYING THAT I DON'T HAVE A GOOD BODY? THAT I'M UGLY…? THAT'S EVEN WORSE THEN BEFORE!!"

Then all the girls start to charge forward against Slashman and Cutman to beat them up…

Cutman:"-(whimpering)- Mommy..!"

--END REPLAY--

Erick is rolling around on the floor, laughing at Slashman and Cutman getting beat up by a bunch of girls! "I knew those two were pathetic, but THIS? HA HA! It's too hilarious! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

Erick pounds his fists on the floor during his fit of laughter when he hears a knock at the door. "Come in!"

Bass walks through the door. "Hey, Erick! Dr. Wily and the Big Cat are expecting us, and…" He sees Erick rolling on the floor laughing, and the video. "Are you still tripping out over that? We just suffered a humiliating defeat back there! Sure, Slashman and Cutman getting beat up was funny, but it's not THAT funny!"

Erick stops laughing as he gets up from the floor. "Defeat? No, it's quite the opposite, Bass. _A defeat learned from is more important than an empty victory."_

Bass is confused. "Uhh…. and that means….?

"It means that my plan worked. If Slashman and Cutman had defeated Ranma and Lady Ran, we wouldn't have gained knowledge of their special techniques."

Bass understands what Erick is saying. "Ah, I get it! _"Their loss is our gain!"_ Right?"

Erick is surprised. Maybe Bass isn't as dumb as he looks. "Why….yes, that's right, Bass."

Now Bass takes the opportunity to question Erick about something that's bugging him lately. "By the way, Erick, why'd you have Delia go bug "Dog-Boy" about the Phoenix Stone? He blew his chance to get it back for Dr. Wily and the Big Cat; it's MY job now! You'd better not be trying to cheat me out of my kingdom!"

Erick realizes he almost got busted. "ACK! NO! NO! I told you, Bass, I'm on your side! As for Delia's calling Lord R, she only did it to put pressure on him to carry out his mission, that's all!" Erick calms down. "Say, why don't you go on back to Dr. Wily and the Cat Ghost King? I'll join you in a few minutes.

"Sure thing, Erick! Bass laughs. "I bet you're glad I'm not a king yet! If I were, you'd be in BIG trouble for what you just did! HA! HA! See you later!

And so, Bass leaves Erick's lair.

Upset, Erick grits his teeth. "Grrr….!"

Then Delia steps out of the shadows. "That was a close one."

"Yes, too close."

"But what about Bass? He actually believes that the Cat Ghost King will give him a kingdom to rule!"

Erick is serious. "Delia-chan, I will do WHATEVER it takes to achieve my goals, even if it means serving as Bass' royal advisor. But don't worry about Bass; it's just like I said, "_Fools only see what they want to see, blind are they by their ambitions, easy to command."-_

Delia's still concerned, mostly for Erick. "…………Erick?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Bass, Dr. Wily, the Cat Ghost King, Ranma Saotome, Lady Ran, Lord R, and yes, even Michael Angelus…. they're all pawns in my little game. They just don't know it. There are so many possibilities, my darling, but the outcome will be the same – WE will win, and THEY will lose! Now, let's go. The Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily are expecting us."

And so Erick and Delia head for the Cat Ghost King's secret chamber.

* * *

It is nighttime in the city of Tokyo. We see THE MCD standing out on the rooftop of a tall office building overlooking the city. If YOU were an angel, then why walk when you can fly, right? Anyway, he's standing on the rooftop, and he seems to be looking around, searching for something, or someone. He's thinking about something…

THE MCDthinks: _It's quiet… Too quiet. The Cat Ghost King must be planning something big. But what? Except for those two robots flying through the sky, nothing's happened yet. But that massive tornado of chi – that was DEFINITELY the Hiryu Shoten Ha! I've seen only one person so far use that move, and it was during that 2000 Anything-Goes Martial Arts Tournament. And I've heard that he's fought the Cat Ghost King and even beat him too! A person like that would be a great ally! I must find him, 'cause when the time comes, I'm gonna need his help in order to defeat the Cat Ghost King once and for all!_ He thinks of Ran Hayami and R. _And there are still those two young people who need my help. I can feel them, and they're very near. In fact, I'll be meeting one of them very soon. So I'd better get ready when he comes…_

THE MCD hears his stomach rumbling!

Aloud, he says, "Man, am I hungry! Maybe I'll grab a burger. Nah, how's about some chicken teriyaki, fried rice, and House Lo Mein! Or maybe even a spicy Mongolian barbecue!" He gets an idea, and thinks: _Hey, that's it! From what I've learned since coming here to Japan, a lot of martial artists pass through this city on their way to tournaments. I'll build something they'll like, and that everybody can enjoy too! And it'll be the perfect way to meet 'him'! If I build it, they'll come!_

THE MCD transforms into Michael Angelus and flies off to find the nearest Chinese restaurant. On the way, he already starts making plans and preparations for the arrival of his special guest.

* * *

Three weeks later…

Crowds of people are gathered in a parking lot in front of a large building. It is a restaurant. We can see a large sign, written in both English and Japanese, that says "THE MCD's **REAL BOUT** Martial Arts Bar & Grill". Underneath that sign is another one that says "GRAND OPENING!!"

As we look around the lot, we can see people over at a table trying free samples of dishes on the restaurant's menu, which among other things includes grilled chicken, steak, teriyaki, fried noodles, house lo mein (the owner's favorite), Mongolian barbecue (also, a favorite of the owner's), and even buffalo wings (the hotter, the better!) There's even okonomiyaki, too!

On the other side of the lot was a car show. Some of Japan's top tuners were invited to the REAL BOUT to show off their latest creations. We can see cool tuner cars like VeilSide's R34 Skyline Street Drag car, SIGNAL Auto's "Drifter X" 180SX, JUN's Akira Supra, and the TOP SECRET GT-300 Supra. There were even a few cars from the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC); the Pennzoil NISMO GT-R, the Calsonic Skyline, the Castrol TOM's Supra, and best of all, the Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) NSX! AUTHOR's NOTE: If you don't know these cars from Gran Turismo 3, go slap yourself!

Among the people there was Ukyo Kuonji, owner of her own restaurant, Ucchan's (and one of Ranma's fiancées!). When she heard about the REAL BOUT's grand opening, she came (with her battle spatula in hand, of course!) to check it out. As she tries to study the scene, while munching on an okonomiyaki, she spotted R at the free samples table:

Ukyo thinks R is Ranma at first: _Hey, it's Ran-chan!_ She walks over to get a better look at him, and realizes… _No, it's not him, but he sure does look like him._

That was the moment R turned around, with a small plate of buffalo wings, served with celery sticks and a little ranch dressing on the side. He sees Ukyo, and recognizes her immediately. Thanks to Erick's cameras being placed all over Nerima, Dr. Wily was able to provide R with the latest information about Ranma Saotome. Just recently, Wily sent him information about Ranma's friends along with pictures. R walks over to her.

Ukyo thinks: _Oh! He saw me! Did he know I was watching him?_

R smiles and introduces himself. "Hi, I'm R. You must be Ukyo Kuonji. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ukyo's surprised. "How…how did you know my name?"

"Well, I, uh…I've seen you at school, so…"

"R, huh?…. Hmm…that name does sound familiar…. Wait a minute!" THEN, she pulls out her battle spatula. "Aren't you the guy who's trying to kill Ran-chan?"

"Ran-chan? Oh, you must mean Ranma Saotome! He's told you about me? How nice of him!"

"Whatever. Why are you after Ran-chan, huh? You'd better tell me, or I'll…"

"Oh no, no! Clearly there's some kind of misunderstanding here, and…" R points to something, anthying, anyone, or anywhere and says, "HEY, LOOK OVER THERE!"

"Huh?" She looks away, then turns around and sees that R's gone! "Hey! He's gone! Where'd he go?" She calms down. "OK, calm down, Ukyo. No problem. It can't be too hard to find a boy with Inuyasha-like hair in a crowd of normal people... Can it?"

Ukyo looks around the crowd of people and sweatdrops. "Aw, man! There are too many people here! He could be long gone by now!" She thinks: _Still, there was something about him that gave me the creeps. And why's he after Ran-chan?_

Meanwhile, R has gone over to another part of the parking lot, blending into the crowd, in order to get as far away from Ukyo as possible. He thinks: _Whew…"Saotome Secret Technique". Who would have thought that such a cowardly move would actually work? Oh, well… That Ukyo girl almost exposed me in front of all those people! But she knows Ranma… that'll come in handy. _He realizes something. "Oh! It's time for them to cut the ribbon!"

R and the crowd make their way to the front doors of the REAL BOUT. The crowd waits there patiently. An official looking man steps in front of the crowd. He is apparently, the announcer. "Hello everyone! Welcome to the grand opening of THE MCD's **REAL BOUT** Martial Arts Bar & Grill. I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves so far, with all the free samples of our menu and these awesome cars! Let's give a round of applause to all the tuners who came out today: VeilSide, SIGNAL Auto, JUN, and TOP SECRET."

The crowd applauds.

The Announcer continues, "Oh, and a special round of applause for the Autobacs Seven Company and the GT Association for bringing out those fine rides from the JGTC!"

More applause.

Now he's worked the crowd, the Announcer decides to wrap it up and introduce the man of the hour. "OK! And now a man who really needs no introduction... Here he is, seven-time world martial arts champion and owner of the REAL BOUT! Let's give it up for THE M…C…D…!!"

The crowd goes wild with cheers and applause as THE MCD appears in front of them. He is wearing a bright purple suit, his usual black T-shirt, and his cross necklace. R, on the other hand, is in awe by the aura this ordinary-looking man is generating. R thinks: _What a powerful aura! No doubt about it – this guy's a martial artist! But just looking at him, you wouldn't think he is. No regular person could generate such power! I wonder what it would be like to fight him?_

Little does R know that he WILL get a chance to fight that guy. For at that moment, THE MCD looks over in R's direction, to notice R staring back at him in awe from the crowd. THE MCD turns to one of his employees and whispers, "It's him."

The employee is confused. "Him? Who?"

"Never mind. Look, I'll go ahead and cut the ribbon. Go and make sure everything's ready."

"Right, D," the employee says, and leaves to make the final preparations.

THE MCD turns to the audience. He greets everyone. "Yo! I'm THE MCD! But you can just call me D. And welcome! And now …" He takes out a huge pair of scissors. "I declare the REAL BOUT Martial Arts Bar & Grill officially OPEN!" He cuts the ribbon, and the crowd applauds. "Thank you! Thank you! I hope you all enjoyed the free samples of our menu. Let's give my chef and his crew a round of applause, everybody."

THE MCD pauses while everyone claps. He goes on to say, "And now, if you all will come with me inside, the real fun will start very soon! I'm sure all the martial artists in the crowd and those who think they can fight will be interested in what my REAL BOUT has to offer."

And so everyone goes inside the restaurant. The first thing they notice is a large eight-sided, octagon-shaped area in the middle of the dining hall. This explains why the REAL BOUT is so huge. The restaurant has its own indoor arena for fights!

A few minutes later, THE MCD reappears wearing a long purple robe, like the kind boxers wear when they enter the arena. A hanging microphone comes down from the ceiling as THE MCD steps into the octagon. He takes the mike and begins to speak. "I am so glad that all of you have come out to celebrate the grand opening of the REAL BOUT.

"YEAH!!" Everybody cheers.

THE MCD continues, "Anyway... I have a surprise for you all! One of you will get to eat for free here at this restaurant for an entire month! That's right, FREE! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, even dessert, it doesn't matter! All you have to do is…. beat ME in combat!!"

"WHAT!"

One person in crowd stands up saying, "Hey! That's crazy!"

Another person says, "Yeah! We wouldn't stand a chance against you!"

THE MCD philosophically comments, _"Those who we would call crazy are actually sane. It's the rest of the world that's gone nuts. _Look, I know for a fact that there are martial artists out there in the audience! So come on! Show me what you've got! Plus, there's free food in it for you if you win! What do you think of that?"

Then Dan stands up in the crowd of people. "YAHOO!! Free food for a month? OK, I'll take you on!"

"Hey, sit down, idiot!"

Dan turns to look at who's talking to him. It's R. "WHAT? You again?"

R has a look of mock surprise on his face as he regards his wannabe rival. "Well, well, we meet again, pervert! You're not actually planning on fighting him, are you?"

"Of course I am! I'll win those free meals! SAIKYO-RYU WILL PREVAIL!!"

R reasons with Dan, which is like talking to a brick wall. "Don't be stupid. That guy's a real fighter. He'll kick your butt real good, and he'll do it without breaking a sweat!

The aforementioned brick-wall reacts. "OH YEAH! I'LL SHOW HIM!"

Just then, the boxer Balrog walks by. "Out of the way, ya runt!" he grunts, pushing Dan out of the way as he steps into the ring.

"HEY!" Dan objects.

"Eyes forward, pervert! The fight's about to start!" R says insultingly.

Then Balrog steps into the ring with THE MCD. "MCD! I challenge you!"

THE MCD thinks: _A boxer? Wait, I think know this one! He works for M. Bison! He's got a lot of nerve showing up here. Looks like I'll have to show this Shadowloo flunky the door myself. _Aloud, to Balro, he says, "I'm sorry, but we don't serve Shadowloo lowlifes here!"

"WHAT? How did you know I work for Shadowloo?!"

"Doesn't matter. Now come here, boxer-man, and get your beating!" THE MCD throws off his robe revealing his battle outfit, a white, sleeveless Chinese shirt with gold trim and matching Kung Fu pants. He quickly assumes a fighting stance.

"WHY YOU…! EAT THIS! GIGATON BLOW!" And Balrog charges at THE MCD with his super powerful punch! But THE MCD catches the punch, grabs Balrog, and tosses him into the ropes surrounding the ring. Balrog bounces off the ropes and back toward his opponent. THE MCD grabs him again, smacks him around a few times, and then tosses him out the ring and through the front door!

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!! OOOF!" Balrog lands HARD on the street – he's out cold!

All this, in less than a minute! The crowd cheers! Dan's jaw drops.

Dan barely gasps, "Did you see that! That guy's way too strong!"

R says uninterestedly, "Yeah, I saw it, but I'm not impressed." Thinking to himself, he critiques THE MCD's performance in the ring: _What a casual observer like that pervert Dan sees and judges as a quick finish, a true martial artist like ME sees every detail. THE MCD may be strong, but he's fast too. I noticed him hitting Balrog in the gut with a low blow, stunning that dopey boxer. Then, THE MCD grabs Balrog, and tosses him into the ropes. Using the recoil of the ropes, and the speed of the toss, Balrog is bounced off the ropes and back toward THE MCD. With no chance to recover, Balrog has no choice but to be overcome by THE MCD's blindingly fast fists! That last throw was just an opportunity for THE MCD to show off. But I guess he can afford to, 'cause his opponent's a joke anyway. There's no doubt about it; THIS guy's good._

THE MCD says loudly to the audience, but really to R, "If you thought that was good, you should see me when I really fight seriously! Who's next? Don't worry! I won't hurt you – much!"

Needless to say, all those who were fighters or who thought they could fight stood up and challenged THE MCD except for R and Dan. And THE MCD, using only his speed, beat EVERY single challenger that came against him.

After beating another opponent, THE MCD pleads, "C'mon already! Is that all you've got? Please let me fight a REAL opponent for a change! OK, that's it! The next challenger who comes up here and can defeat me will eat for free here at this restaurant for a YEAR!!"

Everyone in the restaurant gasps! THE MCD has just raised the prize at stake! Of the fighters who came to the REAL BOUT, only R and Dan were left. The rest of the people there (including Ukyo) were spectators. R is cool and calm; Dan, on the other hand, is freaking out!

R decides to taunt Dan. "So, pervert, still think you can take him?"

Dan responds, "NO WAY! That MCD's way out of my league! I'm outta here! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"

But before Dan can flee, R grabs him by the collar of his gi! "Aw, c'mon! Don't tell me you're afraid of HIM! What happened to all that stuff you said about "Saikyo-ryu will prevail"?"

"But…but…!!"

"So get in that ring and show THE MCD your fists of fury!"

Dan whines, "BUT I DON'T WANNA!!"

"GRR…! NO BUTS! GET IN THERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN, YOU LITTLE WHINY-BOY PERVERT!" R yells to THE MCD, "Hey, MCD! Here's another practice dummy for you!" With that, R tosses Dan into the ring!

Dan lands painfully on his butt. "OOF! OW!"

THE MCD turns to look at his next opponent, and recognizes him…

"Hey, I know you! You're Dan Hibiki, founder of Saikyo-ryu, right? I read your book, man, and I thought it was pretty good."

Dan gasps in surprise, "You've read my book? And YOU liked it? Coming from a world-champion fighter like you, that's a compliment!" Dan gets teary-eyed. "At long last, I'm finally getting some respect around here!" He starts crying Soun-like tears. "BOO HOO HOO!!"

THE MCD sweatdrops at this, a little embarrassed. "Hey, hey! Don't get carried away! I liked your book, but I didn't like it THAT much! Besides, I found the part about you and Mai Shiranui a bit hard to swallow. Did you REALLY get to touch Mai's…."

Dan starts sweatin. "Uhh…well...um…"

"Well?" THE MCD says, looking Dan right in the eye.

Dan breaks down and confesses, "OK, OK! I…I…did touch them."

The reaction of everybody in the REAL BOUT is unanimous. "WHAT?!"

R laughs, "HA! I knew it! He really is a pervert!"

Dan explains, "But…but… it was an accident! Really! When I wrote it in my book, I…I stretched the truth a little bit."

THE MCD, his voice becoming VERY serious in tone, concludes, "So, in other words…. you lied."

Looking like a naughty kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Dan admits, "Uhh…yeah."

Everyone in the crowd begins to wonder about Dan (no surprise there!). Cries of "Pervert!", "Creep!", and "Toad!" are yelled out randomly at Dan. R just laughs at Dan's humiliation. THE MCD, however, is furious!

"SIR, HOW DARE YOU!" He composes himself for a moment. "OK, the part where you lied, I can forgive, but THIS! GRRR….!!" He finally calms down and says, "When I come from, women are treated with RESPECT!"

A random woman in the crowd yells, "You tell'em, MCD!"

The other girls out in the audience cheer, "YEAH!!"

THE MCD continues, with genuine sorrow in his voice, "But somewhere along the way, some guys lost all respect for girls. I know not all of us guys are like that, but sadly it's true. So when I hear that some beautiful girl is mistreated or groped by some foul, disgusting, evil pervert, it REALLY BURNS ME UP!" Now angry, he fires up his battle aura!

Dan cowers in fear from the awesome aura of righteousness and justice emanating from his opponent. "ACK! OH NO! NO! MCD, please! Don't misunderstand!"

THE MCD burns with righteous fury! "I'M NOT MISUNDERSTANDING ANYTHING! Dan Hibiki, I WAS going to let you leave this ring, because I saw you were tossed in here against your will..." He looks over to R. "…by SOMEONE who doesn't have the guts to face me himself!"

R winces at that remark! He thinks: _Hey, is that guy challenging me? Normally, I'd accept his challenge, but I wanna see Dan get his butt kicked!! Then, I'll continue my mission to hunt down and kill Saotome!_

THE MCD continues talking to Dan, "But now that I've seen what you really are, and for what you have done, I cannot allow you to leave here alive! And now, you must be punished!! SIR, I CHALLENGE YOU!! If you want to clear your good name, you must defeat me in life-or-death combat!!"

The crowd gasps! Even R is surprised!

Dan gulps, then composing himself, says, "Well, I guess I got no choice, huh? OK, I'll fight you, MCD. But I have a question for you."

THE MCD raises an eyebrow, never taking off his opponent. "What?

"If I win, can I still get those free meals for a year?"

Everybody facefaults! How can Dan think of food at a time like this?

THE MCD shakes his head in annoyance as he raises his hand in a "talk to the hand cuz the face ain't listening" gesture. "Fine. Whatever. But only if you win! NOW FIGHT!!"

And so THE MCD and Dan fight.

Dan makes the first move, "OK! Here I go! GADOUKEN!" He tosses a fireball at THE MCD. It doesn't go anywhere.

R finds THAT first attack rather irritating. "Geez! Not with the lame attacks again!" He yells at Dan, "Hey, don't you have any REAL moves?"

Dan yells back at R, "Shut up! That's twice you've humiliated me! If I get out of this alive, you're next! OOF!" Dan just got hit by a punch from THE MCD. He falls down hard!

THE MCD scolds Dan. "You should have been watching me instead of yelling at him! Focus on the battle!!"

The fight continues, but this time, Dan is playing it safe. He uses his Backward Rolling Taunt to put some distance between him and THE MCD. THE MCD is trying to hit Dan with a relentless assault of punches and kicks. Then Dan does something unusual… "Hey, MCD! Catch! PREMIUM SIGN!" He tosses an autographed picture of himself at THE MCD.

THE MCD, predictably, catches it. "HUH? What's up with this?"

Dan grins with excitement; he thinks he's got this fight in the bag. Victory would soon be his! "You fell for it! KORYUREKKA!!

While THE MCD is distracted, Dan uses the opportunity to hit him with his Koryurekka super uppercut! THE MCD falls from the blow.

The crowd, obviously rooting for THE MCD, is shocked at Dan's tactics. They shout, "NO! NO WAY!"

R thinks: _He did it…he actually hurt somebody with one of those lame moves! Maybe his being such a joke of a fighter is just an act. Could he really be a serious martial artist? NAH! But this fight just got interesting…_

Dan continues to use his Backward Rolling Taunt (Kouten Chouhatsu) to stay out of THE MCD's reach; all the while yelling "YAHOO!" This annoys THE MCD, so he tries to use one of his own power moves!

"Will you stop THAT!? BEHOLD! A STORM OF A THOUSAND FISTS! HADOU SENRETSUKEN (Surging Thousand-Rending Fists)!!"

THE MCD stomps towards Dan and by thrusting his fists out VERY quickly, he sends out countless shock waves, smashing Dan with powerful punches. Most of the blows miss Dan, but he still gets tagged for quite a LOT of hits just as he finishes another Backward Rolling Taunt.

THE MCD stands over Dan, "Had enough?"

Dan's wounded by THE MCD's attack, but still able to move. "No! Won't…give..up! Won't be… called a pervert again! Must win…free food!"

Although badly beaten, Dan has a look of determination in his eyes. THE MCD notices this, and reconsiders his opinion of Dan. Perhaps he's not really a pervert after all. Dan Hibiki might not be the greatest fighter around, but he always tried to do his best in spite of any obstacle he faced. THE MCD respects that, and silently scolds himself; he'd acted like any human would have instead of fighting like his true self - the cool, calm, and skilled warrior Michael Angelus.

For Angelus, sometimes being human had its disadvantages.

But he had to finish this battle, for R (THE MCD's real opponent) was still out in the audience, watching to see what THE MCD would do. THE MCD knows that R's watching, so he decides…. not to continue attacking Dan! He simply steps away from Dan, closes his eyes, and stands very still.

This surprises the crowd. R, however, is upset. "HEY! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE? FINISH HIM OFF ALREADY!! KILL THAT PERVERT!!"

THE MCD explains, "Because, _"Death is not the only answer. There is always more than one way to defeat your opponent._ And now, I will show you a better way!" Then, he speaks to Dan. "I commend you, Dan Hibiki of the Saikyo-ryu Dojo. Maybe you're not a pervert."

Dan can't believe this. "Why, you…!! THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!!"

"Well, anyway... you have fought well. So there's no need to continue this life-or-death duel any further. However, I have another opponent to fight…" he says, looking over in R's direction. "…so I need to wrap this up. How about this? First person to land a single blow wins. OK?"

Dan asks, "If I win, will I still get that free food for a year?"

"Well, given the circumstances, this match doesn't count. So, no, you can't win the prize. NO free meals for a year for you.

"D'OH!"

"Dan! Think about it, man. What's more important – having your belly filled, or having your reputation and that of your dojo restored?"

Dan looks like he's about to cry as he thinks: _D'OH! All that free food! GONE!_ He calms down. _But if I win, at least he won't call me a pervert anymore. I certainly don't want "liar" to be added to the list of things I've been called either! And all these people here will think I'm a hero! That'll show that smart aleck Inuyasha clone R! I gotta make this one blow count! _Aloud, he says to THE MCD, "One blow, huh? OK! HERE I COME!! HISSHOU BURAIKEN!!"

And Dan rushes up to THE MCD, about to perform his "Certain Victory Relying on Nobody But Myself Fist" super move. But THE MCD, using only a little bit of his strength, just stretches out his fist at the very last possible second…and knocks Dan out! Dan is lying flat on his back with little dizzy swirls in his eyes. The crowd goes wild with applause! R, on the other hand, is kinda disappointed…

R thinks: _Aw, Dan. You were so close, and yet so far. Looks like you'll still be a pervert in the eyes of your fans, and I'll still get to make fun of you. But that MCD…he's strong, fast, and smart. He's got mad skills! If only I wasn't so busy with trying to kill Ranma Saotome, I'd fight with him instead!_

Then, two waiters show up outside the ring. One talks to THE MCD while the other pulls out a first aid kit and tends to Dan's injuries. "Great fight, D. But what are you going to do about him?" the waiter says, pointing to the unconscious form of Dan.

"Like I said, he can't win the prize because that fight didn't count," THE MCD repeats. "But, he DID put up a fight, unlike these amateurs I've beaten today. Let it never be said that I don't do anything nice for anyone. Just give him a gift certificate and send him on his way. My real opponent is waiting for me. Or perhaps it's the other way around?" he says thoughtfully.

The waiter's confused by his boss' last statement. "HUH? Ooookay, whatever you say, D." He motions to the other waiter. They pick up Dan and carry him out of the ring.

THE MCD turns to the audience. "Sorry about that, folks. Don't worry about Dan; he'll be fine. And now, the show will go on! He hets serious, and motions for everyone to be quiet while he searches the building with his spiritual aura. It's really quiet, creating a lot of tension in the air. Then, THE MCD finally speaks… "Ladies and gentlemen, there is a young man in the audience who seeking a strong opponent. He's been hiding his true strength from me all this time. I, THE MCD, desire a match with this person. I ask that he come down and step into the ring right now. I will wait until he comes forth." It gets quiet again in the room; THE MCD speaks again to the audience, but he's really talking to R. "Are you afraid? Why do you wait? Why do you hide your true strength? You want to fight a strong opponent, don't you? You want to see what it's like to fight a TRUE warrior? Well, here is your chance. Today is your day! And here I am."

The audience begins to wonder and ask themselves, "Is it me?" R, on the other hand, is troubled by THE MCD's words. He knows the guy wants to fight him, but what for? R wanted to fight Ranma Saotome, not THE MCD. But THE MCD's challenge arouses R's hunger for battle. And it just so happened that R's stomach was growling. He's hungry, both to fight and for a bite to eat! He decides to go and see what THE MCD wants, but in his own particular style. He reaches into his jacket pocket, and pulls out one of his long-stemmed "White Rose Throwing Darts"….

Suddenly, THE MCD hears something flying toward him. With superhuman reflexes, he catches the flying object. It's a white rose, R's trademark. He looks out into the audience and sees R standing up. "MCD, I accept your challenge," R responds.

The crowd applauds as R walks up to the arena and steps into the ring with THE MCD. THE MCD is smiling. He seems really happy that R has finally come. He boldly walks over in R's direction.

THE MCD says while walking over, "Hey, what took you so long?" When he gets close to R, he speaks in a voice loud enough so no one but R can hear him. "Welcome, R. I've been expecting you."

R's shocked. "HUH?!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	12. After the Battle

CHAPTER 12

_**-"AFTER THE BATTLE, THE MCD & ERICK MEET FACE TO FACE!"-**_

Last time:

When THE MCD (a.k.a. Michael Angelus) opens his restaurant, the **REAL BOUT** Martial Arts Bar & Grill, he issues a challenge - anyone who can defeat him in battle gets to eat free for a month! THE MCD beats down all challengers, among them the boxer and Shadowloo henchman Balrog. Then, he raises the stakes – the winner gets to eat free for a year! After an impromptu match with Dan Hibiki over whether or not Dan actually touched Mai Shiranui's you-know-what's (and in which Dan gets his butt kicked again!), THE MCD reveals his true intentions. Then, a hungry R steps into the ring….

And THE MCD calmly says, "Welcome, R. I've been expecting you."

Needless to say, R is shocked! "HUH?!"

And now the real battle will begin!

* * *

THE MCD and R are facing each other in the ring.

R wants to know, "How...how do you know my name?! What did you mean when you said you were expecting me? Answer me!"

THE MCD explains, "It's simple really. It's the chance for me to do battle, and to feel truly alive once more. It's been a LONG time since I've had a challenge. And I'm hoping you'll give it to me, so I may feel that delicious sensation, that joy of glorious combat once again. At any rate, it doesn't matter. You're here now. Everything went according to my plan."

"Plan? You mean you built this restaurant and held this silly contest for free eats just to get a shot at ME? Well, seeing you've gone through so much trouble to see me, I guess it would be a shame if I don't grant you your wish." R cracks his knuckles and gets into his fighting stance.

THE MCD politely says, "Thank you. Oh, and R?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't hold back."

R's like, "You sure? 'Cause when this fight's over, you'll wish I had. Let's do it!"

And so THE MCD and R fight. They then sprint towards each other. R makes a dashing punch, but doesn't reach, as THE MCD kicks his leg out, smashing R in the face, and sending him flying backwards. R then flips from his back and onto his feet again. He waits there, letting THE MCD come to him.

THE MCD smirks; impressed that R was able to handle the kick to the face. He then rushes towards R. R is prepared to strike at a lower height attack from THE MCD, but instead THE MCD does one from an even higher elevation.

"GINGETSUZAN (Silver Moon Slash)!"

THE MCD does a somersault forward, then brings his legs down with a slashing kick. There is an audible crack, and R clutches at his right shoulder, feeling the surge of pain that came from that attack.

THE MCD starts to frown at seeing R stumble. Has he been led to expect too much from this guy? He decides that a more 'direct' approach is needed, to see if R is at all what he is looking for. THE MCD then gathers chi into his hand. He shoots a powerful beam of white energy from it at R. "LIGHT OF VIRTUE!"

R's mind snaps back to reality. He is able to jump over the attack. But THE MCD comes rushing to him. R sees this coming and flips onto his back. THE MCD wonders what R is doing, when R then suddenly straightens himself, the heels of his feet aimed directly at THE MCD's abdomen. The blow knocks the wind out of THE MCD, and sends him flying back. THE MCD picks himself up off the ground and smiles. Apparently, this R may be a challenge.

R then powers up, gathering his chi into his hands. He shoots a blast of flame at THE MCD. "ACTIVE RED PEARL!"

The blast flies towards THE MCD. THE MCD just steps out of the way of the projectile and runs towards R. R also charges towards THE MCD, the two connecting in a head-butt that makes R see stars. THE MCD then does a roundhouse kick and sends R flying backwards, but R flips in the air, and lands on his feet, not too far away from THE MCD. THE MCD then smashes his right fist into the ground, where R once was, but jumped slightly back from. R then punches THE MCD in the face with a right hook, and knees him in the chest, jerking THE MCD's body upwards, and R pummels him with another one of his signature attacks…. "SILVER METALLIC!"

R hits THE MCD with a flurry of punches that produce a multitude of sharp blades around a large radius in front of him. The force of the blows sends him flying right into the ropes.

THE MCD lies with the back to the ropes, his head swimming with pain and a salty taste in his mouth. A smile appears on his lips as he thinks: _I taste blood... My blood... Excellent..._

THE MCD lifts his head and smiles. He stares directly at R with an intensity that could melt steel in a matter of seconds. "Good shot, R. Let's see if you can do more..."

THE MCD gets off the ground and rushes towards R once again. He punches and kicks at R with speeds that rival that of Ranma's Amaguriken. R tries to dodge as many of the blows as possible, but just ends up blocking, receiving bruises for his effort.

R then flies into the air with his signature kicking attack. "WHITE DIAMOND PEARL!"

R leaps into the air and brings his leg around and over his head, creating a wave of energy while kicking, slashing with his leg. But THE MCD points into the air and yells…

"TENSHOU (Ascension)!!"

….and a geyser of blade-like energy rises forth, knocking R out of the air! As R's body falls, THE MCD uses this opportunity to strike with another attack! He gathers chi into his fist, leaps into the air, and yells…

"THIS IS IT! **M**AX **C**HAMPION **D**YNAMIC PUNCH!!"

Rising into the air with a powerful energy uppercut, THE MCD scores a direct hit on R. R falls back to the ground hard!

The crowd however loves every minute of the battle! Everyone in the REAL BOUT Martial Arts Bar & Grill agrees that THE MCD and this young newcomer R are two of the strongest fighters they've ever seen. Their battle is so intense, that not even the ring can hold their power!

R hobbles to his feet. The pain is so great. But R smiles; he enjoys it himself. This is the first major challenge he's gotten in a while. R then gets back into his fighting stance, ready for more. "Geez! Is that all you got? COME ON ALREADY!"

THE MCD smiles. R indeed seems to have some good levels of stamina. "So, then... Ready to continue our fight, R?"

R replies, "Yeah... I believe we left off with me kicking your butt."

THE MCD is shocked by R's words. R lunges forward towards THE MCD, and uses another Active Red Pearl. The blast connects and burns away at part of the left leg of the MCD's outfit. However, this was only a diversionary tactic. As THE MCD looks at his leg, R performs his Midnight Pearl. He charges towards THE MCD, grabs, and smashes him into the ground, amidst an explosion of dark purple flame.

THE MCD throws himself off the ground and back onto his feet, he smiles as he sees R is now fighting with what may very well be his full strength. THE MCD then gathers a whole lot of chi into himself, and prepare to releases it. "Well, R, it's been fun. Shall we end this now?"

As he gathers his energy, R replies back, "Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing."

And both fighters launch their strongest ki blasts!

THE MCD thrusts both outstretched palms forward (Hadoken-style) and yells, "AMATSUHOUDAN (Heavenly Cannon Blast)!!" A massive burst of shining white chi surges forth from his hands.

"SUPER SONIC BLUE PEARL!!" R yells, unleashing a huge blue orb of energy.

Both blasts collide, causing a huge explosion! When the smoke clears, we see THE MCD lying flat on his back and R standing over him. The fight is over, and he's won. R walks up to THE MCD's downed body. "You truly are a great warrior, MCD. I'll give you that... But I got other fish to fry, so I'll see you later."

Suddenly THE MCD's eyes open and he lifts himself up to his feet. R looks on in horror as THE MCD stands before him. THE MCD smiles and starts laughing. "For one such as I to be beaten by you!... I must say that was a great fight. Thank you R. You were a wonderful opponent."

With that, THE MCD then lifts his arms high above his head, as if reaching to heaven. Then THE MCD falls backwards to the ground unconscious again. He is defeated.

R falls to his knee. He breathes heavily and clutches his broken arm. But he smiles. THE MCD is one of the toughest opponents he's ever faced, and he managed to defeat him.

A group of waiters rush over to THE MCD. They pick him up and carry him to his office, probably to better care for his injuries suffered during the fight. R decides to follow them.

* * *

An hour later, THE MCD is resting comfortably on a couch in his office. After his employees leave the room, he wakes up.

THE MCD thinks, smiling: _Hmph, those guys sure do make such a fuss over me. Ah, one of the many benefits of good employer-employee relationships. "Treat your employees right with kindness and respect, and they'll treat you right every time, and then some!" But I can't just lie around all day; besides, I've got work to do!_

THE MCD closes his eyes and concentrates, glowing with a soft white light. Using his powers as Michael Angelus, he heals himself of his wounds from the fight with R. As he does, he can feel his bones knit, cuts healing, and bruises going down. After two minutes of concentration he relaxes. He feels extremely drained at first, but... he does indeed feel better and his spiritual strength is restored. THE MCD allows himself to smile. After that, he changes his clothes and puts his black t-shirt and purple suit back on. He then goes over to his phone and calls one of his employees. "Hey, it's me. Is that kid still here?"

The employee's voice can be heard on the other end of the line: _Hey, boss! I didn't expect you to be up and around so soon! Yeah, he's still hanging around. Why?_

"Good. Prepare one of our reserved booths, and have him wait for me, will you? I'll be there in about five minutes, OK? Tell him he can have anything he wants on the menu while he's waiting."

_Boss! Don't tell me you're gonna…_

"I am. R won the fight, and that means he gets the free meals for a year. After all, a _"promise is a promise"_ and _"a man's word is his bond"_, right? You wouldn't happen to have a problem with that now, would you?"

_N-no, sir!_

"That's good. I'm on my way."

And so, THE MCD leaves his office to meet with R.

* * *

When THE MCD arrives, R is already seated at one of the booths and waiting to be served. At dinner, R ate his fill, much to the surprise of THE MCD. R had ordered a large salad, lobster, fried rice, sushi, and to wash it all down, some iced tea followed by a glass of white wine with a slice of lemon in it.

THE MCD thinks while watching R throw down at the dinner table: _Hmmm. He eats like a martial artist; therefore his claim must be true. But I sense dark energy coming from him. I must investigate more._ Aloud, he says cheerfully, "So, R, are you enjoying your meal?"

R's just finished eating. "Oh man, that was good! My compliments to your chef, MCD! That slice of lemon in my wine glass was a nice touch. And… uh, I'm glad you're OK, you know, after me beating you up, and all…"

"Glad you liked it, R. And seeing as we are on a first-name, one-letter basis here, just call me D. As for my quick recovery, it'll take more than one defeat to keep me down!" THE MCD laughs.

R thinks: _How can he be so happy? I just kicked his butt!_ Out loud, to THE MCD, he says, "There's still something I'm not too clear on, D. Why are you really here, anyway?"

THE MCD counters back, "I don't know, R. Why are YOU really here?"

R's surprised by the question. "HUH? Hey, I asked YOU first. Besides, I'm sure that you didn't just fly all the way to Japan just to open up a restaurant here in Tokyo."

"All right, if you really want to know… I came to Japan for reasons of my own, which I won't bore you with." _Because they involve you and your sister…and the fate of the entire world,_ THE MCD thinks. Aloud, he continues, "But I will tell you this – I'm looking for two people. You, R, are one of them. I haven't found the other one yet."

R considers that, "So you're some kind of secret agent on a mission, huh?"

"Well, you COULD say that…. Anyway, I had heard rumors of a fighter with a natural talent for combat who just showed up out of nowhere. From the moment he appeared, he demonstrated his capacity as a fighter in tournaments around the world, and based on his sheer violent spirit, he became a force to be reckoned with. But I'm concerned, because his fame, along with his immense destructive power, may be drawing the attention of the wrong people."

R just sits there for a moment. THE MCD was basically talking about him, and R had never met this guy before! He's curious as to how THE MCD knows about him. "And you think that fighter is me?"

THE MCD replies, "I never said that. But based on our fight today, I believe that you are that fighter. I noticed that during our battle, you seemed preoccupied with something, as if you had some important task to fulfill…. No, wait…" Then he looks R right in the eye. "R, I sense that you're bitter with life, with living. You're tired of living in someone else's shadow, and you want to show this person who's the boss! Let it go, R. Let go of the bitterness and hatred in your heart. You'll gain nothing but more pain. If you continue to walk this dark path, it will mean your end!"

"WHAT? Whoa, whoa, I think you've got the wrong idea here! What bitterness? What hatred? Since when did YOU become my personal shrink?"

"Oh, just in case you were wondering, I've never really studied psychology. My "PSYC 101" professor had a voice that could put you to sleep. The man was that BORING! Unless you want to consider bartenders and restaurant owners to be unlicensed therapists, which isn't too far off if you think about it. Those of us behind the counter get to hear about a lot of problems and life stories, and we're not too shabby at dishing out good advice either. Not to mention, a few drinks or an order of our house special is a much cheaper fee than what the professionals charge you for their advice."

R groans, "Ah, geez…."

THE MCD sighs, "Look, R, it doesn't help to bottle up everything inside. Folks need to be able to let off steam, confide in someone, just be able to gripe without worrying about upsetting someone. That's what people in the counseling profession do. We provide an outlet for people to talk about their problems."

Confident, R puffs up his chest. "Hey, I don't need any help with my problems. I can handle it."

"Oh, really? Like you handle everything else in your life?" THE MCD raises his right eyebrow and looks at R. "How well is that going? Hmmm?"

R glared at THE MCD, who just continued to look at him, right eyebrow raised. A sudden chill washed over R. For some reason it felt as if the man was looking right through him, right into the deepest darkest depths of his soul. R dropped his eyes and stared at his drink, Silence hung heavy for a long moment.

THE MCD breaks the silence. "Let me ask you one question."

"What's that?" R asks, not wanting to hear what's next – but he's going to anyway.

"Are you happy?"

"Happy? What do you mean?"

"Oh, come now, R. It's an easy question. Are you happy? Do you like your life? Are things going the way you want? You know, "happy"?"

R confesses, "Well… No, not exactly."

"No? Not exactly? I would think a young man like you had everything to be happy about. You've got money." R flinches in response. "You've got power." R flinches again. "You're popular with the girls." R thinks about Kodachi and her laugh and cringes with fear! " And you've got good friends..." R thinks about Bass and frowns.

More silence. Then R finally speaks. "Now, I'm only thinking out loud here, and if you don't like it D, you don't have to listen, but the truth is I have this nagging feeling I'm not really who I think I am. My boss treats me like I'm his son, the only son he's ever had. But sometimes he looks at me as if he's looking at an object, or a kind of mysterious moving thing, a strange animal, you might say. When there's a real blood connection between people it doesn't matter how hard you are to each other; even if you hate each other's guts the way close relatives sometimes do, there's still a kind of softness there, you know? A feeling that deep down, essentially, one forgives the other. The boss doesn't have that feeling for me. When he looks at me as he does (and like you did just a little while ago), staring right into me, I get a really desperate feeling that I don't know who I am anymore. I suppose that makes me start imagining I'm not really his son. And sometimes I think I must know who I am, even if it means killing him, to find out; I work myself up like that. I suppose I'm possessed by an evil spirit." R smiles at THE MCD, though with unhappiness in his eyes, then looks back down at his drink.

THE MCD just stares at R for a minute, thinking: _Oh no, it's already begun! But thankfully, R hasn't reached the point of no return yet. I still have a chance to turn him away from the darkness that's slowly taking him over!_ Aloud, he changes the subject, "Heh! Sounds like your boss is either a loving father figure, or the biggest moron on the planet."

R snorts, "You got that right."

They both laugh. Then THE MCD asks R another question. "Tell me, R. Do you know the warrior's code?"

R blinks. "The what-what?"

"Well, do you?"

"Of course, I do!" He sweatdrops. "Uhh… could you enlighten me, please?"

THE MCD sighs, then says, "You see, R, the warrior's code is the method by which people defeat their opponents. Now, there's the rub. Here's another question for you – what's victory?"

R says, "Aw, that's easy! It's when a man is tougher than his enemy!"

THE MCD imitates the sound of a buzzer. "BZZZZT! Wrong answer! Victory is a lot more than that. It's when that man has reached enlightenment. It is to give all of yourself, without regret. Not just in fighting, but in every part of your life. And it's not something that happens overnight or something that you can hold in your hands and place in a trophy case. It's something that all people, not just martial artists, strive to achieve day-by-day, one day at a time.

"Uhh…yeah, I knew that!" But in the back of his mind, R thinks: _Whoa. That's deep._

"I have the ability to do so much with the knowledge I have amassed in my life. But just because I can knock someone out with a single blow doesn't mean I should. "_With great power, comes great responsibility_", remember that, R."

R is amazed at THE MCD. He doesn't look much older than R, and yet he seems to have wisdom beyond his years. He thinks: _Hmm…maybe if I hang around him long enough, I might learn something that can help me destroy Saotome!_

As R gets ready to leave, THE MCD stops him. "Say, R, how's that shoulder doing?"

"Oh, uhh… It's OK, really. One of your waitresses patched me up after our fight. She didn't have to do it, though. It's nothing to worry about."

THE MCD, using his power as Michael Angelus, touches R's right shoulder and heals it along with all the bruises R took in the battle without R even knowing it!

THE MCD regards R for a moment, then says, "Well, if you say so… It was nice to meet you, R. Feel free to come back anytime to the REAL BOUT if you want to eat or talk, OK?"

R replies, "Sure thing, D."

And R leaves the REAL BOUT. As he walks to his car, he feels a warm sensation all over his body. Then, he notices something….

"Huh?" He moves his right arm. "HEY! My shoulder's all better! And I'm feeling pretty good, too. For a while there, I felt like one big bruise – man that D can hit hard!" He pauses for a moment, as if he's in a trance, then… "Well, it's time to go back to work. Time to kill Saotome. Heh heh heh…!!"

* * *

It's late in the evening. The REAL BOUT is closed, and the employees are leaving for home after a good day's work. THE MCD stays behind to do some cleaning and straightening up at the bar before he locks up the building. A mysterious man walks up to the bar and orders a drink. "I'd like a Coke with a slice of lemon in it, please?"

THE MCD fixes the drink. "Coming right up! Aren't you kinda late? The bar's closed, and…" And then turns around to give it to the man – it's Erick! "YOU!!"

"Hey, Michael! Long time no see!" Erick says cheerfully.

THE MCD's angry. "Get out of here! You stink of evil!"

"I don't see you for the longest time, and this is how you greet an old friend?" Erick sips from his glass. "I'm deeply hurt, Michael Angelus!"

THE MCD's surprised that Erick knows who he really is. "Erick Genryusai, you have NEVER been my old friend, nor have I been yours!"

"Relax; I'm not here to fight. I just came to talk." Erick takes another sip from the glass. "We both know you want to get your revenge on the Cat Ghost King for cursing you at Jusenkyo. But I believe that's the least of your worries these days. Besides, I know why you're really here."

"Oh, really?" Then, sarcastically THE MCD says, ""Then tell ME, since you're such a know-it-all!"

Erick: You're here to keep R away from his true destiny, as ordained by our leader the Cat Ghost King. Or, as you would put it, "Turn R from the Dark Side."

"Leave him alone, Erick. You and your master have no right to decide that boy's destiny!"

"Oh, but we have EVERY right to, especially since R works for us! So how can I put this in words you can understand, without giving away the plot? Hmm…. Ah! OK! You see, R is to be the RED CAT GANG's new leader…by becoming one with the Cat Ghost King! Then, with his power, he'll help us take over the world!"

"You sick fiend!"

Erick seems hurt by that remark. "I resent that! I'm not a fiend! Why must you say such things? Are we not the same?"

"You're fooling yourself if you think we're the same. I'm an angel, cursed with this human body. You, Erick, are just a mortal man, who got the powers of an angel through trickery. And that power has turned you into the opposite of what you wanted to be – not an angel, but a demon! I warned you. _"Absolute power corrupts absolutely"_!"

Erick claps in mock applause. "Oh, great speech, great speech!" He then gets serious. "Anyway… Bottom line, Michael, you can't have R. He's ours. So here's the deal. YOU leave R alone, and we'll leave you alone, so you can keep on pretending to be human and running this restaurant, which is really nice, by the way."

"And what if I say, "No deal"?"

"You could do that too. I'll just have R, say… kill Ranma Saotome, Ran Hayami, and all of their friends and family! You can let me have R and save a whole bunch of people, or you can save R and sacrifice innocent lives. It's your choice. So which is it?"

THE MCD says nothing for less than a minute. But his response to Erick's "deal" is absolutely clear. "……………….. Get out." He begins to charge up his battle aura. "Unless you want to fight with me here and now!"

Erick laughs softly, "Oh, we'll play together again, eventually. Well, I'll be going now. Thanks for the drink." He pays THE MCD for the drink, and even leaves him a nice tip! "See you around, Michael." And with that, Erick then leaves the REAL BOUT.

"GRRR……!! You won't get away with this, Erick! I'll find a way to save R and crush your evil ambition once and for all!" Grabbing the glass THE MCD crushes it in his fist! "This I vow!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	13. Ran's Diary, Part I

CHAPTER 13

-"_**RAN'S DIARY, PART I"-**_

Ran was having a good time with the Tendos and Saotomes, but most of all, with Ranma and Akane. Akane was like a sister to her, even though in the beginning she was 'bad', later she changed and she is a cool girl. Ranma, is, well, the person who Ran likes the best. Why? Nobody, not even Ran, knows.

Ran later bought a book in a store…a diary...Ran began to write about all her good times, as well as the bad ones…

Tendo Dojo 9:30 PM.

Ran is in her bedroom, writing in her diary:

_Dear Diary:_

_I'm having a blast here with Ranma and Akane. They're such cool people to hang with. _

_Kasumi… the oldest of the three, she is the nicest woman that I have ever met. She's always calm at everything, and, she never loses her patience, no matter how ugly the situation is. She's truly impressive. She acts like a mother, friend, confidant…any man who marries her, will be the luckiest guy in the whole world._

_Nabiki… the second of the three sisters…well, what can I say about her…she is indeed a special person, she loves money, and, the way she gets it. In the beginning, I was like, mad at her, for the way she obtained it, I thought at first that it was for her own, but later I found out that all the money that she earns, goes for her family, for the repairs the house gets, courtesy of Ranma's "friends"-. She, like Kasumi, takes care of her family, by providing money, weird world isn't it?_

_Both Kasumi and Nabiki, are the ones who take care of everything around the house. At a young age, they act with the responsibility and duties of adults._

_Akane…the youngest of them all…at first, she was a like a spoiled brat, who though she knew Martial Arts, and she had a lot of vanity in her, but, she changed, like anyone can, now, she is a great friend._

_Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome…those guys are funny. Soun, even though he's an adult, he acts like a child, and cries a lot, but, when he's angry, watch out!_

_Mr. Saotome…like Soun, he too acts like a child, but boy, he's a snickering fellow, when he fights against Ranma, he tries to cheat, but, he fails to do so. And, he eats a lot. No wonder he's fat._

_Ranma…he's the coolest guy I have ever met…_

_He's the reason I came to Nerima in the first place…why, that's the mystery I have. I really don't know why I came here, but I came looking for Ranma. But that doesn't really matter now, I'm very happy with my life here and I wouldn't change it for anything._

_Lately, I've being having some strange, but very, strange dreams. They really scare me, because they keep telling me to kill my friend Ranma over and over again. But, I won't do it; I know I can overcome that. I mean, they're only dreams, right?_

_And, I met a really annoying boy called Ryoga. Boy, he's really a pain in the butt. He's always cursing Ranma for everything in his life…He blames him for his lost senses, for his Jusenkyo curse, for everything. I'm not surprised he doesn't blame him for the bad weather, ha ha haaa! But, what he did with those poor children was unforgivable, I mean, attacking little children is, well, I can't find any words for it. But I taught him a lesson, hope he doesn't come soon._

_And I've met Ranma's Mom, Mrs. Saotome. When I learned that she was coming for a visit, I thought, "Oh goody, now I'll be able to meet Ranma's mom! Hope she's a nice lady, and I hope that she doesn't look like his father!" Oh, the horror, the horror! But, I had to wait and see her for myself. And you know what? She is a nice lady, and a very heartwarming, loving, and peaceful woman. She treats me like a daughter, for which I'm very grateful to her. I wonder if my own mother were like that._

_But, Ranma is something else. I mean, we have so much in common, we both love martial arts, we both love to eat the same food, we have so much in common that is so scary, it's like, we are one and the same, creepy. I don't know why, but, I feel a big connection to him, like a…brother and sister, but deeper, I know I love him, but, it's not that kind of 'love'. But then, why is that? Maybe I'll let it over; I don't want to ruin it._

_I've met a weird girl with purple hair who Akane calls –"Shampoo"-. It sounds more like a hair product than a name. Akane says she's a Chinese Amazon. Boy, I though that the Amazons would be like the ones on T.V –(Xena-Warrior Princess)-. but, I was wrong._

_Next is a crazy guy called Kuno Tatewaki…he's a moron who thinks of himself as a noble Samurai, and he believes himself to be a "Gift" to girls. If you ask me, he's a jerk, and a delusional moron. I mean, he's always trying to grab me and hug me, always calling me his –"Pig-Tailed Girl"-, and calling my buddy Ranma a –"Foul Sorcerer"-. If that's not crazy, that I don't know what is. _

_I also meet a crazy girl called Kodachi Kuno, who's Kuno's sister. She's a Gymnastics girl who attends a Private Girls School at Saint Hebereke. Like her brother, she's a jerk and a pest, she always pesters Ranma and me, claiming that I would 'steal' her Ranma-darling, and she always carries black roses. And her laugh ugh…it's a real pain._

_Then, there's the Principal of our School, now that's another weird person who maybe takes the cake. He's always dressed like if he was in Hawaii. Come on, he's wearing a Hawaiian Shirt, shorts, and to top it all, he has a little pineapple tree on his head. Truly, he's a weird and creepy Principal._

_Later, I found out that the jerk Kuno and that weird Kodachi are actually the 'son' and the 'daughter' of the Principal of the School. I was like shocked. You know what they say…-"Like Father, like son and daughter"-…All one crazy family._

_Our teacher is something of a weird person…Miss. Hinako. We have a child as a teacher, but, even though she may look as a child, she is indeed a woman –(or so I think)-. When someone is breaking the rules in her classroom, she takes out a little golden coin, yells an incantation, then drains the person's battle aura, then, she grows into an adult version of herself._

_She always called them 'delinquent' to those who don't pay attention in her class and punishes them. She may have weird methods to do those things, but she is indeed a good teacher. She wants to teach us and give us an education, and, a little 'iron hand' from her is not a bad idea for those who want to 'goof up' at school. _

_I wonder what new adventures, or what new challenges will come for Ranma and me?_

_I guess I'll have to wait and see. _

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	14. Brother & Sister Meet Again

CHAPTER 14

_**-"BROTHER & SISTER MEET AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME"-**_

It's late at night. R is in his apartment. He'd just finished perfecting Ms. Hinako's chi-draining technique, "Happö Goju-en Satsu" (Happo 50-Yen Kill). After taking a bath, putting on his red silk robe, and drinking his usual glass of wine, R decides to go to bed.

But R's too excited to sleep. He can't wait to try out his new move on Ranma at school tomorrow. While he's lying in bed, he's dreaming of showing up at school, fighting with Ranma, then using the Happo 50-Yen Kill to suck Ranma dry! Then, while Ranma's weakened, R then finishes him off with a single blow! And then R would seize control of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts! He would be the supreme fighter!

R smiles. Then, just when he finally goes to sleep, the telephone by his bed rings. R picks it up.

He yawns, while answering the phone. "Huh? Hello?

Dr Wily's on the phone. _Good evening, R. It's been a while since I last talked to you._

"Oh, it's just you, Wily. What do you want? SOME of us are trying to sleep here, ya know.

_Err… right. Anyway, I'm calling to inform you that we will be coming to join you very soon._

"Gee, that's funny…. You were supposed to be here in Nerima weeks ago. What was the holdup?"

"_We've had some… delays. As you probably already know, we had some new players to join our team… _

R knows who Wily is talking about. "You mean our crazy High Priest and that weird girl that hangs out with him?"

_Yes, he does seem rather odd, but…Anyway, thanks to them, we now know a little bit more about Ranma and his friends. We've even gained new allies. And it took our construction crew longer than we thought to finish building the mansion. But I just received a call from them, and it's finally finished. So we'll be able to come to Japan like we originally intended, then continue our efforts to get the Phoenix Stone back._

"When should I expect you?"

_In two days. I'll have some of our men get your things from your apartment and move them to the mansion. It will be your home as well as our secret hideout. I'll leave instructions for you so you can move in right after school._

"Yes, sir."

_By the way, how are you coming with your current mission?_

"In my spare time, I've been working on a new move! I just finished mastering it this evening. I can't wait to use it! Saotome won't even have a chance! HA!"

_That's good. Now… _Dr Wily then speaks in a low voice _…do you remember your instructions, my boy?_

R goes into a trance. "Yes, sir. I will find Ranma Saotome, and then kill him."

_Excellent. Now sleep._

On Dr. Wily's hypnotic suggestion, R goes back to sleep. Then Dr Wily hangs up.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the RED CAT GANG's secret fortress, there is much activity going on. The RED CATS are busy loading equipment and supplies for their new hideout aboard a cargo plane, preparing to fly out to Japan.

A RED CAT soldier walks up to Dr. Wily. "Dr. Wily! We have finished loading the supplies. May we go now?"

Wily is pleased. "Excellent. You may go ahead and depart for Nerima, Japan. We will join you as soon as we finish taking care of things here.

"Yes, sir!" The soldier obeys, leaving Dr. Wily's presence.

* * *

Hours later, the cargo plane flies out from the secret fortress. Erick and Delia are watching it leave.

"Well, there they go, off to Nerima…." Delia says. "Say, Erick, weren't we going to go with them?"

Erick is sitting in a throne-like chair in his lair. "Not to worry, De-chan. We'll join our forces in Nerima later. Besides, I'm expecting a call from M. Bison. Oh, by the way, guess who I ran into while I was visiting Tokyo?"

"You don't mean….?"

"Yep, Michael Angelus. But don't worry about him. He'll be too busy trying to keep R from becoming the Cat Ghost King's new body to even bother with us. Like I said, he's not our concern for now." He smiles. "All the players in my little game are coming together… It won't be long now, hee hee hee."

* * *

At the Tendo Dojo, Ran was in her room trying to sleep. She's having another dream….

(Dream-Sequence)

She remembered being afraid first. She wasn't sure why. The memories of running through a long hallway while being chased by men intent on capturing or killing her…

She remembered terror too. Not just of the men or of fear of death, but of what would happen if the object that she was carrying remained in the hands of her superiors…

We see a long and dark hallway. Sounds of running footsteps are heard. It's Ran! She's wearing a black form-fitting jumpsuit with red trim and carrying something in a duffel bag. An alarm has been sounded, and angry shouts are heard throughout the hallway.

"HEY! She's got the Phoenix Stone! After her!"

Ran keeps running until some strange-looking guys in red Chinese clothes and matching caps block her path. They are soldiers of the RED CAT GANG! At the head of the group is one Tesaki Onekomaru, who (by the way) is the Meowth-lookalike soldier from Chapter 2.

Onekomaru sneers, "We got ya now, Lady Ran! There's no escape!"

Ran then tries to run the other way, but finds out that more RED CAT Soldiers are blocking that way, too! She's trapped, and the soldiers know it!

Onekomaru laughs, "See? We told ya so! There's no way out! Now hand over that Phoenix Stone, and we won't have to mess ya up!"

Ran smiles. "Then, I'll just make one. HEAT DRIVE!!"

Cut to outside, and we can see that it's the RED CAT GANG's Secret Fortress. A huge explosion blasts a hole in one of the walls.

**KA-BOOM!!**

Many soldiers are injured from the blast and are looking up at Ran in fear.

Ran tells thems, "Sorry, guys, but I'm taking the Phoenix Stone."

She then leaps out of the hole and runs away from the fortress, with the RED CATS in hot pursuit. Ran keeps on running until she makes her way into a clearing in the woods. Suddenly, she feels something leap right over her head and land right in front of her! A masked man wearing black ninja pants and crimson armor stands before Ran. All Ran can see that even looks familiar to her is a mane of long white hair sticking out from behind the sinister-looking mask.

AUTHOR's NOTE: Now imagine, if you will, Yoshimitsu's costume from Tekken 3 but with the mask of the Green Goblin from the Spider Man movie. Then paint all of the pieces of this guy's armor (including the mask) in red. We now return you to our story in progress…

The masked guy draws his sword, which shines in the pale moonlight. An evil aura surrounds him. Ran gets into a fighting stance, ready to fight him. Then he speaks… "I hate to do this to you, but orders are orders."

Ran recognizes the man's voice, and knows who it is. It's R's! "That voice…! Oh no! It can't be!"

"Surrender, and return the Phoenix Stone, NOW!"

"But, I…I can't! If I do, then you'll be…."

"Then, you will die. We of the RED CAT GANG do not tolerate traitors. You must be dealt with."

Fearful, Ran pleads, "No, please! Don't do this! You have to let me escape, or you'll be in terrible danger!

"ENOUGH! I have my orders!" The masked warrior charges toward Ran with frightening speed!

Ran screams, "BROTHER, NO!"!

The last thing she sees is the masked guy swinging his sword….

(End of Dream)

Ran wakes up with a shock. She practically screams as she bolts upright in bed. She breathes heavily, and a cold sweat pours down her face. What she saw in that crazy dream scared her.

"Brother…Brother… Huh? Brother? I don't remember even having a brother, and yet… But, why did he try to kill me?…Why….?"

She stares with unfocused eyes into the darkness of her room, trying not to think of what she remembered from her past, but slowly, it creeps back into the forefront of her mind. She curls up into a fetal position in her bed. The tears roll from her eyes as she hugs her legs to her chest. She just wants to scream out, but she can't find her voice at the moment. So she just lies there. She wants to do something, but isn't sure what to do. That awful memory leaves a horrible feeling in her. It is a feeling of guilt and sadness. After about twenty minutes she gets up and walks down the hall. She stops in front of the door to Ranma and Genma's room. She looks at it and thinks to herself if she should do this. She then steels her nerves and knocks on the door.

* * *

Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts lies in his bed, wearing a white shirt and boxers as he sleeps... Or tries to anyway. He stares up at the ceiling, contemplating how his life has changed over the past couple of weeks since Ran Hayami came into his life. Ranma then hears a knock at the door. He looks over to the clock to see it is a few minutes past midnight. He gets up out of bed and goes to the door.

"Please, Ranma…" Ran's voice can be heard on the other side of the door.

Ranma opens the door slightly. "Ran? It's the middle of the night. What's wrong?"

Ranma stops in mid-sentence when he sees Ran fully. He can see that she's been crying.

"I'm…I'm scared," Ran tells him.

"You're what?" Ranma asks disbelievingly.

"It's so lonely in my room. I had another bad dream, and…please, Ranma, can't I just sleep with you?"

"Wh-what?!" Ranma almost panics. Back in the day, in situations like this, the next thing that would happen is poor Ranma getting clocked in the head with an extra-large mallet by Akane.

"Please? It's just for tonight. I'm scared to sleep by myself."

"OK, I know you're scared, but…"

"Please Ranma, I'm begging you! I…I don't want to be alone. Not now. Please…"

Ranma sighs, "All right, come on in."

Ranma brings her into the room. He leads her over to his bed, and sets her down on it. Then he sits down beside Ran. Once that's done he patiently waits for Ran to tell him what's bothering her. Neither one speaks, but each looks into the other's eyes.

Ranma stares at Ran's eyes. No matter how many times he looks at those pretty green orbs of hers, he finds himself entranced by them. The way they sparkle with a cool as ice gleam, and the way there's a slight emerald tint to them that makes them seem more jewel-like. He knows that the eyes are windows to the soul. He can see the pain in them, but is afraid to ask her what's wrong, afraid of making things worse for her than they already are. So he just stares into her eyes for the longest time.

As Ranma looks into Ran's eyes, she looks right back into his. They are a dark blue that seem to roll with the warmth of a tropical sea. She always loved looking into his eyes. They always have a way of calming her whenever she is upset. She notices that there is sympathy in his eyes. Sympathy for her. It makes her feel in a way she hasn't felt before. He truly cares for her as a person. Not just as a fighter, not as the cold-hearted warrior that her superiors intended her to be, but as a normal human being. For the very first time in her lonely life, Ran feels loved. She remembers how Ranma has been a friend to her, ever since she came to Nerima. That's why she's afraid of telling him what she remembers now. It may make him hate her, just push her aside and go on with his life. And the thought just crushes her. Her eyes start to water again, but Ranma clasps her hands. Now concerned, he asks her, "Ran... What's wrong? What happened?"

Ran looks at Ranma's hands clasping her own. "... I... I don't know…but…" She takes a deep breath and begins, "I remember..."

"... Remember what?"

"I remember… something that happened before I came here…."

And Ran then tells Ranma about her dream where those strange-looking guys in red Chinese clothes and matching caps are chasing her and that guy in the red armor with the long white hair who tried to kill her…

Ranma like, "Oh come on, Ran, that was probably just another one of those crazy dreams. It doesn't mean anything."

Ran's not convinced. "This time, I don't think so, Ranma. That dream was different from the ones I've had lately. It's as if I got to see a part of my past. But it still worries me. What if I do remember my real past? Will I still be Ran Hayami? What if I had to…. you know…."

"What? Kill me?"

"Please, don't say that! It scares me just thinking about it! Oh…" Ran starts to cry.

Ran then feels Ranma's arms around her.

Ranma smiles. "Ran, that's not going to happen... For what it's worth, well… I care about you. Me, Akane, Pops, Mr. Tendo, Kasumi, Nabiki, we all do. No matter what happened to you. To us, you will always be Ran."

Ran's eyes water as she smiles back. "Ranma..." She sighs in relief, returning his embrace.

"Anyway, let's go back to sleep. We'll have to get up soon. We still got school tomorrow, ya know.

They finally go back to bed to get some sleep. Ranma smiles. Apparently, he is what's keeping her happy. So he pulls the blanket over them and they stay there for a bit. Ran holds onto Ranma's arm for dear life as soon as he's in the bed. This makes Ranma a little nervous. "Oh, Ran, what's wrong now?"

Ran looks up at him. "I just…. wanted to know that you're still there."

Ran falls asleep soon, with her arms still wrapped around Ranma's and her head on his chest, a faint smile on her face. Ranma looks at Ran's sleeping form and he thinks of how peaceful she looks while sleeping. But he was worried about Ran's latest dream….

Ranma thinks: _Those guys Ran mentioned in her dream… They sound like the RED CAT GANG…But it can't be them – Me, Pops, Akane, Shampoo, Mousse, and Ryoga beat them and their boss, the Cat Ghost King, a long time ago. Still, why would they be after Ran? _He looks again at the sleeping Ran. _Don't worry, Ran. I'll protect you. I promise. Even if it means my life…_

Ranma tries to go back to sleep, sure of only one thing.

He wouldn't let Ran down.

* * *

The next morning, Ranma, Akane, and Ran arrive at Furinkan High, when Ranma hears a familiar angry cry…

"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!"

R dives in from the sky with an attack. Ranma grabs Akane and leaps out of the way. R strikes the ground with a punch as he lands, creating a 10-foot wide crater.

Akane reacts angrily, "Hey! What's the big idea grabbing me like that for and….HUH? Ranma, who's that?"

Ranma says, "Oh, it's just Carl again. He's almost as annoying as Ryoga."

"D'OH!!" R facefaults, then gets angry. "IT'S R, NOT CARL! GOOD GRIEF! Can't you at least TRY to get my name right?"

"Yeah, whatever. I gotta go or I'll be late for class! See you around, Carl." Ranma and Akane run off to school)

R facefaults again, hard. "ACK! IT'S R, I TELL YOU!

Ranma notices that Ran isn't with them. "Hey, Ran! You coming or what? Ran…"

Ran is just standing there looking at R, like she's in a trance or something. Ranma has to gently shake her to snap her out of it. She responds, "Oh! Ranma!"

Ranma asks her, "Ran, are you okay?"

"Ranma, I'm fine. Really. OH! We've gotta go, or we'll be late!"

And the two join Akane and dash off to class, meanwhile…

R gets up from the ground and notices that Ranma's gone, again… "Huh? HEY! COME BACK HERE!!"

And R runs after them.

As she's running, Ran thinks: _R…why do I get the feeling that I know you?_

Believe it or not, this wasn't the first time Ran had thought about R. Over the past few weeks, Ran was wondering why R seemed so familiar to her. And, why did he hate Ranma so much, she intended to find out.

Ran only caught a glimpse of R when he fought Ranma for the first time at school. But since that day, she had a strange feeling about him, like she's known him from somewhere. She would get this feeling whenever he was around. Recently, Ran learned that Nabiki and R were in some of the same classes together. So between classes, she asks Nabiki if she knew anything about R….

"Nabiki, I was wondering if you knew anything about R…"

"That's funny, Ran. Why do you want to know about THAT guy for?" Nabiki asks her curiously.

"Because…." Ran is about to tell Nabiki, but changes her mind, and asks, "So, what's he like?"

"I have no idea."

"No idea?"

"R is really a mystery, much like you, Ran. I did some "research" on him, and I couldn't find anything at all. It's like he just shows up out of nowhere, you know?"

"I…I think so."

"And get this! Ever since he came, he's become the top student on the honor roll. Even Principal Kuno was shocked. Hard to believe, especially since R sleeps through most of his classes…"

Ran's wide-eyed in surprise. "He sleeps through class, and yet he gets good grades? Wait a minute, something's not adding up here."

Nabiki nods, "I know. Anyway, I remember one particular incident, and it was during math class…."

(BEGIN FLASHBACK)

We're in Nabiki and R's math class. The teacher is trying to teach today's lesson but is distracted by R's sleeping in class. The math teacher hates it when students aren't paying attention, so he decides to put R on the spot…

In a loud voice, the teacher says, "MR. SHIROBARA! WAKE UP!"

R wakes up! "ACK!! Huh? Wha?"

All the other students giggle. The teacher, however, is not amused. "Good morning, Mr. Shirobara. Did you enjoy your beauty sleep? Anyway, now that you have decided to pay attention to lecture, perhaps you would care to answer one of the examples on the board?"

R's irritated, but he does what the teacher asks. "Uh, yeah, sure…" But he's thinking: _Stupid teacher, waking me up like that when I'm busy plotting to kill Saotome! I'll show him!_

With an evil smile, R then gets up from his desk and walks up to the front of the class.

The teacher gives R a piece of chalk and points to the math problem on the board. "Here's the problem, R. Solve it."

R turns to his classmates, and says, "Hope you're taking notes, 'cause I'm only gonna do this once!"

R looks at the problem for one second, and then proceeds to write down the calculations and equations necessary to solve it. Then, he stops and turns to face the teacher. "And, here we go… How's that?"

The teacher, hoping to embarrass R in front of the class, checks R's work, and is shocked by what he didn't expect to see – R getting the correct answer.

The teacher thinks: _He… he…got it right! All the correct equations, the calculations, they're all there! Impossible!_ Aloud, he asks, "But…but…how?"

R says innocently, "It's really simple, sir. You just have to be, well…. a genius, that's all."

Everybody facefaults, "HUH?"

R then takes the chalk and tosses it back at the teacher, bouncing it off his head. The other students all laugh at this scene. Even Nabiki can't help but giggle. Instead of R, the teacher's the one getting embarrassed.

The teacher's frustrated 'cause his scheme's foiled. "D'OH!" Hanging his head in defeat, he sighs, "You may sit down now, Mr. Shirobara."

R bows respectfully to the teacher, "Thank you, sir." He goes back to his desk and sits down, then says to the teacher, "Now, aren't you glad we live in more modern times, sir? If this were medieval Japan, such an offense would mean you'd have to commit _seppuku_, huh? Well, wake me when class is over, will you?"

And with that, R goes right back to sleep! The students continue laughing. The teacher is blushing, his face red as a tomato. He's wishing he had a sword nearby….

(END FLASHBACK)

Another thing Ran notices is that R is always by himself, even at lunchtime. He would never eat in the cafeteria with the other students, preferring rather to eat alone.

The next thing she sees is that R doesn't have any friends. This intrigues Ran a lot. To some people, R was seen as a single, self-important person who didn't care about anybody or anything but himself. He considered other people to be no more than bothers. It seemed R's only goal in life was to kill Ranma, and he wouldn't rest until he did. Most people just kept their distance from R; not wanting to get beat up like Kuno did when he interrupted Ranma and R's first fight.

How could someone enjoy being alone all the time? This didn't make any sense at all to Ran. To her, friends were very important. She learned that when she came to Nerima.

But R…. What was it about him that seemed so familiar to Ran? She had to know. So, that afternoon, Ran decides to talk to R during lunch...

* * *

At lunchtime, we see R sitting under a tree outside the school. He sees Ran coming toward him. R thinks: _That girl is... familiar...Where have I seen her before?_

The next thing he knows, Ran is sitting beside him! "Hi!" she says cheerfully.

R just turns around and glares at this girl. She's got some nerve! "Hmm?"

R sees that Ran has her lunch with her. "Hey. What's with the food?"

Ran replies, "It's just my lunch, that's all. You don't mind if I eat here with you? I made a little bit of extra food, and you're welcome to have some of it if you like."

R snorts, "Hmph. Do whatever you want…" He looks away from her.

R figures that she'll go away, but he sees that the girl is still there! This surprises R, but he's finding it annoying. "..."

Ran is sitting on the grass with her legs stretched out, eating a piece of fruit, while R edges away from Ran. "Just what are you plotting, girl?" he asks her.

Ran smiles. "Oh, nothing much... just this…"

She looks at R from the side, with her head titled. She'd sensed something was wrong by the way he's acting around her, so she confronts him, asking, "You…you don't like me, do you?"

R turns to Ran, looking like he'd just seen something disgusting, while Ran looks at him from the side, looking worried. He flatly tells her, "You're horribly nauseating."

Stung by his response, Ran counters, "Hey! Can't you be a little more friendly?"

Ran gets no response from R. She just looks at him. R looks back at her. Irritated, R asks, "Why are you still looking at me like that! Didn't your folks teach you not to stare?"

Ran's hurt. "I…I don't have any."

"What? Any what?"

"Folks…parents…a mother and a father…. I never had either. I've been all alone." Ran looks like she's about to cry.

"Ah, geez… Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. Don't cry, okay?" R he hands Ran his handkerchief, a red silk one with a golden letter R embroidered in it; Ran dries her tears. "If it'll make you feel any better, I've got no folks either. I've been on my own for pretty much most of my life too. Anyway, let's not talk about such unpleasant things."

Ran seems to calm down, and then she resumes eating her lunch. She notices something… "Umm…R?"

"Ah?" R asks in reply.

"You usually bring your lunch from home, right?"

"Well, yeah, but not today. I've been busy, uh…getting my stuff packed. I'm moving to a new place. So, I forgot… to pack my lunch.

"Why didn't you say so? I…"

"Hm? What?"

"I've been living with this family who runs a dojo. In the mornings, I help make lunches for everyone."

"Sounds like that's a lot of work for you."

"So, I've gotten really good at cooking, though you might not think it.

"Hmm…."

"And sometimes, I prepare too much food…"

R finally says, "Well, if you want, I'll…. help you with the leftovers."

Ran's happy. "Oh, please! That would be great!"

R's like, "Yeah, whatever. Don't get any silly ideas. Just 'cause I'm eating part of your lunch, doesn't make me your friend or nothing." He notices his stomach's growling. "Still, though…" He then notices a couple of sandwiches in Ran's lunch. "…you mind if I have one?"

Ran: Oh, I don't mind. Go ahead

R takes one of the sandwiches, and takes a bite. His taste buds are in for a surprise however, for Ran had tuna fish sandwiches for her lunch. She liked to spread mayonnaise on one slice of bread, and mustard on the other slice. Then she would add the tuna, and for a little zing, a little sweet relish.

R's eyes go wide with delight at the taste. "This is...it's good..." Realizing it's good, he wolfs down on the sandwich. "Ah! Yummy! Hey, this is yummy, you know."

Ran's surprised; she's happy he likes her food. "Really...?" She looks at him dreamily.

There was still one more sandwich left. When he had finished off the one he just ate, R ate that one too. Satisfied, he says, "Not bad…." He wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Could have used a little less mayo there…" Then, to Ran, "Say, you mentioned you were staying at a dojo. If I may ask, which one?"

Ran snaps out of it, "Huh? Oh, it's the Tendo Dojo. Why do you ask?"

R's ears perk up when he hears that. _The Tendo Dojo! I knew it! Now I remember where I've seen that girl! She hangs out with Ranma! Heh heh heh… I'll be sure to remember that!_ R thinks. Aloud, he says to Ran. "I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to pry or anything. I'm still kinda new around here, and I don't really know my way around this neighborhood."

Ran says, "Oh! Well, I could show you around maybe one day after school."

"Hey, that'd be great, and…" R hears his cell phone ringing. "Will you excuse me? I gotta go take this call." He answers the phone. "Hello? Yes. Yes, I understand. I'll be there right after school. Yes. OK." He hangs up, then checks his watch. "Oh, will you look at the time? I gotta go to class!"

"Oh…But…." _There's so much I wanted to ask you…_ Ran thinks sadly, the look on her face matching her thoughts.

R notices Ran's sad look on her face. "Hey, don't look so down. Cheer up! We'll probably see each other again tomorrow. See you around, kid. Thanks for the sandwiches." _And thanks for the information on the Tendo Dojo. Watch out, Ranma! Ha ha ha!_

And R gets up, running off to his next class. Ran looks up, watching him go.

Ran thinks: _He…He liked my sandwiches. It's like that old saying, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". But I still can't shake this feeling that I know him from somewhere…_ She smiles._ I just know I'll see him again!_

Then Ran hears Ranma calling her. "Hey, Ran! C'mon, or we'll be late for class!"

Ran: I'm coming!

She gets up and runs toward Ranma, and then they both run back to class.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	15. Ran's Diary, Part II

CHAPTER 15

-"_**RAN'S DIARY, PART II"-**_

_Dear Diary:_

_I'm still having a blast with Ranma and the Tendos. It's become like my second home. I love it._

_I've met two stepsisters of Akane's…their names were Natsume and Kurumi Tendo._

_Although they're not 'really' blood related, they're still considered part of the Tendo Family. Ranma told me that long ago, Happosai told the girls that he was Soun, so naturally the girls though it was true, but in the end, they found out it was a misunderstanding from that pervert. But, they still treat them like if they were. They're nice and decent fighters, I tell you._

_And, I also met a guy in school, a guy named R._

_He's such a lonely guy, who doesn't want to talk to anybody; he always eats alone, it's sad for me to see him like that. So I decided to talk to him, and he tells me that, like me, his parents died and he had to fight hard to survive. I guest that's the reason for his loneliness. He's not really all that bad to me, but, I guess that when you're alone for so long, you began to close yourself off to everyone. I know what he's going through; I'm going like him, trying to know my past._

_But, when I was talking to him, I had this very strange feeling that I know him, but at the same time I don't. It's kinda like those –"Deja-Vu"- types. It's really creepy. I really don't know why it's happening, but I'll find out._

_I had a bad, or awful nightmare. I was running from some weird talking cats, and I was carrying something with me. I don't remember what it was, but it was very important to them. When I escaped from them, I'd encountered one weird, scary dude. He was dressed as a samurai, with a mask of a goblin or something, anyway, he demanded me to give him the thing that I had. I refused and he began to attack me, and, I've could have sworn that I know who he was, but when I was gonna find out, I woke up._

_What could it mean? I mean, was it real, or a dream? Could it be somehow connected to my past? If so, I don't know. _

_And the fun part was that Ranma shows his true self to those wackos Kuno and Kodachi. When they see that the person whom they want to kill and love are the same person, they flipped, they were in total shocked, I wish I had brought a camera for that –"Kodak Moment"-…But poor guys…their whole world of love and fantasy shattered in front of them…But I guess it was for the best. I mean, they had to wake up sometime, right?_

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	16. Retrieval, Revenge, and a Rescue!

CHAPTER 16

-"_**RETRIEVAL, REVENGE, **__**AND A RESCUE! RANMA VS. SHADEMAN & TURBOMAN"-**_

At the Secret Base of the Red Cat Gang, Erick was discussing with the Red Cat Gang and Shadowloo about the plans:

"Erick, I hope that you have some good plans meow," the statue of the Cat Ghost King says.

Erick tells the statue (and everyone else assembled), "I do. Okay, listen up people, the progress for obtaining the Phoenix Stone is close. But, we'll need some stuff to get it."

"What stuff?" Dr. Wily asks.

"My lovely Delia will inform you about this…Delia." Erick motions in Delia's direction.

Delia bows slightly and continues for Erick, "Thank you, Erick…okay…there are three artifacts that we require, which are located in three places…M. Bison, we'll require your men's help to obtain these items."

M. Bison listens to what Erick's right-hand woman has to say. Usually, HE's the one giving orders, not taking them. Nevertheless, he'll play his 'team-player' role as far as possible, solely to achieve his own goals. Humoring Delia, he says, "I see, so what do you want to do?"

Erick reminds him (rather redundantly), "Bison, we'll require your Shadowloo's men and warriors to help us."

Bison hmph's in reply. "Very well then…"

Delia smiles, "Thank you sir. Now…" Delia waves her hand and a holographic image of a map appeared in front of the group. "There are three treasures that we need in order to find the Phoenix Stone, and they are in this three points…two of them are in China, the third one is located in a island north of Japan, called Hellfire Island…"

Erick organizes the first party. "Now, Sagat, Adon, Gutsman, Metalman and Ringman, you five will go to this point to get the treasure from the Joketsusoku…the Village of the Amazons…the target is an old scroll known as the Phoenix Scroll."

Sagat simply agrees, "Okay."

Adon nods, "Of course!"

Gutsman flexes his mecha-muscles. "Piece of cake!"

Erick then picks the members of the second group. "Elecman, Flashman, Sparkman, Zangief and Balrog, you'll go to Phoenix Mountain, to the Village of the so called "Phoenix People", and steal the –"Phoenix Sword"- from them."

"You got it." Balrog says, ready for a fight.

"Will do!" Zangief replies.

"No problem!" Elecman says.

"Wait! I want to go there." Bison interrupts.

Erick's surprised. "YOU, Bison…? My my, how come?"

"That place is where that Phoenix God called Saffron lies… am I right?"

"Why, yes." Delia replies.

M. Bison reveals why he's interested in going with the second party. "So I want to go there and meet this so-called God, and fight with him."

Erick has an equally interested grin on his face. Bison's on to something here. "You don't say… 'You' want to have a fight with Saffron, Bison?"

"Yes, I crave for a worthy match, and, judging from the news I've received, he could be a strong warrior."

Erick likes Bison idea. "Very well M. Bison, you'll go as the leader of the party. And good luck in your match with Saffron."

Bison snickers, "Ha ha haaa, I wonder if that Saffron can stand against my Psycho Power! Mwahahahahaaaaa!!"

Delia says, "Okay gentlemen, you all know your targets. Now go. I wish you all good luck and please try to finish it fast."

The Cat Statue speaks. "Meow…Wait, what about the third one? Who's gonna go and get it?"

Erick remembers, "Ah yes, the third one. Well…I will go and get it myself."

"WHAT…YOU?" Dr. Wily asks loudly.

"Yes…" Erick glares evilly at the old man, "Is there a problem with that Dr. Wily?"

Scared, Wily replies, "No no nooooo…no problem at all!"

Having put Wily in his place (again), Erick says, "So, it's settled. Let's get to work guys."

* * *

_**UNITED STATES – WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO:**_

Colonel William Guile is in his office, doing paperwork. But he's frustrated, for he hasn't had any luck in finding anything on M. Bison's current whereabouts. "Bison, where in hell are you hiding?" Guile mutters angrily.

Then, the phone rang and he picks it up. "Hello…Colonel William Guile here."

Chun-Li's on the other end of the phone line. Cheerfully, she says, "_Hey Guile, how's it going_?"

Guile's happy to hear from her. They've worked together to bring down Shadowloo's schemes before. "Hey Chun-Li, long time no see! I'm fine thank you, so what do I have the pleasure of your presence?"

"_Nothing much, just calling friends…so how's things? Anything new_?"

Guile's disappointed. "No, nothing, I still haven't found any leads to Bison. How about you?"

Chun-Li's voice sounds sad. "_Neither have I. We at Interpol haven't had any clues regarding his whereabouts._"

Guile:"-(mad)- Damn that Bison! Just where could he be hiding?"

"_Don't worry Guile, we'll find Bison and put him behind bars, you just have to be patient._"

Defeated (for the moment), Guile shrugs, "Aah, maybe you're right…call me if you have any news on him okay Chun-Li?"

" _I will, take care Guile._"

"You too, over and out."

Then Guile hangs up, and still mad…-" Damn you Bison, you can't hide forever, I will find you, and when I do, I'll make you pay for all your crimes…I promise!"…Then, he returns to do his paperwork.

* * *

Back in the Red Cat Fortress, Dr. Wily makes a new plan to get rid of Ranma. He talks to two robots that are in front of him. "Okay, you know what you must do…I want you to go and kidnap Ranma's fiancée, then, when Ranma goes and tries to save her, the two of you will eliminate him…understood?"

"Yes, we got it," the first robot says, "But…"

"But what?" Dr. Wily wants to know.

The second robot finishes what his comrade was about to say, "But that wasn't what Lord Erick commanded. He said that…"

Dr. Wily, steaming, yells, "LISTEN HERE, HE'S NOT YOUR BOSS! I AM YOUR BOSS! YOU WILL OBEY ME, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!"

"Okay, okay!" the first robot withdraws, trying to avert the old man's wrath.

"I'm tired of waiting to eliminate that cursed Ranma! I don't care what that stupid High Jerk Erick says…go and kill Ranma!"

"Yes, Lord Wily!" Then the two robots went to fulfill their mission.

Now alone, Wily with an evil smile, laughs, "Soon Ranma, my robots will eliminate you, relieving me of a thorn in my side! Wahahahahaaa!"

* * *

7:00 Pm, at the Hinata Inn, we see five girls in the living room; they are Natsu, Motoko, Shinobu, Kaolla Su, and Mitsune. Some of them are grumpy, for they were waiting for someone:

Naru's frustrated. "Ugh, where is Keitaro? He's taking too long from the store!"

"I bet that he goofed up." Motoko says.

Shinobu defend Keitaro. "Don't be mad, I'm sure something must have come to his road."

Mitsune replies, "Yeah, but I'm getting hungry. He'd better hurry."

Kaolla Su whines, "Kaolla is also getting hungry!"

Then, the doorbell rings:

"Finally, he's here!" Naru says sarcastically.

Mitsune asks, "Shinobu-chan, would you open the door?"

Happily, Shinobu says, "Hai". Then she runs toward the entrance.

Naru's still kinda mad. "I wonder what excuse that Baka Keitaro will give us."

Mitsune says, "Look Naru, you can scold him later, after we have dinner."

"I suppose, but that baka better have a good reason for this!"

Then, they heard a loud scream, it was from Shinobu. Immediately the girls rush toward the door. When they arrive they see Shinobu on the floor, trembling, a look of total fright on her face. When they ask her why, she points, still shaking, toward the door. What the girls see next shocks them allbig time. In the doorway was a cloaked figure, whose face cannot be seen, and with him is Keitaro. Keitaro is all bruised, beat up and unconscious, his clothes are almost ripped apart, blood coming out of his wounds. The cloaked figure was carrying Keitaro by the back of his shirt collar in his hand, as if he were an old rag doll.

Naru's horrified. "KEITAROOO!!"

The cloaked figure chuckles, "Does this belong to you? Here!"

Then he tosses Keitaro to the girls. The girls quickly rush to Keitaro to see if he was all right – or alive.

Naru gently cradles Keitaro's head in her lap. "Keitaro, Keitaro, speak to me…!" Desperate, she looks toward the other girls. "...is he alright, he's not dead is he?"

Mitsune confirms, "No, he's alive, but barely. He needs to go the hospital."

They breathe a sigh of relief, then the girls turn on the mysterious cloaked figure with angry looks in their eyes:

Naru's angry, more so than any of the others. "WHO ARE YOU? WHY DID YOU HURT KEITARO?"

The cloaked one tells her, "Oh! Just a little fun…but the most fun will be with you!"

Motoko grabs her Bokken, ready to do battle. "WHY DON'T YOU REVEAL YOURSELF IF YOU'RE NOT AFRAID!"

"Very well then ladies…KYAAAAA"

Then, he grabs his cloak and launches into the air, revealing himself. The girls see him and gasp… it was that pervert who they met awhile ago…VEGA!

Naru's eyes go wide. "YOU!"

Vega sarcastically greets the young ladies. "Hello girls…I'm back! Remember me?"

"YOUUU… WHY HAVE YOU RETURNED HERE, YOU PERVERT?" Motoko demands.

"That's easy…I came here to settle some unfinished business…remember what I said to you girls last time…NO ONE insults ME and gets away with that…and I'm here to cash in on that!"

Motoko's already in her fighting stance. "GUESS AGAIN YOU PERVERT, I WILL DEFEAT YOU!"

Vega smirks, "My my…quite confident are we? You think that you can stand against me, little girl?"

Motoko smirks right back at the psycho matador, "Ha, I whooped your butt last time, didn't I? Today I'll punish you, for justice is on my side!"

Vega sounds serious. "Last time, you got lucky cause I was weak and injured from a previous battle that I had… Today, you'll taste my wrath!"

"Ha! Only losers make up excuses!"

"Is that so, girly? Well…" Vega dons his mask. "…how's about if you can show me your abilities? For if you fail, your friends will be my playmates."

Motoko screams, "NEVER! YOU'LL NEVER LAY YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON THEM…KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Then she rushes fast against Vega, swinging her wooden Booken toward him, tying to hit him, but with no such luck. Vega's dodging them all. Motoko's getting mad at her failing:

Motoko angrily pants, " I…I don't get it, last time I beat him. Now I can't even touch him…could it be that…nooo!"

Vega chuckles, "What's the matter little girl…don't tell me that you've already given everything you had…? If so, I'm so disappointed."

"SHUT UP!"

Motoko's friends are trying to cheer her on, for if she fails against Vega, they would be his next prey. She had to win!

Naru cheers, "COME ON MOTOKO! YOU CAN DO IT!"

Mitsune yells excitedly, "YEAH! SHOW THIS JOKER YOUR POWERFUL MOVES!"

"PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP MOTOKO-SAN" Shinobu encourages.

Hearing her friends cheer for her, Motoko's determined not to lose. She thinks: _I won't give up; if I do, they'll be this dangerous man's prey! I can't let that happen…!_ Aloud, she yells, "ALRIGHT, NOW I'LL SHOW YOU MY SPECIAL ABILITIES…SO GET READY YOU PERVERT!"

"Really?" Vega asks. "Well, that's good. I was getting bored with your lousy skills."

Angry, Motoko declares, "I'LL SHOW YOU…SANGA-ZEEEEEEEN!"

Motoko swings her bokken, releasing a pressure of air toward Vega. Vega just stands there and receives the attack. When it ends, Motoko as well as the other girls gasp, for Vega's still standing there – and unharmed, no less!

Motoko gasps, "No…no way, that guy received my Sanga-Zen and he's still standing there!"

Naru can't believe it either. "No! Impossible! That was one of Motoko's special moves"

Vega laughs, "What…that's it…that's your powerful move? If so, it was pathetic!"

Kaolla Su's scared, "That guy must be very strong to withstand Motoko's attack!"

Motoko's scared, but she doesn't show it. This guy took her best move and she didn't make a scratch on him!

Vega mock yawns, "I grow tired of this little girl…I guess you're no longer feeling lucky right? Like I said before, you only won 'that' time cause I was weak. But since I'm okay, you can't even touch me! You hurt me and now it's my turn, so get ready little girl, for now it's MY turn to play!"

Motoko stands strong against her fearsome adversary. "Bring it on, I've defeated bigger and more strongest opponents then you!"

Vega laughs at the very idea. "Somehow, I doubt it…I can see it in your eyes girl…they show fear, and you know what, you're right! You should be afraid, because when I fight, I don't just beat my enemies. I kill them and drink their blood, and that's just what I'll do to you…I'll kill you and drink your sweet blood …with THIS!"

Then Vega takes out his claw, put it on his hand, and licks the blades. Motoko's now scared of this enemy:

She's thinking: _What do I do? He is indeed very powerful, he beat my moves and he moves fast…but I have to do something…but what?_

Vega taunts, "Are you ready girly? Cause here I come!"

"I'm not afraid of you jerk…do your worst!"

"And so I shall…" Vega proceeds to attack Motoko…Motoko's trying to dodge his attacks, but she isn't as skilled as Vega. Vega hits Motoko's chest with a couple of hard punches, two kicks to her stomach, two high roundhouse kicks to her face, and to finish, a strong sweep kick and she falls down.

Naru screams, "MOTOKO…PLEASE GET UP! DON'T SURRENDER!"

Shinobu cheers her on, "YOU CAN DO IT, MOTOKO!"

Kaolla Su cheers, "MOTOKO, MOTOKO, MOTOKOOO!"

Motoko's getting up; Vega sees it and prepares for his next attack. He regards his soon-to-be-defeated prey. "You are strong girl, I'll give you that…but, I have to finish this battle okay…so…"

Motoko weakly says, "I wont…give up…I won't lose…for Justice is on my side!"

Vega chuckles, "Justice…? Let's see if your Justice can save you…FROM THIS!"

With his claws Vega strikes Motoko, destroying her clothes in the process. She's trying to evade those attacks, but with little luck. Vega then jumps toward a wall, springs off it, and lands down on Motoko, grabbing her and performing his Rolling Izuna Drop special move - three spinning suplexes in a row. At the end, Motoko is lying on the floor, down for the count, her clothes almost gone.

Vega laughs triumphantly, "-Well, I guess that's it…now…" He turns his eyes on the other girls, hungry for blood. "Now that the big, bad girl is out of the way…" A luxurious smile appears on his face. "It's time for me to play…!"

The girls are scared now. Since their best girl Motoko is down, it means that they were at the mercy of Vega. Vega's walking slowly towards the girls. They crawl away from him; they were together and scared, like a bunch of little rabbits in front of a deadly Cobra. It seems that everything is lost for them…when:

Vega says excitedly, "Are you ready…? My, such fresh meat I'll have."

"Vega!" a girl's voice says out of thin air.

"What now…" Vega snarls. Who'd dare interrupt his 'playtime'? The nerve! He turns around and sees who it is…

And wishes he hadn't. "…YOU!" he exclaims.

Delia appears in the Front Door:

Vega's annoyed by her presence. "What do you want Delia? I'm busy here!"

Delia tells him, "Your presence is required at the RED CATS' Base…so come along."

Vega's surprised. "WHAT?…" He whimpers, pleading, "No! Come on! Just let me have a little fun with these rabbits and…!"

Delia gives him a cold stare, shutting him up. "Later, Vega. You can have your little fun later; now we must go."

"B-but…" Vega tries to object.

Delia intensifies her evil stare. "Must I repeat myself…Vega?"

Vega's skin turns pale from fright. "N-no…" Still shaking, he obediently complies, "…Of course not, you're the boss! Let's go then! Eheh heh heh!"

Delia returns to normal. "Good…" She looks toward the girls and bows apotigetically. "…Sorry for the troubles, little rabbits. Good night."

Vega follows Delia out of the Hinata Inn without saying anything. The girls are in awe of this mysterious girl; the dangerous man was actually SCARED of her! They didn't know why. Their uninvited guests disappear like ghosts; after that they check on Motoko and Keitaro.

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Meanwhile, in Nerima, R was looking for the Gymnastic Girl Kodachi, for he wanted to learn her secrets of "Poison Making".

"I have to find her. Once I do I'll just use the old 'R charm' on her, and she'll fall faster then a bouncing check," he says to himself while thinking of 'how' he'll actually find her.

Then, by luck, he hears a girl sobbing. This stops R in his tracks. He begins to scan the area, and what he finds intrigues him.

Kodachi was crying in front of a lake, for she has lost Ranma. After Ranma showed Kuno and Kodachi his 'true' self, Kodachi's world had crumbled. She, like her brother, was totally confused to the max. She loved Ranma, but hated the Red-harlot, but, he was the same person! This was bothering her a lot, she couldn't hate him cause he was his Ranma-darling, but on the other hand also couldn't love him cause he was that Red-Harlot. This was crushing her:

Kodachi sobs, "Oh! What do I do? My Ranma-darling is also the Red-Harlot, should I love him, or hate him…boo hoo, I'm so confused sniff…sniff!"

R was looking at this, and he's thinking: _This is very interesting; perhaps this will help a lot with my plan. She's hurt, for what reason I don't know why, but, this could be my opportunity!_

So R walks toward Kodachi, who was on her knees. When Kodachi hears someone she jumps up and turns around and sees R again. "You again! Why are you here?"

R says reassuringly, "Easy there, I'm just here cause I heard you crying, and came here to see what is wrong with you, that's all."

Kodachi looks up at him, her eyes red from crying earlier. "Why do you care? It's none of your business!"

"Aw, come on, don't be that way. You wanna talk about it?"

Kodachi sighs, "It's…about my Ranma-darling."

R blinks, "Ranma! What about him…did he do something to you? Hurt you?"

Kodachi sobs, "I don't know…I was in love with Ranma darling, and I hated this red-haired girl who looked like him… but then I found out that 'he' and that 'red harlot' are the same person!"

R's thinking: _Hmm, so it seems she didn't knew about that damn Ranma's 'curse'… _Aloud, he asks her, "So, what are you gonna do about it?"

Kodachi says wiping away her tears, "I wish I knew. Right now, I'm truly confused; I don't know what to do."

R cheerfully offers, "I know…how's about if I take you out for a nice, sweet ice cream, that will cheer you up…what do you say?"

Kodachi's confused by R's kindness. "But why…why are you being so nice to me?"

"Hey, a sweet, beautiful girl like you shouldn't be sad. Come on, this will be good for you."

After thinking it over, Kodachi smiles. "Very well, I accept."

R's pleased. "Good, I'm sure that this will take your mind off your problem."

"And R…Thank you."

R smiles back. "You're welcome…" _Perhaps after this, I'll ask her to teach me her secrets._

Kodachi:"-(thinking)- Hmmm, he's not half bad, he's definitely handsome, perhaps I can use him…with my sweet charms I can make good use of him!"

And so R's plan –(as well as Kodachi's)- was in progress.

* * *

In another part of Nerima, Akane and Ran were coming from the store after buying groceries, unaware that they were being watched by some Robots in the corners.

"There she is," the first robot says.

"I see her…" the second robot tells his comrade. "Okay, once they're in range, we'll snatch her."

"And then, the fun will begin!"

* * *

_**AT THE TENDO DOJO:**_

Ranma and company were waiting for Ran and Akane to come from the store:

Kasumi's a little worried. "Ran and Akane are sure taking long from that store, haven't they?"

Ranma assures her, "Don't worry Kasumi, I'm sure they're on their way. They probably had to take a little longer then usual."

Then, they see Ran enter the house. Ranma notices that Ran is kinda dizzy and hurt. He gasps, "Oh my God! Ran, what happened to you?"

Ran weakly says, "We…we were attacked."

"Attacked…? By who…? Wait a minute, Ran…where's Akane?"

"She was kidnapped by the ones who attacked us."

The whole family was in total shock, especially Soun Tendo. Bursting out into a flood of tears (as only Soun can!) he wails, "WHAT!? AKANE WAS KIDNAPPED? WAAAAAAHH, MY LITTLE BABY!"

"Oh no! but how did it happen Ran?" Genma asks.

Ran tells everyone, "Well, it happened like this…"

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_We were coming from the store when Akane saw this awesome car parked_:

Akane and Ran were walking from the store with some bags. "We have everything for supper Ran?"

Ran nods, "Yep. Now all we got to do is take them to Kasumi, so she can start cooking."

"Hey Ran, look at that!"

The girls saw a nice, awesome, blue fully-tuned Mazda RX-7 Type RZ parked on the corner; Akane and Ran look closer at it. "Hey, that's an awesome car! It looks cool!"

"Tell me about it Akane, but, what's it doing here?"

"You think that someone could have left it here?"

Ran's confused. "Now why would someone leave a high, priceless car here Akane?"

"Don't know…" Akane, snickers, smiling. "Hey Ran, how's about if we look closer."

"I don't know Akane, what if the owner of the car comes back?"

"Come on Ran, it will be fast…"

Ran's unsure. "Well…I suppose."

Unfortunately, the "car" in question had received its new body as a Christmas gift last year. And while "it" liked its previous chassis, the new one was made for blending in unnoticed, like today. And perfect for the trap "it" was about to spring on those two girls. Oooh! It even had airbags and a really kick-ass sound system! And at night, "it" could turn on its underbody neon lights (in seven different colors, no less!).

Then Akane hops inside the car and touches the steering wheel. She's in awe. "Wow Ran, it feels good…!" She imitates a race driver. "…look at me Ran, I'm the Drift Queen! Hahahaha!"

Ran giggles, "How funny…now hop out Akane and let's go before we get into trouble."

"Oh come on Ran, what kind of trouble would we get into?"

Suddenly, a pair of handcuffs appeared from the seat and grab Akane, and the car began to start by itself:

Akane's shocked. "Hey, what's going on here? I can't move! Ran, help me!"

Ran's got a REALLY bad feeling about this car; something's not right here. "What's happening? Is this car possessed or something?"

The car (!) laughs, "Ha ha haaa, we got her now!"

Akane's confused. "Who said that…? Was it this car…? No way!"

"Yes way! The car just talked Akane!"

"But how? It's only a car!"

Then, some sonic waves hit Ran from behind. Ran falls down. The car drives away with Akane inside, Ran tries to run after it, but a shadow jumps down on her and, the next thing she knows she wakes up and finds an envelope.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

"I found this envelope right next to me…" Ran hands it to Ranma. "…Ranma, it's for you."

Ranma grabs the note. "For me…what could it be?"

Then, he opens it and begins to read it…it says…

_To Ranma:_

_We have your lovely fiancé Akane. If you ever want to see her again and alive, come to the old Warehouse on the pier tonight at 9:30pm. Alone, or the girl gets it. Do you have the guts to save her? Hahahahahahaaaa!_

When Ranma finishes reading it, he's mad. "Why those…more so, if 'they' have the guts, once I go there and kick their sorry butts!"

Soun, grabbing Ranma's shoulders, sobs loudly, "RANMA, I'M BEGGING YOU! SAVE MY LITTLE AKANE!"

Kasumi cries, "Please, Ranma, you're the only one who can do it!"

Ranma says, "You bet I'll do it. I'll go and save her, and bring her back, I swear it!"

Soun bows gratefully. "THANK YOU RANMA!! THANK YOU, THANK YOUU!!"

Nodoka's proud of her manly son. "Oh my Ranma, not only is he Manly enough, but, brave enough! I'm so proud of you!"

"Go for it Ranma! Save Akane!" Ran encourages.

Ranma smiles at her. "You know me Ran…and besides, it's not the first time Akane's gotten kidnapped."

So Ranma gets prepared for tonight.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the old pier, Akane opens her eyes and sees that she's tied up in a chair, and then two robots approach her. She sees one robot that looks like a man-bat, the other one like a Robot-car:

"So, she's awake now." the Man-Bat says.

Akane's pissed off. "WHO ARE YOU? WHERE AM I?"

"Shut up!" the Robot-car snaps angrily. "You'll only talk when we tell you!"

"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT ME HERE?"

The Man-Bat laughs, "That's easy! You see, you're gonna be the bait that will lure Ranma here and we'll destroy him!"

"You? Yeah right, you think that two junk robots can defeat him? You're out of your mind!"

"On the contrary, girly, we are two of the most powerful robots Dr.Wily has! Ranma will fail, and you will witness it! Ha ha ha haaaaaa!"

Akane sadly thinks: _Ranma, please hurry!_"

9:27 pm…Ranma's running toward the pier at a fast rate…

_Hang in there Akane, I'll_ _save you!_, is the thought running through Ranma's mind. Then, he arrives at his destination, the warehouse at the old pier. Slowly, he walks inside, keeping his senses wide open. Then, he sees Akane on the top floor; she's tied up to a chair, and appears to be asleep:

Ranma's thinking: _There's Akane, she looks okay, and that's good…_ He yells, "AKANEEE!"

Akane, wakes up, overjoyed to see him. "RANMA! THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE!"

"DON'T WORRY AKANE, I'M HERE! I'LL SET YOU FREE…!"

Akane shakes her head. "WAIT RANMA, BE CAREFUL! IT'S A TRAP!"

Then, all the lights turn off, and all was semi-dark:

"What the... someone turned out the lights!" Ranma can barely see, then he senses an energy blast coming toward him and jumps away. He begins to look everywhere to see where it came from, but he couldn't see well, due to the obvious fact that it's dark in there:

Ranma's mad. "WHERE ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF!"

A voice somewhere in the darkness says, "Impressive. Even in the dark you managed to see my attack! You're good."

"ENOUGH WITH THE FLATTERY, SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Very well then…"

Then some lights turn on, and two robots appear on either side of Akane. Ranma sees that one robot looked like a bat, the other one like a car. "Who are you, why have you kidnapped Akane?"

The Man-Bat replies, "To destroy you Ranma, and, you may call me…" he strikes a sentai pose, introducing himself. "Shademan!"

The Car-Robot does likewise, striking a cool pose of his own. "And I'm… Turboman!"

Ranma's not impressed. "In that case, I'm Ranma Saotome, and if you don't release my fiancée you're gonna be broken junk!"

Shademan laughs, "Ha! You think that you can stand against us? If so, you're crazy!"

Turboman agrees with Shademan's assessment of their opponent. "You have little chance to survive against us, puny human!"

Ranma smirks, "Your buddies Slashman and Cutman thought the same as you, and me and Ran beat them good!"

Shademan snaps, "Only because those two were fools! We on the other hand aren't!"

Ranma says forcefully, "I don't care, release her at once!"

"Only if you beat us…" Turboman says, revving his engine loudly, ready for battle.

Ranma gets into his fighting stance. "And so I shall!"

Shademan commands, "GET HIM, MY PRETTYS! DESTROY HIM NOW!"

Then, from the corners, many round little bat-like robots charge against Ranma. _What the heck are those things? _Ranma thinks as they swarm around him. Then the little bat-like robots begin to attack him. Ranma's dodging their attacks, then he unleashes one of his moves…-" KATCHU-TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" Ranma yells and throws 345 punches at the many bat robots, knocking them all down. Shademan and Turboman were impressed:

"No way! How did he do that?" Shademan wonders aloud.

Turboman doesn't like where this is going. "Man, Slashman wasn't kidding when he said that boy possessed strange abilities."

"No matter! he's going down" Shademan says confidently, certain that victory would be theirs.

Ranma still standing after taking down Shademan's little friends. For him, that was just a warm-up. Now's he ready to deliver the hurt on the two robots that'd dared to kidnap his fiancée. "COME ON! ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT, OR ARE YOU GONNA BE SENDING MORE JUNK ROBOTS TO DO YOUR FIGHTING!"

NOW, Shademan's serious. "Alright…it's time that I take care of you…permanently!"

Ranma cracks his knuckles. "Bring it on, I'm waiting."

"Destroy him, then Wily will be pleased!" Turboman says.

Shademan takes to the air, and then from there begins his attack toward Ranma. He dives like a rocket trying to hit Ranma. Ranma's evading Shademan's attacks, but couldn't hit him, 'cause he was in the air.

Ranma's irritated. "Damn it…," he curses, then looks up at his oppponent. "HEY YOU! WHY DON'T YOU COME HERE AND FIGHT ME? OR ARE YOU AFRAID?"

Shademan taunts, "Ha, why should I be afraid? Besides, it's not MY fault you can't fly, so long as I'm in the air, you can't touch me! Hahahahaha!"

"We'll see about that Bat-boy! I haven't lost to anybody and I won't be defeated by you!"

"HA! Take this…!"

Then Shademan screams and unleashes his "Noise Crush"-, a destructive sonic wave at Ranma. Ranma sees this and jumps away, the attack destroys the boxes…and Shademan continues to throw more Noise Crush attacks. Ranma's getting tired and annoyed at his attacks:

Mad, Ranma thinks: _Man, there's gotta be way to stop him…but he's way up…how?_

Akane yells, encouraging him, "DON'T GIVE UP RANMA, I KNOW YOU'LL DO IT!"

Ranma sees some boxes and a long wooden board and an idea comes to him. _Hey, those boxes! I know what to do!_

"Ready to give up?" Shademan asks his victim.

"Not on your life jerk…get ready!"

When Shademan releases another Noise Crush, Ranma jumps and, using the board on the boxes, Ranma uses it as a catapult and launches himself into the air just inches away from Shademan.

Shademan's eyes widen in shock. "WHAT THE…!!"

"Surprise…! KYAAAAAAAA!"

Ranma strikes Shademan with a powerful uppercut, followed by a spinning kick to his head. Shademan goes down hard. In pain, he gets up slowly and glares at Ranma. He snarls, "You…how dare you…! Now you've made me very mad! I'm gonna break you apart!"

Ranma waves his outstretched hand at the wounded vampire-bot in a "bring it on!" gesture. "Well come on…I'm waiting!"

Akane cheers, "Way to go Ranma!"

"Damn, that human is really good…," Turboman says, awed at Ranma's skill. Then, he yells at Shademan, "YO, SHADEMAN! STOP WASTING TIME AND FINISH HIM OFF ALREADY!!"

Shademan tries to fly up, but his wings are damaged from Ranma's attack. So he charges at the pig-tailed boy, trying to slash him with his razor-sharp claws and feet. Ranma dodges them and hits Shademan with a jump kick in his jaws, then he delivers a strong spin kick and Shademan goes down again to the floor:

"What's the matter Bat-boy?" Ranma teases. "Not so tough when you're on the ground, are you?"

Hurt, Shademan's had enough. "THAT'S IT! I'M THROUGH PLAYING AROUND! NOW I'LL HAVE TO UNLEASH MY FURY!"

Then Shademan clicks a button and all the lights go out, leaving the warehouse in total darkness:

"Hey, what the…why did you turn out the lights?" Then, Ranma gets hit from behind. Since it was so dark, he couldn't see his target. He looks around. "Hey, where are you? Fight fair!"

Hiding in the shadows, Shademan's in his element. "Ha ha haaaa, you can't fight what you cannot see. You're in MY domain now jerk! See if you can see me, cause I can see you quite well! Ahahahahaa!!"

Ranma's being hit by Shademan, and he can't see him or fight back cause it was so dark. Turboman, using his robotic night-vision, was seeing all. He laughs, "Oh yeah, now he's done for! Shademan's got the upper hand now!"

Ranma's getting desperate, he has to think of something fast, or else that wild robot-bat would get him…

Ranma's thinking: _I gotta do something, but it's so dark, I can barely see myself…wait a minute…he must be using some kind of radar to find me, just like a real bat; I think I know what to do!_

Shademan sees that Ranma stops moving around and just stands there without moving at all… This confuses Shademan. _Why did he stop? No matter, I'll deliver the final blow and he'll be destroyed_, Shademan thinks, then he quickly flies toward Ranma.

Ranma begins to concentrate and wait…then, when Shademan was very close to Ranma, Ranma jumps away and Shademan passes right by him, crashing into a wall! Shademan gets up, confused_… _What the…how did he know…I'll try again!…and again runs in circles around Ranma, then, once again releases his Noise Crush on Ranma, only to have it being avoided by him… "NO WAY! How is he doing it!?" Shademan gasps, exclaiming.

Ranma smirks. "Easy, I just followed your movements"

"My what?"

"I might not be able to 'see' you, but I can hear your every word, every movement you made with my skilled ears."

Shademan doesn't believe it. "You lie!"

"Why don't you prove it then? Attack me!"

Shademan begins his attack once again, but Ranma using his ears evades all his attacks, Shademan was getting very frustrated at his failures. "Miserable human! Stand still damn it!"

Ranma's teasing him. "What's the matter…? Can't even touch me…? Now let's finish this fight!"

Shademan laughs, "Ha, and how are you gonna do that? You can't even find me, let alone hit me!"

"We'll see about that!"

Ranma begins to concentrate all his Ki into his body, generating a golden light that illuminates a small area around him. Shademan gets caught in it, and covers his eyes. "KYAAAAA… WHATS GOING ON HERE! I CAN'T SEE! WHAT IS THAT LIGHT?"

"This, Bat-Boy, is the power of my Ki…now let's see if you can hide now!"

Ranma launches himself toward Shademan, striking him with a combination of Punches and Kicks. Shademan, since martial arts wasn't in his programming, can't defend himself from the assault Ranma's throwing at him. Ranma then yells…-" MOUKO TAKABISHAAAA"-…firing a golden ball at Shademan. Upon contact, it explodes, and when the smoke clears Shademan is down.

Akane cheers, "ALL RIGHT RANMA! YOU DID IT! I KNEW YOU COULD!"

Ranma smiles at her. "Thanks Akane. Now let's get you down from there, okay?"

Suddenly, Turboman changes into his car form, and rams Ranma from behind. Ranma crashes into a wall of boxes, casing them to fall and land on Ranma, trapping him underneath.

"Hey…no fair…attacking from behind…coward!" a hurt Ranma says while trying to free himself.

Turboman changes back into robot mode, laughing. "Hahahaa…So sue me human…Shademan may have lost, but I won't! Say good bye to your cutie!"

Then Turboman walks toward Akane and begin to charge up his fire energy, revving his engine to redline! "Girly, you're about to get a serious sunburn, Hahahaha! Hope you brought lots and lots of suntan lotion…DIEEEEEEE!"

Then, he unleashes his Scorch Wheel attack toward Akane to burn her up! Ranma is desperately trying to get free from the boxes, but they were too heavy. Akane sees the spinning wheel of flame coming toward her and closes her eyes, bracing for the impact. It seems that she's going to die when, out of nowhere, a girl yells…-"TORNADO WIND"-…and a powerful tornado of ki appears and stops the flaming wheel.

Turboman gasps. "What the…what happened…who did that?"

Another girl's voice, this one younger than the first, says, "Attacking people who can't fight! Only cowards do that!"

Akane whispers, "Those voices…could it be?"

Two girls jump out and land beside Akane; one was a little taller then the other. Ranma and Akane recognize them:

Akane gasps. "Nat… Natsume, Kurumi!"

"Hey Akane, how's it going?" Natsume says.

Kurumi cheerefully says, "Been a long time, hasn't it?"

Turboman's annoyed by these newcomers. "HEY, WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?"

Natsume introduces herself. "If you must know…I am Natsume Tendo!"

Kurumi does likewise. "And I'm Kurumi Tendo!"

"I don't care who you are! How dare you stick your cute little noses where they don't belong?"

Kurumi faces the angry car-bot. "Hey, Akane's like our sister! We won't let you hurt her you piece of bolts!"

"That's so…well…I'LL JUST HAVE TO KILL YOU THREE THEN!"

Natsume defiantly says, "Go ahead, we're ready for you…Kurumi, let's show this walking hardware our skills!"

Then Turboman once again launches his Scorch Wheel at them, Natsumi jumps away, charging her ki and yells…-" ICE BEAM"-… and a horizontal beam of cold ki from her rug beater hits Turboman's weapon arm and freezes it:

Turboman's shocked. "NO, MY ARM! IT'S FROZEN…!!" He glares at the girls. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME? NOW I'M REALLY PISSED! I'M GONNA RUN YOU OVER LIKE ROADKILL! GET READY!"

Then he changes again into a car and runs toward the girls at top speed. Natsume and Kurumi beginto charge their Ki and yell together… "DRAGON SPIRAL!!"

A combination attack with her sister where Kurumi spins her ribbon creating a super heated "tunnel", Natsume then shoots forth a blast of cold chi, the opposing forces amplify into a powerful bolt of chi. It hits Turboman hard and sends him into the air, crashing into the wall and out into the ocean. After that they help Ranma and Akane:

Akane bows, "Thank you Natsume, Kurumi, for your help."

Ranma nods, "Yeah, thanks a lot."

Natsume tells them, "No problem, happy to oblige."

"Yeah!" Kurumi adds.

"But, how did you know?" Akane asks them.

Natsume replies, "Your family told us all about it and we decided to help. After all, we ARE family, aren't we?"

Akane nods. "Yes, yes we are."

Ranma's just glad the fight's over. "Now, how about if we go home?"

"Yeah, we have a lot of catching up to do!" Kurumi says excitedly.

Then, Shademan appears and grabs Akane, taking her up to the second floor:

"AKANE!" Natsume yells.

Ranma grits his teeth. "Oh man, doesn't that guy give up?"

Shademan's got Akane by her shoulders:

"LET ME GO!" Akane yells, struggling.

Shademan's eyes glow as he tries to hypnotize Akane into submission. "Listen girl! Now you will obey me…! Look into my eyes girl! Look into my eyes…! Look into my eyes…!"

Akane's irritated. "Oh yeah! Well…" She raises her fist. "…Look at my FIST! KYAAAAAAA!"

Shademan, wide-eyed, is about to say, "What the…!?"

Akane socks Shademan with a strong punch that sends him flying away into the ocean.

Ranma whistles, "Boy, way to go Akane!"

Natsume nods in agreement. "Yeah, nice punch."

"Thanks," Akane says.

* * *

_**WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE – GUILE'S OFFICE:**_

Colonel Guile was on his usual duties, when he gets another call. He answers the phone. "Hello?"

It's Chun-Li again. "_Hey Guile, this is Chun-Li. Listen, we may know where M. Bison is."_

Guile's interested. "Really…? That's good…so tell me."

"According_ to our intelligence there was a disturbance in a house by Vega, so, if this happened in Japan_…"

Guile interrupts, "That means that M. Bison is in Japan…right Chun-Li?"

Chun-Li agrees. "_Could be, but it's a clue, so what you do think Guile?"_

"I think that we're going to Japan…you're in Chun-Li?"

"_I'm in, I'll get in touch with my superiors and let them know._"

"You do that, while I call Cammy and Charlie…we're going to Japan."

* * *

_**AROUND THE SAME TIME, IN DR. LIGHT'S LABORATORY:**_

Dr. Light calls Megaman and Roll:

"You called, Dr. Light?" Megaman asks.

"I did," Dr. Light says. "I did some investigation and found something very interesting."

"What is it, Dr. Light?" Roll wants to know.

"When I searched in the news, I found a news article that Slashman and Cutman were seen in a house in a Shrine in Japan."

Megaman's wide-eyed at the news. "Slashman and Cutman?"

Roll speaks up. "Wait a minute, if this happened in Japan, could it be that…"

Megaman finshes his sister's statement. "…That Dr. Wily is in Japan…right, Dr. Light?"

Dr. Light nods. "Maybe. We're not sure, but, it's a start."

"Wow. Hey bro, what do you think?"

Megaman says, "I think that we need to go to Japan right now and find Wily!"

Roll nods happily "YEAH!"

Rush barks, "Yeah,yeah!"

Dr. Light says, "Well, I suppose that we must go and try to investigate further."

Megaman agrees. "Then it's settled…We're going to Japan."

* * *

In a temple somewhere in India, there is a bald man, wearing a necklace with three small skulls and red markings on his face. He is the Yoga master and mystic monk Dhalsim. He's meditating, when he senses something:

Dhalsim whispers, "There is something coming, something big, something…evil. I must investigate, for I fear that the whole world will be in danger."

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	17. Moving Day

CHAPTER 17

_**-"MOVING DAY; AKANE FINALLY LEARNS THE TRUTH!"-**_

At the RED CAT GANG's secret fortress….

Bass has just gotten off the phone with the RED CAT Soldiers at the new hideout. Then, he walks over to Dr. Wily. "Well, Doc, that was our forces at the new hideout. They've just finished unloading the cargo plane. Everything's ready!"

Dr. Wily is pleased. "Good. We leave for Japan at once! Now, if we could just get the Cat Ghost King on board…"

We can also see another plane, which resembles M. Bison's airship, except it has the RED CATS' insignia on the tail fin. Dr. Wily then looks over to where the Cat Ghost King's statue is. It is being carried by four of Wily's robots: Gutsman, Hardman, Stoneman, and Frostman. As they load it onto the airship, they accidentally bump the statue's head against the top of the airship's loading bay.

**BONK!!**

"OW! HEY! Watch it, you idiots! MEOW!" the Cat Statue hisses.

Gutsman, Hardman, Stoneman, and Frostman apologize. "Sorry, oh great Cat Ghost King!"

And Dr. Wily, Bass, Treble, Bubbleman, and the rest of Wily's robots board the RED CATS' airship. An hour later, the airship flies out from the secret fortress.

* * *

Meanwhile, in High Priest Erick Genryusai's secret lair….

Erick has learned about Dr. Wily's latest attempt to kill Ranma and is NOT pleased. Then, Delia enters and tells him that Wily, the Cat Ghost King, Bass, and the others have left for Japan. She notices how calm Erick is. He seems to be taking the news rather well. "Say, Erick, weren't you going to have a talk with Wily about that incident with Shademan and Turboman?"

Erick is sitting in his throne. "Heh, heh, heh… Don't worry about it, De-chan. I'll deal with Wily after we join him and the Cat Ghost King in Japan." He then yells, "GUARDS!"

Two RED CAT Soldiers enter the room. "Yes, Lord Erick!"

"Prepare our personal transport. We're going to Japan to meet up with the others. But first, we need to make a stop at "Hellfire Island", better known as Gokuentou."

The soldiers gasp at this! "G-Gokuentou? Lord Erick, why would you want to go to a place like THAT for?" the first one asks.

"That's right!" the second says. "Only one person lives there, and he isn't exactly expecting visitors! Those who go to Gokuentou seldom live to tell the tale!"

Erick tells them, "Because the third artifact we need in order to find the Phoenix Stone is there. As for that "one person" you were talking about? Today, he will finally meet his match! Now, GO!"

"We shall obey your orders, sir!" the soldiers respond in unison.

And the soldiers leave to prepare Erick and Delia's private airship.

* * *

Later that evening, Wily's airship landed in the woods outside Nerima. He and the RED CAT GANG have come to set up their new hideout in the woods. The airship's doors open, and many RED CAT soldiers come out and form a 2-line division. Bass and Treble step out first, followed by Bubbleman, and then the rest of Wily's robots. The last person to step out was Dr. Wily himself.

Then the Cat Ghost King's statue is brought out, once again carried by Gutsman, Hardman, Stoneman, and Frostman. As they unload it from the airship, they accidentally bump the statue's head again against the top of the airship's loading bay.

**BONK!!**

"OW! AGAIN! You're doing it on purpose aren't you meow?"

Fearful, the four strong-bots apologize, trying to ward off the Cat Ghost King's wrath. "No, no, no, no!"

"That's TWICE you goons clocked me in my royal head on that doorway meow! WELL?"

"But really, oh great Cat Ghost King! It was an accident!" Gutsman says.

"Yeah! Don't get so upset." Hardman says.

"That's right!" Stoneman adds.

Frostman (who's kinda slow AND stupid, by the way) says, "Duh, it was an accident, oh great one."

Stoneman sweatdrops. "Uhh….kinda late there, eh, Frosty?"

"An accident, huh? OK, then…" The statue's eyes glow brightly as dark clouds of energy appear overhead. We hear the sound of thunder, and then huge bolts of lightning strike all four robots!

"ACK!" All four robots fall over, unconscious, with little dizzy swirls in their eyes.

Dr. Wily says to the Cat Statue, "Ah,ah, your highness. If you keep on zapping the help, you won't have anyone to help you get your precious Phoenix Stone back." He sighs, "Oh, well… I'd better call R and tell him we're here. I haven't seen my boy in a while…"

* * *

The day starts off like any other for Ranma Saotome. Ranma spars with Genma, over the pond in the back of the Tendo Dojo. Ranma beats the old man (of course), and heads off to school with Akane and Ran. There, Kuno awaits Ranma so he may slay him – apparently he's still upset about finding out that Ranma and his beloved "Pig-Tailed-Girl" is the same person. Kuno is made unconscious by a kick to the head from Ranma. Then, wouldn't you know it; R decides to attack Ranma again. The day is then pretty much quiet until lunch...

R answers a call on his cell phone."Yeah, what's up?"

Dr. Wily's on the phone._ We're here. Your things from your apartment have already been moved. All you have to do move in and get settled. I trust you still have those instructions with the location of your new home, correct?_

"Yes, sir."

_Good. I'll talk with you later this evening._

"Yes, I'll be there. I might be late, though. I… have something I need to do first."

_Ah, I see… Very well, take your time. See you tonight._

"Thank you, sir."

And with that, he hangs up the cell phone. R lets out a long sigh.

* * *

It is now the afternoon. After school, R gets behind the wheel of his S2000 and drives into town. He stops by a local florist for a few minutes and then comes out carrying a long black box. He gets back into his car and just sits there for a moment.

At the same time, THE MCD (a.k.a Michael Angelus) is in town on his day off from running the REAL BOUT Martial Arts Bar & Grill. As he's walking, he notices a familiar face at the flower shop…. _Hey! That's R. Wonder what he's doing at that flower shop. Probably buying some flowers, of course, duh! But for whom? A young lady, perhaps? Nah. R doesn't exactly strike me as someone who can score with the ladies._

THE MCD gets closer, so he can get a good look at R without being seen, and notices the look on R's face. Or rather, the lack thereof. He has a calm, expressionless look, so the casual observer couldn't tell what R was feeling or thinking. But not THE MCD. With his power as Angelus, he is able to sense other people's emotions. _But…why is R so sad? Perhaps some girl dumped him. Again, that's not possible, 'cause R's not a chick magnet. No, wait…it's something else. I can sense it… He's feeling great loss, and great pain…. Could it be…?_

But before THE MCD can figure it out, R finally starts his car and drives off.

_Hey! He's leaving!_ Alound, he mutters, "Now where's that boy going? Sigh…I'd better follow him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble."

Now, THE MCD COULD transform into Michael Angelus and fly after R. But, choosing to be discreet about using his power out in public, because there were a lot of people (How would YOU react if somebody turned into an angel right before your eyes?), he summons a taxi instead.

"HEY! TAXI! OVER HERE!"

A taxicab pulls up to the curb in front of THE MCD. He gets in, and hands the driver a roll of yen bills. "Here. Follow that car," he says, pointing to R's car, "…but not too close, OK?"

The taxi pulls out following R through the city. They are driving for a good while, maybe about 30 or 45 minutes, until the red S2000 pulls up to the front entrance of a local cemetery. R then gets out of the car, and walks into the graveyard alone. The taxi that THE MCD rode in stops about five cars away from R's.

As he's getting out of the taxi, THE MCD says to the cab driver, "Thank you very much. Please keep the change."

The taxi leaves. Then, THE MCD follows R into the cemetery.

We see R walking through the graveyard, carrying the long black box with him. With all those tombstones and stuff there, it's very spooky, even in the daytime. But it doesn't seem to bother R at all. He stops by a tombstone marked for his parents. The inscription on the grave reads:

_"In memory of the parents who I never had the honor and privilege to know._"

R takes out the box, and opens it. Inside are two long-stemmed white roses. He then lays one rose on each grave.

R stands in front of the tombstone. He tries to think about all the joyous times he had with his family, but he can't. Why can't he remember his parents? Why can't he remember their names, their faces, or perhaps even their voices? The only person he could even remember was Dr. Wily, who claimed to be a friend of his father. After their deaths, it was Wily who took R in and raised him as his own son. Then he remembers someone, a girl with purple hair and a pigtail. Why does she seem familiar to him? Yet something about her makes him smile. The smile on his face shows for a little while, but it then disappears as soon as it reappears. After a while, R kneels down in front of his parents' grave and finally speaks…

"Hello, mother, father. Please don't worry about me. I…I am fine. Dr. Wily is taking good care of me. I just can't call him Dad or Pop yet, for some reason. I know he's a friend of yours, but still…."

THE MCD has been watching R from afar. He is surprised by what he hears.

"Huh?" Wily? _As in Doctor Albert W. Wily, that mad scientist? Uh oh, this can't be good…_

Totally unaware he's being watched, R continues. "Anyway, I just came by to see you one more time, before I leave. I… I just want to spend some time with you. When I woke up this morning, there was this feeling in the back of my head that I should be remembering something, or someone. I barely even know you. What does that mean? I don't know. That's why I came to see you. I'm told that it's not those final moments that matter. It's all those other things that you remember about those people that are important. I guess it's not so much that I can't remember your faces, but what that means. When Mr. Director told me that you died, I felt nothing at all. No grief whatsoever. Why is that? But still I wonder. I wonder what you two were like. I wonder about you, father, what kind of man you were, if you really were the great fighter Mr. Director said you were. You are the kind of warrior that I strive to be. I wonder about you too, mother. Why is it that I can't remember anything about you? Your tender scent, your loving heart, your warm embrace, not even your beautiful face! And what about that girl, father? You know, the one with the purple hair and the pigtail? What about her? Is she some relation to me? I don't know. I guess…what I'm trying to say…. what I'm asking you, is…is…"

R is trying to hold back his emotions, his eyes watering.

"Could you…tell me who I am? Because I don't know. All I know how to do is fight. My two fists were the only way for me to survive. All I know is that you're not here and I'm on my own, alone, with no one beside me! All I know is I have to find this guy Ranma Saotome and kill him! But is there another way? Tell me what I'm supposed to do! Oh God! I miss you so much! But how you can leave someone you love I just don't understand! Who was there to wipe my tears away? Huh? Who decided not to show up when I won my first tournament?" R sounds upset, with a hint of anger and bitterness in his voice. "So ya'll tell ME what am I supposed to do!! I…I just need to hear from you…. At this R breaks down, and weeps bitterly.

THE MCD is deeply moved by this scene. He is seeing a side of R that no one else would have seen. This cold, ruthless, young man that THE MCD fought earlier is deep down, a lonely and confused child. And that makes him vulnerable to whatever evil scheme this Dr. Wily might be planning for him. Or even worse, what THE MCD's rival Erick Genryusai and the Cat Ghost King plan to do with him!

After a few minutes, R seems to regain his composure. He keeps talking. "But I guess you can't tell me, can you? It's too late now, you say? Very well, then. All I can do for you now is this – to avenge your honor, I will kill Ranma Saotome and seize control of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts. Only then, can your souls truly rest in peace, and maybe, I can get on with my life. This is my promise to you, my father, and my mother. I swear it on your graves!" He clenches his fists as he ignites a dark purple flame in it. An aura of intense rage surrounds him!

R then gets up and leaves the gravesite. He turns to look at it one more time. "Goodbye, mother. Goodbye, father. I know you might not approve, but this is the path I have chosen to walk. Where I walk, I walk alone. Where I fight, I fight alone. This is the way it has to be. Farewell."

And with that, R leaves the cemetery.

THE MCD watches R leave the graveyard. Now he's REALLY worried about R. Now, more than ever, he is determined to keep R out of the clutches of that terrible trio of the Cat Ghost King, his High Priest Erick Genryusai, and Dr. Wily!

* * *

Later, we see R behind the wheel of his S2000. Following the directions Dr. Wily gave him, R drives up to his new home, a large mansion residence in the woods outside Nerima. Few people ever go there, so it's perfect for him. It allows him to concentrate on his efforts to kill Ranma. He pulls up to the gate and rings the remote doorbell. A RED CAT soldier answers through a two-way speaker at the gate. "Yes?"

"It's me," R replies.

"Me who?"

"It's R, you IDIOT!"

"Oh! Wait! Uhh…how do I know it's really you? You could be someone trying to impersonate Lord R. Gotta be careful, you know. Now, if you want to enter, you've got to answer five questions…"

"Wait a minute! I thought it was THREE questions!"

"Oh, right, three questions. Then, I'll open the gate and let you in."

"Ugh….Fine, ask me the stupid questions."

"What…. is your name?"

"It's Lord R, soldier of the RED CAT GANG."

"What…. is your mission?"

"To kill Ranma Saotome and seize control of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts!

"What…. is your favorite color?"

"Red…" R smiles evilly. "Like the color of my fists once I stain them with your blood!"

The RED CAT Soldier freaks out when he realizes it really IS R. "ACK! Err…right. Off you go then."

"Finally! Geez!" R says exasperatedly.

The gate opens, and R drives through it onto a long driveway. As he's driving, we get to see the mansion. It's huge, and definitely bigger than Kuno's! R parks in front of the main entrance and steps out of the car. Two RED CAT Soldiers arrive and R hands them the valet key so they can park his car in the garage. "Be careful parking my car. You break it, and I break you. Got it?"

Fearfully, the RED CAT Soldiers reply, "Yes, Lord R!"

And they scurry away to obey R's order. Then, the RED CAT Soldier Onekomaru shows up. "Greetings, Lord R! We're so glad you've returned. Lord Wily is expecting you."

"Yeah, well, I've had a hard day, and I'd like to rest up first before I meet with the boss."

"Yes, follow me, sir. I'll give you the grand tour of the place!"

And so R and Onekomaru enter the mansion grounds.

R whistles. "Oh, yeah. That's sweet."

Indeed, it is. The mansion is a large place, with a swimming pool, a big garage where R keeps all the different cars he drives, and in the back of the estate an elaborate and beautiful rose garden where R grows the roses he uses to make his "White Rose Throwing Darts". And up in the mountains behind the mansion is a mysterious shrine…

After showing R around the entire mansion, Onekomaru then takes R to his room. R found it quite comfortable. It is an exact look-alike of the bedroom in R's apartment, except it's much larger. The room is fully furnished, with leather furniture, a table made out of black marble, and a king-sized bed with red silk sheets. R can see that the phone and laptop computer are still there, and even the flat-screen TV, with a PlayStation 2 hooked up to it too!

After Onekomaru leaves, R gets settled in and lies down on the bed for a snooze. While he sleeps, R is haunted by a strange vision….

-(DREAM SEQUENCE)-

R has just received a message from his creator and foster father Dr. Wily. It seems someone just stole the Phoenix Stone from the vault. Even worse, the thief is one of his fellow soldiers! Wily's order to R is simple: Get the Phoenix Stone back, and kill the person responsible for taking it. He puts on his armor, and goes out to find this person…..

Suddenly the vision changes, and now R is running through the woods chasing after this traitor. The person is quick, but R is quicker. He then leaps from treetop to treetop in hot pursuit! Then, R leaps through the air, right over the person's head and lands right in front of the individual! He's got this guy where he wants him….

Only it's not a guy!

It's really a girl! Her hair is purple with pink and she's wearing it in a pigtail. THIS is the person he's after? R gets the feeling he knows this girl. But he draws his sword, which shines in the pale moonlight. An evil aura surrounds him. The girl gets into a fighting stance, ready to fight him. Then he speaks…

"I hate to do this to you, but orders are orders. Surrender, and return the Phoenix Stone, NOW!"

The girl replies, "But, I…I can't! If I do, then you'll be…."

"Then, you will die. We of the RED CAT GANG do not tolerate traitors. You must be dealt with."

Fearful, the girl says, "No, please! Don't do this! You have to let me escape, or you'll be in terrible danger!

"ENOUGH! I have my orders!" R charges toward the girl with frightening speed!

She screams, "BROTHER, NO!!"

The last thing R hears is the sound of a sword cutting something…..

Then the vision changes again. R is still chasing the girl. Eventually, they reach a cliff, and it's just him and her, alone. R sees that the girl is trapped between the cold water below the cliff and the business end of his sword pointed right at her. "OK, this is your final opportunity. Give me that stone."

"I can't! Please…Don't do this!" the girl pleads.

R walks toward her menacingly, with his sword still pointed at her. "Look, I don't want to hurt you, OK? Just…give it to me. It'll be okay. We'll go back to Dr. Wily, and tell him what happened…"

"You don't understand! Dr. Wily is…"

Before R can find out what she's about to say, the ground underneath the girl collapses, and she falls off the cliff!!

The girl screams while falling, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!! BROTHER! HELP MEEEEEEEE……….!!"

R screams, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" R suddenly wakes up! He looks rather annoyed. "Ah, damn it. It's that same dream... again... What could it mean?"

He sits up and contemplates it. THINK, R, THINK! Why am I having these strange dreams? That girl… Something happened to her, and I was the one who did it! Could I have…. No, I couldn't have!

R's body jerks as the vision of that girl falling off that cliff flashes through the forefront of his mind.

"AHHH!! NO!"

R's eyes snap open after the initial shock. He starts breathing heavily to calm himself. Then R hears a knock at the door…

It's Onekomaru. "Lord R? Lord Wily wants to see you right now."

"Uh…yeah. I'm coming." R gets up, gets himself together, and leaves his room. He goes into the spacious living room of his mansion, where Dr. Wily is waiting for him.

Wily walks over to R. "R! It's good to see you again, my boy!" He gives R a hug. "How are you doing?"

R is rather surprised by this show of affection. "Uhh…fine, Doc."

Dr. Wily looks R over and proudly says, "Look at you. You've grown since I last saw you." He pretends to cry, "Oh, if only your dear father could see you now! Boo hoo hoo! He and I were good friends, you know."

"You know, sir, I've been meaning to ask you about that. Just how do you really know my parents…"

"Oh, come now, R! We can reminisce about old times later. Beside, we have work to do. And, there's still the matter of Ranma Saotome…."

"I already thought of that, sir. In fact, I'm working on a new plan right now. Ranma will be defeated and I will be the true master of "Anything-Goes Martial Arts"!"

"Good. See that you do. And R?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I'll expect you to give me results next time," Dr. Wily says seriously.

"Yes, sir," R replies

"Now that's more like it!" Dr. Wily decides to changes the subject. "So, how's school?

"Same ol', same ol'. Only…"

"Only what?"

"Well, sir… you see, I met this girl…"

"Ah! A girl! That's nice. So, what's she like?"

"Well, she's… cute, and uh, she's got purple hair and a pigtail…"

Dr. Wily gets nervous when R describes the girl he met at school. That sounds like Ran!

R continues, "I thought she was kinda annoying at first, but she seemed really nice. I had forgotten to bring my lunch, so she shared hers with me…"

Dr. Wily has heard enough. He interrupts R.

Wily is serious. "R. Listen to me carefully. You must NEVER see that girl again. NEVER, you hear?"

"What? Why?" R objects.

"Because if you do, bad things will happen. Trust me on this, my boy. Anyway, I'd better go now. The old man gets an idea. "Say, R… did she tell you anything?"

"Nothing real important, but she did mention she was staying at the Tendo Dojo. She hangs out with Saotome."

Dr. Wily thinks: The Tendo Dojo, eh? I'd better tell Erick about this! Aloud, he says to R, "Thank you, R. That's all I needed to know."

And so, Dr. Wily tries to leave. R stops him. "Wait! That girl…you seem to know her. Who is she?"

"R, I'm telling you this for your own good. Forget about her, OK? Now, I must go. I'll talk with you later." Dr. Wily leaves.

With Wily gone, R is by himself, alone in his mansion. He wonders why Dr. Wily got so nervous at the mention of Ran. And what was the real reason he didn't want R to see her again? It arouses his curiosity.

But R can't worry about it now. He must get back to work…he must kill Ranma Saotome….

* * *

The RED CAT GANG arrives in Japan, and installs itself in a large mansion, where R now lives. In the back of the mansion there was a mountain where a mysterious shrine was located… In that shrine was the statue of the Cat Ghost King, the feline leader of the RED CATS.

They were preparing everything for their 'new secret base', when the Airship of the Red Cats landed. Many RED CAT Soldiers appeare and receive Erick and Delia, along with a 'new' member…Erick was carrying some sort of old box…

Once inside the shrine, the Cat Statue welcomes them. "Greetings Erick! You're back early…did you get the object that you seek?"

"Sure did…here it is." Erick shows the statue the box. "Have the others arrived yet?"

"No, not yet meow."

"I'm sure they'll be back." Delia says.

R was enjoying his new 'home', or mansion…

Happy, R says approvingly, "This new home sure is cool. A guy could get used to this style of living …" His cell phone rings. "…Hello?"

He hears Delia's voice. R_, your presence is needed. Come to the shrine immediately._

R's frustrated. "Urgg…I'm on my way…" He puts the phone away. "Wonder what they want now?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Tendo Dojo, they were having a good conversation with Natsume and Kurumi:

Soun welcomes the two girls. "It's so good to see you two again, girls. How are you doing?"

Natsume bows. "We've been doing fine, thank you for asking."

"It's also good to see you too guys…," Kurumi says looking over to Ranma and Akane.

"Same here." Ranma replies.

Kurumi says, "Say, we've met Ran, but, she says she doesn't remember anything about her past, is that right?"

Akane tells her, "Yeah, Ran doesn't know anything about her origins, It's like she's suffering from amnesia."

"So how DID you meet her?" Natsume aski

"It happened like this…" So Ranma explains to Natsume and Kurumi all about how they met Ran, at the end:

Natsumi's sorry. "Geez, and we though we had it hard! At least we have our memories of our past and know who we are. You can't even remember your own."

Kurumi nods, "Yeah. Not knowing anything about your past, to think if it's real or not, that must be hard on you, Ran."

Ran says, "It is…but, I'm with Ranma, and the Tendos and Saotomes, especially Mrs. Saotome. She treats me like a daughter."

Natsumi cheers. "Well, any friends of Ranma and our family, is a friend of ours…right, Kurumi?"

Kurumi's happy. "Yeah, you'll be like our sister! What do you say, Ran?"

Ran's crying happily. "Oh thank you guys, I don't know what to say…but that I'm very happy. I may not know my past, but I love the present…and you guys too."  
Ranma aw-shucks at Ran's gratitude. "Come on, Ran, you're making us blush!"

Kasumi says to everyone gathered, "Now, how about a big dinner for this occasion?"

"YEAAAAAAAA!" they all cheer.

* * *

In the New Secret Base of the RED CATS, Erick was having a 'serious' talk with Dr. Wily. He found out all about Dr. Wily's scheme to eliminate Ranma behind his back, without his permission, also that he called him stupid. Erick was holding the old scientist by his neck, and lifted him up with one hand like he was nothing, then he addresses to him:

Dr. Wily implores, "Please, Erick! I only did it to help you guys by getting rid of that cursed Ranma!"

Erick shakes his head, calmly saying, "Wily, Wily, Wily…you sure are one stubborn and stupid man…and, you didn't do it for us, no way. You did it out of vengeance. Not only did your robots fail, but you also failed…But that's not the reason for this…"

Dr. Wily gulps. "It isn't?"

"Nope…it's because of this…"

Then Delia plays a tape, and the voice of Dr. Wily saying…-" _I'm tired of waiting to eliminate that cursed Ranma, I don't care what that __**stupid High Jerk Erick says**__…go and kill Ranma!"-… _When the tape ends, Wily's now sweating like a pig:

Dr. Wily, scared, laughs, "He he heeee…I was only joking, Erick! I didn't mean it! Can't you take a joke? He he heee!"

Erick is serious, DEADLY serious. "I'm not much into comedy, Dr. Wily…"Stupid" you call me, eh? When the greatest of them all "YOU", disobeys his orders, breaks the rules, AND insults me!"

Bass whispers to R, "Guess the old man is screwed this time."

R whispers back, "Guess it is…never did like him anyway."

Erick continues, "So, Dr. Wily…listen good, OK? Ancient Chinese proverb_…-" Insult me once,_ _shame on you…Insult me twice_,…" His eyes are glowing red like hellfire! "…_I'll skin you alive and burn you_ _up!!_"-… Is that clear…Doctor?"

Dr. Wily screams in fear, "YES, YES, I UNDERSTAND…!! CLEAR AS WATER!!"

Erick returns to normal. "Good."

Erick releases Wily…then, Onekomaru comes in. "Excuse me, Lord Erick."

"What is it, Onekomaru?"

"I'm here to inform you that the party groups have arrived."

"They're back? Very well, then we must go and see the treasures they obtained."

"Thank you, Onekomaru." Delia says to the loyal RED CAT Soldier.

Onekomaru bows. "Always a pleasure, Delia."

Then they go to the Secret Shrine, where the Cat Ghost King's Statue resides. Then, the groups that went to hunt for the items return. Erick greets them. "Gentlemen, welcome back, I hope that you managed to find the items and brought them here."

M. Bison takes out a precious, golden sword and Sagat hands over some old scrolls:

Erick's pleased. "Good, you've all done well…I hope that there wasn't any 'problems' obtaining them…Sagat, did those Amazons gave you a fight for it?"

Sagat, the Emperor of Muay Thai, proudly sneers, "Ha! No problems whatsoever. It was easy."

Adon laughs, "Yeah, piece of cake!"

Ha, those miserable women didn't stand a chance against us!" Gutsman says.

None whatsoever." Metalman says.

Erick turns to Bison's group. "And you, M. Bison…did you have trouble dealing with those Phoenix People?"

Bison laughs, "Ha ha haaa…those puny bird people didn't stand a chance against me, and that Saffron person? Ha, I was very disappointed!"

Erick lifting an eyebrow. "Oh! How come, Bison?"

Bison seems frustrated. "I was hoping to fight the great God Saffron that Ranma fought, and all I found was a little kid."

Erick tells the High Lord of Shadowloo (after the fact!), "Well, Saffron did revert to an infant after his defeat at Ranma Saotome's hands… so what did you do, Bison?"

Bison laughs evilly, "Well, let's just say that Saffron kid will not reach puberty. Ha ha ha haaaa!"

"So you killed him," Delia says with no emotion whatsoever.

"Along with all those who dared to stand in my way!"

Elecman boats, "We sure lit up their lives didn't we? Hahaha!"

Sparkman agrees, "It was a very "Shocking" experience for them to mess with us Hahahaha!"

Erick then tells everyone assembled, "Okay people…now that we have the 3 items…the next phase of the plans will be up… Oh, "one more thing"…I've met this fighter that could really come in handy for this mission."

"Who?" M. Bison wonders aloud.

Erick gestures to his beloved assistant. "Delia, if you please."

Delia calls him and a man emerges from the shadows. When everyone sees him, they gasp…the person is dressed in a black, sleeveless Shotokan uniform, with the sign of Ten on his back, his hair was red and sticking up in the air, and had eyes as red as blood…for it is…

M. Bison recognizes the man immediately. "AKUMA! What's HE doing here?"

Erick casually tells him, "Oh, Akuma is here 'cause he's our new member."

"But why him?" Balrog asks.

Delia explais, "Akuma is an extraordinary fighter, and very sharp."

Vega doesn't buy this one bit. "But Akuma? Come on! The guy is a total assassin, a cold-hearted fighter who doesn't give a rat's ass who his opponents are! This guy kills his rivals, and doesn't care about dying and…"

Erick interrupts him. "Those are the qualities that we need here. That's why I recruited him, for he has all those qualities."

Vega tries to convince Erick that this is a VERY BAD idea. "But, he doesn't even obey anyone! He only cares for himself and the fight! He'll turn on us and you!"

Erick assures him, "Not to worry, Vega. I made a deal with him."

Bison is curious. What could Erick possibly offer the "Master of the Fist"? "A deal, with HIM? What kind of a deal?"

"I promised him that I could give him a match that would be very pleasing for him…a match against anyone he desired, whether human…or monster."

"And… he agreed?"

"Yes…well, that and… thanks to a spell, he's under MY control."

And lo, did M. Bison smile. "You don't say…Interesting, ha!"

"Very well, gentlemen…let's take a little break for now. Go and relax, we'll call you for the next phase of the plans…okay?"

* * *

Ryoga was walking toward the Tendo Dojo (for once!). He was still angry with Ranma for 'stealing' his love Akane:

A pissed-off Ryoga mutters, "Wait till I get that Ranma, I'll kill him! I'll make him suffer the same way I did! Just you wait Ranma!"

Then, he arrives at last, when he enters the house and sees Ranma, Akane, Ran, Natsumi and Kurumi playing a game of "Twister"-…then, without warning Ryoga launches himself toward Ranma screaming…-"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIEEEE!"-…

Ranma senses someone, turns around to see Ryoga coming toward him, and evades his attack:

NOW, Ranma's mad. "You again, Ryoga? What are you doing here?"

Ryoga roars, "I'VE COME HERE TO KILL YOU, YOU MISERABLE BASTARD, FOR STEALING AKANE AWAY FROM ME!"

"You are one big stubborn moron, you know that!?"

"SHUT UP AND DIE!"

Then, Akane sees Ryoga and she stands in front of Ranma(!) with a mean look. Ryoga notices this, and so taunts his eternal rival. "NOW ARE YOU GONNA HIDE BEHIND AKANE, LIKE THE COWARD YOU ARE?"

Akane says in a mean voice (usually, before she'd bash Ranma with Mallet-sama back in the day), "Ryoga, you have the nerve to show yourself here after what you've done!

Ryoga blinks. "What… I did?"

"I heard that you were about to kill some innocent little children with your attack! I don't know why you did it, but THAT is very dishonorable."

Ryoga protests, "No, you've got it all wrong Akane!"

"Oh! Do I?"

Ryoga accuses, "It was all Ranma's fault! He's the reason for it!"

"His fault…HIS FAULT…? EXACTLY HOW WAS IT HIS FAULT?"

"He stole you from me, Akane! I was defending your love, because I really love you. Ranma doesn't deserve you!"

Akane's annoyed. "Ryoga, how many times I must tell you…I don't love you, I love Ranma, can't you just accept it?"

Ryoga STILL doesn't get it. "NO, YOU'RE JUST CONFUSED, AKANE! WHY CAN'T YOU OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE THAT I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT TRULY LOVES YOU!? THAT BAKA RANMA DOESN'T! HE IS A LIAR, CHEATER, A PERSON WHO DESTROYS EVERYONE'S LIVES, AND…"

**SMACK!**

Ryoga is shut up by a hard slap from Akane. Ryoga's shocked:

"A…Akane…? Why?" Ryoga says while rubbing his cheek.

Akane's mad. "Listen Ryoga, I will not let you insult Ranma. He has proven that he is indeed an honorable fighter to my family and to me. He's always been loyal to me and helped me every time that I needed him, so you better watch your mouth."

Ran adds, "And besides, you say that Ranma is a liar and dishonorable man…right, Ryoga?"

Ryoga answers angrily, "DAMN RIGHT HE IS!"

Ran questions him further, "And you say that you 'truly' love Akane?"

Ryoga, with all the honesty and sincerity he can summon, declares, "With all my heart and soul!"

Ran poses another question. "And…that you were always honest with Akane?"

"Yes…I have ALWAYS been honest with her…unlike that stupid Ranma!"

Ran delivers the decisive blow, the make-or-break question. "If so, Ryoga…does Akane know your 'little secret'?"

"Secret? What secret?" Akane wanted to know.

Ran, with a knowing gleam in her eyes, tells Akane, "Oh! It just so happens that Ryoga has a little secret…a little one…isn't that right Ryoga?"

Ryoga begins to panic, for he KNOWS what Ran is talking about:

The Eternal Lost Boy starts sweating. "Um…I…what secret?"

Akane's intrigued. "What secret is Ran talking about Ryoga?"

Ryoga stammers, "I…I…don't know what she's talking about!"

Ran says plainly, "Really, Ryoga…Everyone who knows you knows your secret…except Akane…Why don't you tell her, Ryoga, IF you claim that you love her."

Ranma faces his longtime rival, looking him dead in the eye. THIS moment has been a LONG time in coming. "Yeah, Ryoga…its time we put our cards on the table."

Ran nudges Ryoga:" Come on, Ryoga…it's like an old saying…-"_An honest man has nothing to fear_", so come on, you wouldn't keep any secrets from Akane would you? Tell her."

"Or do you want ME to tell her, Ryoga…Your choice." Ranma says seriously.

Ryoga is in a tight situation; all the people are watching him, Akane was waiting for an explanation…then, he decides to run away, yelling…-"DAMN YOU RANMA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" And he'd almost made it to the door, when Natsume stops him with her ribbon. When he was stopped, he looks up to face Akane

Akane has her arms folded across her chest; she's waiting for a explainatiuon. "Okay, Ryoga, tell me what is this secret Ran's talking about."

Ryoga tries to explain things to her, but the words just won't come out of his mouth. "I…It…it's like this…I…"

"Last chance, Ryoga," Ranma says. "Are you gonna tell her…or do I?"

Ryoga yells, "SHUT UP, RANMA!"

Then by accident, Kasumi walks in with the water bucket and tosses it outside, splashing Ryoga with it. Ryoga changes into a little black pig in front of everyone (no surprise there), and especially…in front of Akane… (oooh yeah, BIG, BIG surprise there!!).

Akane sees that Ryoga disappeared and in his place (or in this case, at her feet) is her lovable pet piglet P-Chan.

Akane is shocked beyond belief. "Ryo…Ryo…Ryoga…Ryoga changed, into a pig…! Into P-chan!"

Ranma finally confesses. "That's right, Akane. Ryoga here has a Jusenkyo Curse, and his curse is that he changes into a little pig."

Akane, still shocked, sees her little pig that she considers her mascot…and found out that it was Ryoga. She begins to get VERY angry…after they pour hot water, Ryoga changes back into a man…but NOW he has lots of explaining to do…especially to Akane:

Akane's getting steamed, and we're talking bash-you-over-the-head-or-boot-you-to-the-sky here! Her raging battle aura is on at full blast! "RYOGA…CARE TO EXPLAIN ABOUT THIS…!?"

Ryoga's sweating big time. "It's true…A..a…Akane, but it was all Ranma's fault!"

"HIS FAULT?" Akane yells.

"YEAH, HE PUSHED ME INTO THAT CURSED SPRING! IT'S BECAUSE OF HIM THAT I HAVE THIS CURSE! HE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL!!"

"That doesn't explain this!" She turns to Ranma. "You knew, Ranma, and didn't tell me?"

Ranma hangs his head, ashamed. "It's true, Akane, but because it was MY fault that he got cursed, I made a promise to Ryoga in keeping his secret…I thought that he would tell you."

"I see…" Akane says calmly. THEN glaring at Ryoga with an impending urge to mallet him into the ground, she asks, "So why didn't you tell me Ryoga?"

Nervous, Ryoga replies, "Look, Akane…I…I know I can explain…but it's like this…I needed to be close to you to protect you, to look after you. I was always there for you."

Akane's angry now. "YOU STILL HAVENT ANSWERED MY QUESTION RYOGA! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT **YOU** WERE P-CHAN?"

Ryoga looks down. "Because…" his voice trails to a whisper. "I was afraid that you would be mad at me."

Akane snarls, "So instead of telling me the truth you decided to be quiet…AND YOU CALLED RANMA A DISHONORABLE JERK! HE, WHO KEPT HIS PROMISE TO YOU WHILE YOU USED THAT PROMISE FOR YOUR OWN ADVANTAGE…!"

Then, something came to Akane's mind…she began to have images of her with P-chan sharing the bed together and all the times that she had P-chan with her, Akane's eyes went wide in shock:

Akane's wide-eyed, shocked at this EXTREMELY LONG-OVERDUE revelation. Her voice wavers, her lips trembling, " …and you saw me naked, slept with me, and you didn't do anything but kept feeling me…!" She starts to cry, "How could you Ryoga?"

Ryoga apologizes. "I didn't mean that Akane, really, I'm sorry!"

Akane can't believe this. Ryoga has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what he's done to her all these years. And she'd thought of him as a friend! But him…and P-Chan…! And all he can say is "I'm sorry"!? " You're sorry…YOU'RE SORRY…?"

Ryoga braves taking a step toward her. "Please Akane, let's talk about it!"

Akane backs away. "No…there is nothing to talk about." She points her finger toward Ryoga. "…You, Ryoga, betrayed my trust, betrayed our friendship…and most of all…you betrayed ME!"

Ryoga pleads, "No, Akane, that's not true!"

Akane whirls on him angrily. "IT IS SO…! YOU ARE A COWARD RYOGA…AND YOU HAD THE COURAGE TO INSULT RANMA…! RANMA HERE FACES HIS PROBLEMS, WHILE YOU RUN AWAY FROM THEM…! HE WAS ALWAYS HONEST WITH ME, YOU'D BEEN LYING TO ME, AND HE ACCEPTS HIS PROBLEMS! YOU SHIFT YOUR PROBLEMS ONTO RANMA!"

Every word that Akane's saying to Ryoga was like a knife twisting into his heart. It was as if Akane, sweet, lovely, gorgeous, beautiful, sexy(!) Akane, the girl he'd loved with every ounce of his being, the girl he would have died, gone to hell, up to heaven and back for, had taken the mallet she'd use to bash Ranma over the head with and instead used it on his fragile heart of glass … smashing it into pieces, over and over violently, until there's nothing left but fine powder to be ground into the dirt or blown away into the wind. When it's all said and done, at the end Akane is furious with Ryoga.

She's beyond angry. "Ryoga…I don't ever want to see you here. You're not welcome here ever again! I despise you…I HATE YOU!"

Akane then hugs Ranma, crying on his shoulder. Ryoga's world and dreams are now –finally, one would say! - shattered in front of him…the love that he hoped to have faded away forever…he tries to beg Akane for forgiveness:

Ryoga makes one last plea. "Please Akane…would you listen to me…"

Akane does not even look at him. Won't look at him. Not after what he's done, the pain he's caused her. So without looking at him, still crying and holding Ranma, she sobs angrily. "MAKE HIM GO AWAY, RANMA! HE MAKES ME SICK…! GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!"

Ryoga Hibiki is FINALLY defeated, folks. He doesn't even yell his usual -"_Damn you Ranma, this is_ _your fault, prepare to die_"- routine…cause he was so UTTERLY destroyed on the inside that he didn't have the strength to do it. Instead, he just walks away from the Tendo Dojo, and from his lost love. Ranma feels sorry for him; he didn't deserve that. Ryoga, now more lost than ever, walks away without knowing where he was going.

Meanwhile, a hidden camera watched the tragic scene.

* * *

In the 'new' Secret Base of the Red Cat Gang…Erick, Delia, and Onekomaru watch the scene of poor Ryoga and see him walking away…

Erick thoughtfully says, "My, my…what a tragic scene, wouldn't you agree Delia-chan?"

Delia nods. "Yes…poor boy…I feel sorry for him."

"To lose it all because of pride, lust, and selfishness…hahahaha…truly for the Soap Operas."

Onekomaru laughs, "They oughta make it into a movie…that jerk would win an Oscar!"

Delia chuckles "Quite so."

Erick muses, "Poor boy indeed…his soul is shattered, his heart crushed, his hopes and dreams gone for eternity, he is a living dead man… right now he's living a life worse then hell."

"I see…you're right." Delia says.

Then Erick gets an idea. A really EVIL idea. "Hmmm…perhaps M. Bison would make good use for that Hibiki boy."

"How so, Erick my sweet?"

"You'll see Delia-chan…hahahaha…. you'll see."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE…**_

A plane landed at the Shin Tokyo Kokusai Kuko (New Tokyo International Airport, or Narita Airport). Colonel William Guile, Interpol Agent Chun-Li, Cammy White, and 1st Lieutenant Charlie Nash were aboard. Upon landing, they head for their hotel to rest…in the hotel, Guile chats briefly with Charlie:

"Tomorrow we must investigate about that incident where Vega was seen."

Charlie nods. "Yep…we must go to the place called…" He reads the paper. "…Hinata Inn and try to find information on Vega…maybe it could lead us to Bison."

"You got that right…I know I will find Bison…and once I do…" Guile clenches his fists.

"Easy, buddy, don't get too excited. First things first, okay?

"You're right…let's get some sleep.

In Chun-Li and Cammy's room, the women were dressed in their pajamas. They're chatting like roommates in a women's dorm; so much so that no one would recognize them as the top agents of their respective organizations; Chun-Li, of Interpol, and Cammy of MI6's (British Intelligence) anti-terrorist unit Delta Red.

Chun-Li says, "I sure hope that we can find any leads that could lead us to Bison. I don't want to make this trip for nothing."

Cammy lightly says, "Don't worry, if we don't, then we enjoy Japan… Hey, I heard that in Japan there were powerful Martial Artists, in a place called Nerima."

Chun-Li blinks. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, although I don't remember the names, these persons are some of the best fighters. Intelligence says they're so powerful that they could rival Ryu, and even Bison!"

"NO WAY! Really?"

"We'll just have to find out…right Chun-Li?" Cammy says, winking.

Chun-Li agrees with Cammy. "You bet…I might even ask them if they would like to join Interpol."

Cammy yawns, "But for now…let's go to bed okay…we'll talk tomorrow."

* * *

At the same time, another plane landed…from it emerges Dr. Light, Megaman, Roll and Protoman…Dr. Light is dressed in a black shirt, brown pants, and blue shoes. Megaman is without his helmet and dressed in Blue Levis, Red shirt and white tennis shoes. Roll was dressed in an orange shirt and a white jacket with a colorful mini skirt. Protoman's in black pants, black sweater, green shoes; he had black glasses that cover his eyes.

They check into the hotel and prepare to sleep. Dr. Light tells his family, "Well, we're here in Japan."

Megaman nods, "Yeah, now to try to find any clues that could lead us to Dr. Wily."

"And to Bass," Protoman adds.  
"Hey guys, you think we could tour around Japan?" Roll asks her brothers. "I mean, there are so many cool places that I would like to see…can we?"

Dr. Light's unsure. "I don't know…"

"Roll's right, Dr. Light," Megaman says. "I mean, we could do that while we search for Wily.

Protoman nods in agreement with his brother, "They're right…we could always make time for a little fun; after all, we're here already."

Dr. Light agrees. "…Sure, I don't see why not."

Megaman, Roll, & Protoman cheer "YEAAAA!"

Dr. Light yawns, "Now that's settled, I'm gonna go to sleep…wake me up early, okay?"  
"Will do, Doctor." Roll says.

"Well…good night."

Once Dr. Light goes to sleep:

"I can't wait to find Dr. Wily…he's caused nothing but trouble for us!" Megaman says in anticipation, ready to fight Wily and Bass again.

Protoman puts a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Easy there, bro. Don't get too excited; save those energies for when we find him."

Roll says excitedly, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go and see the pretty sights of Japan…and to visit those awesome shopping malls!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED… **_


	18. The Coming of the Darkstalkers!

CHAPTER 18

_**-"THE COMING OF THE DARKSTALKERS! ENTER TRON BONNE, THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL GENIUS!"-**_

After getting the three treasures that Erick asked for, the statue of the Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily ask him why they need them. Erick is looking at the three sacred objects…

"My, my…such beauty in it, wouldn't you agree guys?" Erick says as he's holding the sword.

Dr. Wily asks, "What I want to know is why did you ask us to bring you those things anyway?"

"Like I said before Doc, these beauties will lead us to the Phoenix Stone."

The Cat Statue says, "That's great Meow…how?

Erick explains, "You see guys, these artifacts that you see before you are known as –"The Phoenix Sword"-, -"The Phoenix Scroll"-, and the –"Phoenix Statue"-. But also, they're keys."

Dr. Wily blinks. "Keys! I don't see any keys?"

Erick chuckles. "Only to the untrained eye they're not…" He adds, muttering, "…and to an idiot."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Easy…what you see before you are only shells…a disguise to hide the real treasure."

Wily's confused. "Um…I still don't get it."

The Cat Statue sighs, "Ugh…Wily, sometimes you embarrass me."

Erick agrees with the Cat Statue, nodding. Then he says, "Wily…I'll try to tell it as much as I can so that you can understand me, okay…? Look at them…what do you see in front of them?"

Wily begins to look closer and closer. "Um…well…I see some old inscriptions…and…some ancient writing."

Erick grins, satisfied that Wily can see what he sees. "Wily…do you see some little glowing jewels in them?"

"Now that you mention it, yes, I see three jewels in them…," Dr. Wily replies.

"Precisely, Wily…those three jewels are the ones we seek."

"Those jewels…why?"

"In order for you guys to know, we need to extract them out. Dr. Wily, take them to your lab for analysis at once."

"But why?"

The Cat Statue hisses, "Just do it Wily Meow!"

"Alright, alright I'll do it! Jeez!" And Dr. Wily takes the treasures to his lab.

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Meanwhile, at the Tendo Dojo, Ran and Ranma are into their morning sparring; now Akane's with them, and she's sparring with Ran. Nodoka, Soun and Genma are watching this:

Nodoka's in awe of the new Akane. "Oh my, Akane sure has learned how to fight, hasn't she?"

Soun's proud of his youngest daughter. "Yes, my little baby has finally learned to fight, thanks to her fiancé Ranma and Ran. I'm so happy!"

Genma says, "Now the School will be secure…our children will become the best fighters there are!"

Nodoka remarks, "Well, I'm so happy for them. Look at them, sparring together."

Genma's crying now. "I thought I would never see the day that Ranma and Akane would be so together!"

Soun nods. "So have I, Saotome, so have I. I thought that our dream would never come true!"

Nodoka chuckles, "Oh cut it out you two. You're acting like little children!"

Ranma and friends see their parents acting out their usual routine:

"And there they go again," Ranma sighs.

Ran blinks. "I thought you guys already talked to them about your decision?"

"We did…but our parents are kinda stubborn." Akane replies.

"At least they don't bug us like they used to," Ranma says with obvious relief.

"Say…I wonder whatever happened to Ryoga?" Ran asks.

Ranma shrugs. "Don't know…haven't seen him since that day…but knowing Ryoga's bad sense of direction, he could be anywhere."

Akane fumes. "I'm still mad at him. He was P-chan all this time and he never told me!"

Ran tries to calm Akane down. "Come on Akane, don't get stiff. I'm sure that he got the message and he's probably sorry."

Ranma's not so sure. "Maybe, maybe not… Say, why don't we take a break and have lunch?"

Ran nods. "Good idea!"

Akane thinks so, too. "Let's go."

* * *

In another place, Colonel William Guile and Interpol Agent Chun-Li were in front of the Hinata Inn, for their investigation:

"Well, this is the place…Hinata Inn." Guile says.

Chun-Li nods. "Good, now let's get that information on Vega."

Then, they knock on the door. Minutes later it was opened by Shinobu. "Good afternoon, can I help you?"

Guile introduces himself and Chun-Li. "Good afternoon, I am Guile, and this is Chun-Li. We came here to get information about an incident that happened here a couple of days ago."

Shinobu's confused. "Incident?"

Chun-Li explains it to her. "Yes, according to witnesses, this place was visited by a guy named Vega."

Shinobu, after hearing that name, begins to tremble. "Ve…Ve…Vega?"

The girl's reaction gets Guile's attention. "Yes…do you know him?"

"Know him? He attacked my friends!"

Chun-Li:" Can you explain it to us please…or better yet, may we come in?"

Shinobu nods. "Hai"

Once they were inside, they meet the others, in the living room. A woman walks up to them and introduces herself. "Welcome to Hinata Inn. I am the caretaker Haruna, these are the girls who live here…she is Naru, this is Mistune, this is Motoko…" She points to Motoko, who's bandaged up since her fight with Vega. "….and this boy is Keitaro…" Keitaro's in bed, with casts on his leg and right arm. "…these little girls are Shinobu, Kaolla Su and Sara McDonald."

Naru bows. "Hello."

"How are you doing?" Mitsune asks.

"Nice to meet you." Motoko says.

Keitaro waves his good hand. "Hey."

Shinobu bows, "Nice to meet you."

Kaolla Su cheerfully greets them. "Hello!"

Sara politely nods, "Ditto."

Guile introduces himself to the group. "Good to meet you all. My name is Colonel William Guile of the United States Air Force."

Chun-Li does likewise. "And I'm Chun-Li Xiang, Interpol Agent."

"Listen, the reason we came here is because of an incident that happened…we have some information that a guy named Vega was here."

Like Shinobu, when they heard that name, the Hinata crew trembles:

Naru gasps, "Did you say Vega?"

Yes, do you remember him?" Chun-Li asks.

Mitsune replies, "Remember him! We are still trying to forget him!"

Guile risks asking, "Um…can you tell us how is it that you met him?"

Naru gives her recollection of what happened. "My friends and I were going to take a bath in the hot springs…when we entered, we saw him there…next thing is that I punched him, then Motoko struck him, then he got away…we thought that that would be the last time we'd see him."

Haruna picks where Naru left off. "But then, he came here two days ago, and he beat up poor Keitaro, then Motoko was trying to fight him to protect us, but she couldn't even touch him, he beat her good."

Chun-Li gasps, "You fought against VEGA Motoko?"

"Yes…" Shamefully, Motoko adds, "But I lost."

"Then you're lucky to be here." Guile tells her.

Motoko's confused. "Be here! Why?"

Chun-Li: explains, "You see girls…Vega is a complete psychopath, and, when he fights, he kills his opponents, whether by slashing their throats, or by ripping their skin off with his claws…and, he doesn't quite let anyone live."

Motoko's pale after hearing this. "You mean…?"

Guile nods, "Oh yeah…you're lucky to be alive after fighting him, cause all those who fight him… end up dead…or if they are lucky, crippled for life."

Motoko, as the girls did when she heard that, begins to tremble a little.

Based on what she's heard so far, Chun Li finds it odd that a bunch of girls were able to defeat Vega the first time then two days later he comes back and whips them. Even with them getting the drop on him the first time he should have been able to take them down easily. Her instincts nudge her into wanting to know why they were able to run him off the first time and not the second time around.

She is unaware, though, of events that transpired BEFORE Vega's appearance. Prior to this incident, Vega had fought with – and lost to – Ranma Saotome, and that Vega had arrived there (or more specifically, was blasted there!) via Ranma's Hiryuu Shoten Ha.

Seeing how this is affecting everyone – it wasn't TOO long ago that the mad matador Vega had turned things upside down at Hinata Inn, Chun-Li gets things back on track. "So what happened next?"

Naru continues the account. "Well…after Motoko was down, that evil Vega guy began to walk toward us; we were scared. We thought he was going to rape us all…then, this weird girl appeared and stopped him."

Guile's not believing this. "Come again?"

"How did she stop him" Chun-Li wanted to know.

Naru replies, "She told him that his presence was required and she told him to come with her…and he obeyed her with no questions asked."

Needless to say, Chun-Li's surprised. This is unusual behavior, even for Vega. "Vega obeyed her?"

"Yes, and he was kinda scared of her, for some reason. He didn't want to make her upset, so he obeyed and left with her."

Guile and Chun-Li were confused…Vega, the psychopath of Shadowloo, following orders from a girl? This was to be investigated:

"So, did she tell him where they were gonna go?" Chun-Li asks, needing a few more details.

Naru tries to remember. "She said something about The Red Cat Gang's Base."

Guile finds this interesting. "The Red Cat Gang Base! Did she tell him where it was?"

Mitsune shakes her head no, and apologizes. "Sorry, she never told it."

"Damn…" Chun-Li curses under her breath.

Naru decides to ask, "Just out of curiosity, why are you looking for this dangerous man?"

Guile reveals, "Cause he may lead us to M. Bison."

"M. Bison? Who the heck is he?"

Chun-Li tells Naru, "M. Bison is the leader of a very dangerous organization called Shadowloo."

Motoko gasps. "Did you say Shadowloo?"

"That's right…," Guile replies. "Why? Have you heard of it?"

"I thought that it was only a rumor…I have heard tales of a dictator who commands a powerful army of fighters, but…like I said, I thought they were only rumors."

Guile says seriously, "Well kid, they're not. M. Bison is as real as the evil that exists in this world."

Naru wonders aloud, "How evil is this Bison that you speak?"

Chun-Li pulls no punches – she tells them seriously, "Believe me girls, he is a madman, hungry for power and world domination."

Guile adds, "And he's killed many innocent lives…some of them just for the fun of doing it."

Chun-Li looks at her watch. "Guile, we have to return."

"You're right…well girls, we thank you for your help and information."

Naru tells them, "No problem, glad we could be of help"

"Wait, why don't you stay for a drink?" Haruna offers.

"A drink?" Guile blinks, not expecting such hospitality while on an investigation.

"Sure!"

Chun-Li accepts Haruna's gracious offer. "Well…I am a little thirsty, so why not Guile?"

Guile chuckles, "Guess you have a point Chun-Li…" Then, to the girls, he says, "…We accept and thank you."

Haruna smiles. "Good…" She gives instructions to some of the girls nearby. "Shinobu, Kaolla and Sara, could you bring them some drinks?"

"Hai!" Shinobu, Kaolla, and Sara cheerfully reply.

* * *

In the New Red Cat Secret Base…Erick walks over to the lab where Dr. Wily was examining the treasures. Checking on him, Erick asks, "Dr. Wily…how's the extraction of the jewels coming along?"

"Kinda slow…," Dr. Wily tells him. "This is more complicated than I thought."

"Those weren't the answers I was hoping to hear, Doctor."

"Oh, come on!…This takes delicate time and a lot of concentration and…"

"Spare me the pitiful excuses, Dr. Wily…we want those jewels NOW."

Dr. Wily:" But I'll need time!"

Erick smiles – that's usually NOT a good thing. "Don't worry, Doctor. Take all the time you need."

"Really?"

Still smiling, Erick replies, "Indeed…" His tone of voice is serious now. "You have 24 hours to do it."

Dr. Wily's wide-eyed in shock. "WHAAAAAAAT?!…24 HOURS!….BUT…THAT'S LITTLE TIME…HOW THE HECK WILL I DO IT?"

"That's for you to find out…remember, 24 hours…not a minute more. Oh, and just to give you a little motivation…Akuma, will you come forward please?"

Then, from the shadows, Akuma emerges. "What is it?"

"Akuma, the Doctor here has a little assignment to complete in 24 hours… you'll be watching him…if he doesn't finish it in the time period…you can kill him, okay?"

Dr. Wily's horrified. "WHAT?"

"You got it," Akuma says.

Erick gives Wily an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Well, Doc, I suggest that you get started right away…cause if you don't finish it…Akuma will show you what the –"Raging Demon Attack"- is all about…Well, I'll leave you then. I have to make a little visit."

Erick then leaves the Lab, vanishing into thin air and going to….

* * *

**_SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE:_**

M. Bison is looking at his huge monitor while sitting on his chair on his chamber. He's scolding some of his scientists, giving them a harsh tongue-lashing. "I don't want to hear any more excuses, build me those damn machines!"

The poor scientist on the T.V. screen cries, "We will, Master!…we will!"

Then Bison turns the monitor off. Frustrated, he sighs, "Argh…it's so hard to find good help these days."

"So true, M. Bison." A young man's voice says out of thin air.

This takes Bison by surprise; he gets up from his chair and begins scanning the area. Looking around, he says, "Where are you, show yourself!"

Erick appears from the corners, waving. "Hello, Bison!"

M. Bison's a bit deflated. He was SO expecting an intruder – so he could have the pleasure of killing him with his bare hands. But instead, it's just Erick, who's dropped by as if visiting a friend. "Erick…my…what do I have the honor of your visit here?"

Erick explains, "Just visiting comrades…so Bison, I see that you're having some…problems…am I right?"

M. Bison says grudgingly, "Quite so…these blundering workers that I have are having trouble building the war machines that I require."

Erick rubs his chin in thought. "I see…well Bison, perhaps I can help you."

"YOU…How?"

"By getting you someone who might help you a lot with this."

"Who?"

"This person knows a lot about machinery, robotics, and she's smart."

M. Bison not in the mood for guessing games. "Well, tell me already…who is this person you speak of?"

Erick then tosses a file to M. Bison. Once he grabs it, he opens it and sees a picture of a young girl. "Her name is Tron Bonne." Erick tells him.

M. Bison laughs, "THIS is the person who might help me? But she's just a child!"

"That may be true…but, as an old saying goes, my friend…_-"Never judge a book by its cover"- _, she is a whiz at building robots, combat types are her favorites, she even has these robots called Servbots."

"Yeah, but still…"

"Look at her record Bison…perhaps you can change your mind about it."

Bison begins to read over Tron's background. He sees that this girl has committed many crimes. His eyes go wide when he sees all her robotic creations, he admits that her robots were indeed –"State-of the-Art"- and well built. He begins to realize what good this girl will do for him and Shadowloo. At the end:

"Well M. Bison…what do you think?" Erick asks, knowing what Bison is going to say.

M. Bison looks up from reading the file. He asks, "Erick…can you get her? She is indeed a very special girl; she might help me a lot."

Erick's pleased. "Of course, I knew you would agree! Well, I must go."

Then Erick leaves Shadowloo HQ.

* * *

In the Underworld, within a castle, lies a Vampire called Demitri Maximoff. Once exiled from Makai centuries ago, he has returned from the human world, hungering for even more power to give him once again the title as Ruler of the Night. He sits on his throne, when one of his servants enters the room. "Excuse me, Master Demitri."

"What is it?" Demitri looks down on the servant.

"I have being doing some research on the mortal realm, Master, and found out something very interesting."

Demitri raises an eyebrow, "Oh! What is it?"

"It seems that there's this movement of many peoples who are trying to find this object called…-"The Phoenix Stone".-

"Phoenix Stone! What's that?"

"Well…according to our spies, it is a legendary magic stone that said to have tremendous powers, which come from the legendary Fire Bird itself!"

Demitri's interested. "Really? Tell me more."

The servant begins to explain to his Master Demitri all about the Phoenix Stone and its power, as well as all those who are trying to find it. At the end, Demitri makes a new plan. "Very interesting indeed, oh yes. If I could get a hold of that Stone, my powers will be supreme! It will give me the powers to reclaim my title as the "True Ruler of the Night"! I think I will go to the mortal world and find that stone!"

The servant risks asking, "Is it wise, my Master? What if the other ones who are also trying to find it harm you or…"

Demitri laughs, "Oh please…what could those miserable humans ever do to me? I am the supreme vampire. No mortal could ever hurt me!"

The servant is unsure. "I don't know, Master. I have seen some mortals who are as powerful as a Darkstalker, and some of them are very skilled."

Demitri scoffs at this. Mortals as powerful as Darkstalkers? Ridiculous! "No matter, they wouldn't stand against my powers!"

"If you say so, Master."

"And call Morrigan. I'll need her help."

"Right away, my Master." The servant bows and departs from the throne room.

* * *

Not so far away, a man and a little girl were walking. This man is wearing some monk-type garments, has hair that's tied in a long pigtail, and is carrying a huge sword on his back. The little girl accompanying him was around 5 or 6 years old, wearing some fancy clothes, had two little pigtails, and is carrying a small doll. The man's name is Donovan Baine, and the little girl Anita. While they are walking Anita suddenly stops and begins to feel something:

Donovan's concerned. He turns to his young charge and asks, "Anita, what's wrong?"

Anita normally doesn't speak much, and if she does, it's usually important. "I felt something. Something powerful is coming."

"What is it…is it another DarkStalker?"

"No…I sense energy so deep and yet so powerful, Donovan, I have a feeling that this is something that could spell disaster!"

"I see…from where do you sense it?"

"It's coming from the Human world."

"Then to the Human world we'll go to investigate."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, IN THE RED CAT GANG'S NEW SECRET FORTRESS…**_

Erick is with his loved one Delia and the Cat Statue…when he feels a little chill:

Erick's concentrating. "Hmmmmm…my, my."

"What is it Erick Meow?" the Cat Statue asks his High Priest.

"It's just that…I have this feeling that things are gonna get crowded."

"Why is that Meow?"

Erick chuckles, "Call it a hunch."

"Are you sure?" Delia asks her beloved.

Erick nods, "Oh yeah…"

* * *

8:45 pm in the Tendo House, Ranma, Ran, Akane and their family and friends were having a warm dinner:

Ranma says while eating, "Mmm mmm, this stew is good Kasumi"

"Yeah" Ran agrees.

Kasumi accepts his complement. "Why thank you Ranma…but, for your surprise, Akane did it."

Ranma almost chokes. He blinks. "Akane made this…?" Then, he says to Akane, "Y-you did this Akane?"

"Well…yeah…" Akane says rather shyly.

Ran applauds. "Akane, you've made one good stew!"

"I second that." Natsume says.

Kurumi nods happily, "Me too, I never though that you could cook this good!"

Akane blushes. "Oh come on guys… its nothing really, I still have a lot to learn."

Ranma tells her, "But you're doing great Akane…keep it up and you'll be as good as Kasumi!"

Akane's touched. "Thank you Ranma, that means a lot to me."

Nodoka's pleased. "My, you're certainly learning well Akane-chan."

Soun's crying joyfully, "Oh, my baby girl is finally learning to cook like Kasumi…I thought I could never see that day! Waaaaaah!"

Nabiki says, "Come on daddy, you're embarrassing us."

Everyone laughs for a little while. Then, the doorbell rang:

"Oh my! We have someone at the door. If you'll excuse me…." Then Kasumi goes to open the door:

Ranma wonders, "Who could it be at this time of night?"

Ran shrugs, "Don't know."

Both of them are starled to hear Kasumi's cry coming from the front door. "RANMA, RAN, AKANE, EVERYONE, COME HERE PLEASE!"

Then everyone rushes over to the entrance door to see why Kasumi called. When they arrive:

Ranma's the first to ask, "What is it Kasumi? Is something wrong?"

Kasumi points, saying, "Ranma, look!"

When Ranma looks, he sees three people at the entrance. One of them was a girl, with a blue-white suit, has beautiful white wings like an angel, and silvery white hair. The other two were 2 identical Chinese twins, one had red hair, and the other had strong green hair. Ranma knew these people:

He gasps. "Kima, Ling Ling, Lung Lung!"

But Ranma sees that Kima was all bruised, her white wings are almost dirty and severely damaged, her hair's dirty and covered with small burns, her face as well as her body is covered with bruises and a little blood.

The twins were just like her. Kima's carrying Ling Ling on her shoulder. Lung Lung is besides her, barely able to stand up.

Ranma's horrified. "Oh my God! Kima, what happened?"

But Kima was too weak to speak. With her last reserves of strength, her last words to him are, "Ranma…please…help us."

Then, Kima as well as Lung Lung, falls to the ground. Then Ranma and company pick them up.

* * *

In an abandoned warehouse there was a girl who was very desperate and angry. Her name was Tron Bonne. She is one of Megaman's friends-rivals.

She was depressed cause of her failing against Megaman, she was cut short of her robots, and since the banks and all those places with high value had installed tighter security, and she didn't have any more strong robots, Tron Bonne wasn't getting any more jobs. Therefore, she couldn't get any money for her machines, or herself, she sat down in that empty house:

Tron is desperate. "Oh man! What am I going to do? I don't have any machines, I don't have any ideas, and worse, I don't have any money for my jobs…every since that annoying Megaman ruined my plans, I've been reduced to almost nothing!"

She turns around and saw what little robots she had left. Once she had hundreds of Servbots…now she only had like seven. The rest were captured by the police or quit.

Sadly, she continues, "And on top of that, I only have seven Servbots left. I had to even pawn the rest of my machines to maintain those Servbots, and to get some food and shelter…but now, I have nothing left…if I don't do something soon, I'll be broke and living on the street!" She's crying, "What do I do?"

"Do not lose hope little one," a man's voice says.

Suddenly Tron Bonne's shocked and begins looking everywhere…-"Huh! Who's there? Show yourself!"-…Tron Bonne cries as she looks everywhere…but she doesn't see anybody.

"Come on, where are you hiding?"

"Right behind you child."

Tron Bonne jumps, scared out of her wits. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

After Tron Bonne recovers from her shock, she turns around and sees him. Erick is there:

"Who…who are you? How did you do that?" she asks.

Erick bows, introducing himself. "Greetings Miss. Bonne…I am High Priest Erick Genryusai…and, as for how I did that…" Erick then does his best impression of Xelloss from Slayers. "THAT is a secret."

"Oookay…but why ARE you here?"

Erick says genuinely, "Why…to help you."

Tron's confused. "To help me? How? Why?"

"Why not…I can see that you are in need for some cash and help…am I right?"

"Well…yea…but…how? How can you help me?"

Erick explains, "Easy…There is a friend of mine that who requires your special abilities in building awesome machines."

Tron Bonne considers what he says. 'I see…and who is your friend who needs my help?"

"If you must know, his name is Bison."

After hearing this, Tron lets out a big gasp. "Did…did you say Bison…as in M. Bison?"

"Yes." Erick tells her.

Tron squeals, "The leader of the powerful organization known as Shadowloo?"

Erick blinks, playing along. "Hmmm…yes…"

Tron Bonne's jumping for joy. "Oh my God, oh my God, I don't believe iiiiiiit!!"

"You've heard of him…of M. Bison?"

"Are you kidding me…M. Bison is one of the baddest men I've heard of…he's even more dangerous than Wily. And his empire, oh gosh! I SO am a fan of his!"

Erick's taken aback by Tron's excitement. "Really?"

Teary-eyed, Tron says, "Yes…and you say that he wants MY help?" Erick nods in response to her. "…Oh man, I don't believe it…this is sooo cooooool!"

Erick smiles. "Well, I'm glad…Tron, this could be an opportunity for you…if you join Bison, you'll have a great job and, access to his technology…what do you say? You're in, or out?"

Tron's jumping up and down happily. "I'm in! I'm in! I'm in!"

"Excellent…now, let's go, shall we?"

Then Erick grabs Tron Bonne and then they disappear.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Tendo's, the family's taking care of Kima, Ling Ling and Lung Lung. They've bandaged them up and put them in their beds. Ranma and friends were watching them:

Ranma's worried. "Man, what could have happened to them?"

"I don't know.." Akane says to him. "They look like they'd been in a war or something."

Nodoka appears beside her son. "Have you informed Cologne and her great-granddaughter Shampoo?"

Ranma nods. "Yeah, Mom… Nabiki went to inform them."

20 minutes later, Cologne, Shampoo and Mousse storm into the house:

Shampoo desperately wants to know, "WHERE ARE THEY?…. WHERE ARE SHAMPOO SISTERS?"

Cologne, the matriarch of the Amazons, calms her down, "Easy Shampoo."

Kasumi greets them. "Shampoo, Cologne, we are so happy that you're here"

"Thank you child," Cologne says. "Now tell us, where are Ling Ling and Lung Lung?"

"They're upstairs, I'll take you there, but please, you must be quiet. The three of them are resting"

Cologne blinks. "Three?!"

Then Kasumi takes them to the room were they are resting…when they enter, they see Ranma, then in the beds were the twin Chinese sisters:

Shampoo gasps, "AIYAAA…What happened to them?"

"Don't know…" Ranma tells her. "They were like this when they came here."

Cologne looks at the twins herself, taking in the sight of their condition. "My god…look at them, what could have done this to them?"

Nodoka says, "My guess is that we'll have to wait for them to wake up…only they know the answer."

Cologne sees that Kima was in bad shape too. "And it appears that bird woman Kima suffered the same luck as them…I still wonder what happened."

Shampoo's confused. "But Shampoo no understand…Kima is very powerful bird warrior…she even be second most strongest of all her people…who could beat her?"

Ranma considers that. "Good question Shampoo…we'll wait for them to wake up."

Cologne has a worried look on her face. "I don't like this…to beat Kima must have been someone very powerful to do it…I have a bad feeling that the answer they'll give us will not be pleasant."

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE:**_

Erick appears in M. Bison's chamber, with Tron Bonne alongside him. Tron's kinda scared and confused at the fast transportation. "Huh!? How we did get from my secret hideout to here?"

"As before…," Erick says, imitating Xelloss, "That is a secret…Well, we're here."

M. Bison sees them and greets them. "Erick…I see that you've returned…did you get her?"

Erick nods. "Sure did… Allow me to introduce to you Tron Bonne…"

M. Bison sees her. When Tron Bonne sees M. Bison, she's lost in her mind, like a fan in front of her great idol. Tron just cannot believe it; she is in front of the most dangerous warrior and skilled man of Shadowloo. She's filled with joy and shock:

Erick introduces Tron to Bison. "Tron Bonne, this is M. Bison, head of Shadowloo."

"Greetings, Miss. Tron." M. Bison says pleasantly.

Tron Bonne's nervous. "I…I…I…I'm Tron Bo…Bonne, sir."

Now that all the pleasantries are done, Bison gets serious, so he asks Tron directly, "Erick here tells me that you're good in building machines…is that right?"

Tron proudly says, "That's right sir…"

Bison explains, "Well, you see, I'm having trouble here…I have some workers who are having a hard time trying to build me the machines that I want…"

Tron finishes, "…and you want my help to build those machines…right?"

M. Bison smirks. The girl IS sharp. "My…you are smart…so what do you say Miss. Tron? I can use your valuable skills. Would you like to join me?"

Tron dares to look up, a pleading look in her eyes. "You really mean that M. Bison? Me, join Shadowloo?"

"Yes…if you want to…"

Tron screams with joy, "YES…YESYESYESYES…I'LL JOIN!"

Bison almost fell out his throne from Tron's loud acceptance of his offer. Keeping a straight face, he says, "Hahaha…welcome aboard then, Tron Bonne…here." Bison hands her some blueprints. "…do you think that you can build me this machine?"

Tron Bonne studies them and laughs, "Ha! Are you kidding me…? This will be child's play, but I'll need my Servbots to help me and…"

Bison stops her. "No need…I have lots of workers, they'll be at your service."

"Really…in that case…when do I start working?"

Bison laughs, "As of now…you've done well in joining me Tron. You won't regret it."

"I know!"

Pleased that Bison and Tron have hit it off, Erick says, "Well, I must be going…the others will be waiting for me. Adieu, guys." He then vanishes from sight.

* * *

In the Tendo house, Kima, Ling Ling and Lung Lung open their eyes and see that they are in beds and in a room:

Kima weakly says, "Where…am I?"

"You're in the Tendo house" a girl's voice says.

Kima then sees Kasumi. "Who…who are you?"

Kasumi's cheerful. "My name is Kasumi Tendo, you must be Kima, right?"

Kima replies, "Right…and you must be Akane sister, right"

"Why yes"

Then, Ling Ling and Lung Lung wake up:

"Oooh! Where are we?" Ling Ling says.

Then, Ranma and his family and friends enter:

Shampoo cries, "LING LING, LUNG LUNG!!"

Ling Ling & Lung Lung happily cry, "Sister Shampoo!"

Shampoo hugs her Amazon twin sisters.

"We are happy to see you again Shampoo." Lung Lung says.

Shampoo: says genuinely, "Shampoo is so happy to see Amazon sisters too."

Ranma casually says, "Hey Kima, it's been a long time."

Kima looks at her former enemy. "Ranma…it IS you."

"Say Kima, what are you doing here in Japan? What happened to you anyway?"

Kima looks away, hurt. "We…we were attacked."

"Attacked? By who?" Ranma wanted to know.

Cologne asks the twins, "Tell me children, why did you return here? You should be in the Amazon Village!"

Ling Ling cries, "The Amazon Village was…was…was…"

"Spill it out already!" Mousse demands.

Shampoo's mad. "Be quiet Stupid Mousse!" she chastises him. Calming down, she softly asks, "…what happen to Village?"

Lung Lung, like her sister's, cries, "It was…destroyed!" at this, she cries harder.

Cologne, Shampoo and Mousse gasp big after hearing this:

Cologne's shocked beyond belief. "WHAT…DESTROYED?"

So's Shampoo. "AIYAAA…YOU MEAN, OUR HOME?"

Ling Ling whispers, "Yes"

Mousse is stunned. "NO, IT CANT BE! IMPOSSIBLE!"

"That means that…the Joketsuzoku are gone?" Akane asks.

Lung Lung replies, "Yes."

"As well as my place." Kima adds.

Ranma can believe what Kima's just said. "NO WAY…! PHOENIX MOUNTAIN WAS DESTROYED AS WELL!?"

Kima nods her head.

Ranma dares asking, "Guys…tell us…what happened?"

Ling Ling explains, "We were in village, doing our morning training, everything was fine…" She begins to tremble. "Then, these two weird persons with three weird robots came to village and demand we give them one of our priceless treasures. We think they were crazy, to ask us for that…"

Lung Lung continues, "… So we refused, we thought we could take them with no problem…but, two persons with weird robots attack us. Two weird persons had strong skills, they fought using Muay Thai, they were very good, beat almost all of our warriors. Then, three weird robots attack using strange powers, they destroy our houses, beat up all our warriors and…"

Ling Ling finishes for her sister, "…in the end, they took our precious treasure and burn our village to the ground…" She's crying, "…we were lucky to get out of there with our lives…but our home…" she then breaks down, sobbing.

Shampoo sadly says, "So, we have no home, no Amazons?"

Mousse breathes, "No, that can't be…we are alone then."

Ranma and everyone else are sad for them. They've lost their friends and their homes.

Ranma looks in Kima's direction. "Kima, what happened to you?"

Kima sadly says, "Basically the same as them…Two persons came to our village, one was a black man, a boxer, very muscular, the other one was dress in a red military suit, like a general, along with three robots. They demanded that we give them our most valuable treasure, we had our warriors to take them out…but, like the Amazons, they attacked us, and boy, were very powerful. Especially that military guy, none of our weapons could hit him, we couldn't even touch him, he had such powerful ki, and he killed many of our warriors without breaking a sweat. That boxer was like a raging bull, he was beating up all the warriors."

"But Kima, what about Saffron…what did he do?"

"Saffron was still a kid. Even though he was a kid, he still had his powers. When he fought that general guy, we thought he could beat them, but, that evil military guy put up some kind of force field, and, I don't know, he beat Saffron by sucking away his Ki. When Saffron was beaten, that weird army man offered him a chance to surrender and join him. Saffron refused and…" She cries, the memory of Saffron's last moment still fresh in her mind, "…AND HE KILLED HIM!"

Ranma gasps. "WHAT!?"  
Kima's shaking as she reveals the end of Saffron. "HE BROKE HIS NECK, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE FEW REMAINING WARRIORS! THEN HE LEFT, LAUGHING AND TAKING OUR TREASURE WITH HIM!"

Kima breaks down and cries even harder. Ranma gave her a hug and Kima sobs into his shoulder. Ranma can't believe what he just heard. Saffron, the prince of the Phoenix People, was dead. But most of all, who could have done it? To kill Saffron, must have been someone very powerful to do it, this gets him very worried. But in the meantime they decide to help them:

Nodoka asks Kima and the twins, "So tell me, what are you going to do now? Do you have a place to stay?"

Kima responds, "Um…no, I really don't know, and, my home is destroyed, so I have no place to go."

"Yeah, us too," Ling Ling says.

Shampoo firmly says, "Nonsense…you stay in Cat Café! You stay with us!"

Lung Lung looks up at Shampoo, hope kindling in her eyes. "Really…?"

Cologne:" Of course…you are our fellow Amazon warriors."

"We thank you." Ling Ling says.

Nodoka then says, "Kima dear…why don't you stay with me."

Kima politely tries to decline Nodoka's kind offer. After all, she still has her pride as a warrior. "Oh no, I couldn't ask for that, but I thank you."

"It's okay, you need a place to stay don't you? And my home is big enough for another guest."

Kima's un-sure. "I don't know. I wouldn't want to intrude and…"

Ranma assures her, "That's okay Kima, besides, where are you gonna go?"

Kima then thinks…where would she go?

Kima bows. "Very well, I accept…and thank you."

Ranma smiles. "That's okay."

Nodoka's happy. She turns to Ranma and Ran and says, "Now that that's settled, why don't we let them sleep, and later I'll make them dinner okay?"

Ranma nods. "Okay mom, let's go."

"Very well, Nodoka-san," Ran says

Soun says to Kima and the twins, "Now rest, okay, and later we'll talk more."

"Sleep well." Kasumi tells them gently.

Then they leave the room and the girls went to sleep.

Once outside:

Cologne grips her staff tightly. "I don't accept this…I can't believe our village is gone!"

Shampoo sadly says, "All our friends, family…gone."

"What are we gonna do?" a distraught Mousse wanted to know. "We have nothing! The Amazons are no more!"

Cologne scolds, "Don't ever say that Mousse! We still have us and the twins, so long as we are alive, the Amazons will never perish."

"She is right Mousse," Nodoka tells him. "You are all Amazons, so you must be alive to keep them alive."

Cologne bows respectfully. "Thank you, honorable Nodoka."

Genma sees the worried look on Ranma's face. "Boy, what are you thinking?"

Ranma tells his father, "I was thinking about the person who killed Saffron…I mean, Saffron was a demigod; **I** had trouble beating him…and this person who Kima told us about killed him…he must be one powerful person to do such a thing."

Everyone agrees with him. This was something to be worried about.

* * *

In the New Red Cat Secret Fortress, Erick walks over to the lab to see Dr. Wily. When he enters, he greets Akuma, and then he sees Dr. Wily working like a madman. "Greetings Dr. Wily…have you finished the task?"

A tired Dr. Wily says, "No, not yet, but I'm very close to doing it."

"Good, you only have two and a half hours…so hurry up."

"I'm trying, I'm trying!"

Then later, Erick is in his own dark chamber, when he feels a strong energy signature, Delia notices it too. "Erick-san…what is it?"

"I just felt three VERY highly familiar auras coming to Nerima."

"Really…?"

Erick concentrates, trying to get a fix on whom or what's giving off that energy. "Hmmmm…these auras. Yes, I believe I know who they are."

"Do they belong to Michael Angelus?"

Erick chuckles, "No… But I think I know who they belong to…"

"You do?"

"Oh, yes."

* * *

In the entrance to Nerima, three girls were walking in the street, the oldest of the three had white hair, the second was like very young and had black hair, and the third one had brown hair. They are beautiful…they are Belldandy, Urd and Skuld.

Urd asks, "Tell me again why are we here in Nerima, Bell?"

Belldandy tells her sister, "It's because father asked us to investigate this."

"I see." Skuld says.

They think about it.

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Two days ago, Belldandy was at home with her sisters when she received a phone call. "Hello?" she answers politely.

Kami-sama's on the other end of the line. _Belldandy._

Belldandy softly gasps, "Oh my…so nice to hear from you father…what can I do for you?"

Then He said, _Listen, I need you to go to Nerima._

"Why?"

_There's a very strong energy flowing there. You must go with your sisters to investigate this incident_."

"Very well, we'll go"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Belldandy and her sisters were in a neighborhood park, enjoying the scenery:

Urd voices her observations. "Nerima sure has cool parks, right?"

"Yeah!" Skuld agrees. Then, she turns to Belldandy and asks, "Hey Belldandy, can we go and get some ice cream?"

Urd nicely objects, "Come on Skuld, you had ice cream three hours ago. If you keep on eating you'll get fat."

"But you know how much I love it!"

Belldandy thoughtfully says, "I suppose, but we must first investigate what Kami asked us to do…but, how are we going to find it?"

"Beautiful park, isn't it?" a man's voice says from out of nowhere.

The voice came from behind them, taking them by surprise. Startled, Belldandy and her sisters jump back. When they turn around, they see a handsome man, with blue hair, wearing a black trench coat with a purple scar around his neck. Yep, it's Erick.

He apologizes to them. "Oh I'm very sorry! Did I scare you?"

Belldandy's the first to speak. "Um, yeah, you took us by surprise."

"Well, I'm very sorry, didn't mean it…by the way, my name is Erick."

Belldandy bows. "How do you do?"

"Lovely Park isn't it? Full of life and joy."

"It sure is."

Urd had a loving stroke with the guy. She's thinking: _Yummy, who IS this handsome man? I should ask him for his phone number._

Skuld thinks: _Man, he sure is cute._

With seemingly genuine concern, Erick says, "I see that you're having some trouble, miss."

"Nothing much," Belldandy replies. "It's just that, we came here to find something, but, we don't know how to do it."

"Well, don't worry…whatever is it that your looking for you'll find it. I'm very sure of that."

"Why thank you, kind sir."

Erick smiles back at her. "Nothing at all…well, I must be going now."

"Thanks again. I'm sure we'll meet again."

Erick whispers with evil intent, "I'm very sure of that…"

Belldandy blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing…well. I'd better go…see you all soon Nordic Goddesses Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd."

Belldandy waves. "Sure, see you soon!" she giggles.

Then Erick turns around and walks away. Belldandy and her sisters continue their walk through the park:

Belldandy observes, "He sure was a polite person, wasn't he?"

Urd nods, "He sure was."

But then Skuld realizes something. "Hey wait a minute…! How did he know our names?"

This stops them in their tracks:

Urd nods, then gasps after the fact. "Damn…she's right, and how did he knew we were goddesses!?"

Belldandy just as surprised as her sisters, and she gasps! "I don't know…Excuse me, sir…"

When Belldandy turns around to find him, she sees no one in the park, for he has disappeared:

Urd says disbelievingly, "No way, he's gone!"

Skuld's worried. "Guys, I don't like this."

"Skuld's right…we didn't even sense him coming or leaving!"

Belldandy, now worried, thinks: I _don't like this at all…who was he? I have a bad feeling about this…_

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	19. Striking for the Black Rose’s Love!

CHAPTER 19

_**-"STRIKING FOR THE BLACK ROSE'S LOVE! ANGELUS MEETS A FAMILIAR FACE!"-**_

_**RED CAT GANG'S NEW SECRET BASE:**_

Erick enters again to the Lab…he then sees Dr. Wily. The Doctor was kind of tired:

Erick gives him what MIGHT be his last reminder. "Dr. Wily…your time is up…for your sake, you had better finish extracting those jewels."

A dog-tired Dr. Wily replies, "I…I have…"

Erick brightens up. "Really?"

Dr. Wily pants, "I just finished it right now."

"Then let's see them."

Dr. Wily shows Erick three shining jewels:

Erick's pleased. "Excellent work, Wily…You see, you did finish it!"

Still panting from exhaustion, Dr. Wily says, "I did, didn't I?"

"You see that the little motivation actually worked on you."

"I understand now why you used that "motivation"…you had Akuma here to scare me, so that I could finish the job fast…right?"

"Right you are Doctor."

"But, that was only a little joke right? I mean, the killing part."

With a straight face, Erick says, "No."

Dr. Wily gasps. "You mean…if I didn't finish it…he would have actually…gulp…killed me?"

"Yes."

Dr. Wily shakes in pure fear on hearing this!

Erick reassures him, "But you DID finish it Doctor. So, take a little break while I study them okay…? Um, Doctor?"

Erick then turns around and sees Dr. Wily, who just fainted. He's lying on the floor, his body quivering and twitching like a plate of Jello.

* * *

The next day, at the Tendo House, Kima, Ling Ling and Lung Lung wake up and they walk until they reach the living room, where Ranma, Ran, Akane and their family are having breakfast. They see them:

Ranma cheerfully greets Kima. "Hey Kima, how are you?"

To Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, Nodoka says, "Hello children, did you sleep well?"

Ling-Ling nods. "Um, yes we did, thanks."

"Yeah." Kima says.

Nodoka smiles. "That's good, are you hungry? Would you like to have breakfast with us?"

Ling-Ling shakes her head. "Yes, yes we do!"

Lung-Lung, just as hungry as her sister, says, "We haven't had a meal for two days!"

"Then, why don't you make yourselves comfortable and I'll serve you." Kasumi tells them.

"Thanks!" Kima and the Amazon twins happily reply.

Then Kasumi serves them, and they eat like if they hadn't eaten for a while:

Kasumi blinks. "Oh my! I see that you were indeed hungry."

Lung-Lung says while eating, "We…ha…ate it goo…!"

Nodoka gently chides, "Now now, it's very rude to talk while eating, young ladies. First finish eating, then you talk."

Ling-Ling apologizes for her sister. "What my sister means is, that its true, we we're very hungry."

"This is very good cooking Miss Tendo." Kima politely says.

Kasumi's pleased, "Why thank you Kima dear."

Soun looks up from reading the morning newspaper to ask, "So what are your plans, girls?"

Ling-Ling replies, "Well…we talk to Cologne and she agree that we live with them."

"Really?" Ranma asks.

Lung-Lung answers, "Yeah, and we also working at Cat Café."

"Well that's good for you…," Nodoka says, "You'll be working and helping your fellow friends."

Kima, curious, looks in Ran's direction. "I was wondering…who are you? You look so much like Ranma's cursed side."

Ling-Ling says, "She's right. we forgot about her."

Ranma, as if remembering something he forgot, says, "Oh, we forgot to introduce you to her didn't we…? Well, her name is Ran…"

Then, like before, they explain to Kima and the Chinese twins all about Ran, how they met her, until that day:

"That's unbelievable," Kima says after Ranma tells her Ran's story. "You say that you don't remember anything Ran?"

Ran shakes her head. "No, I don't remember anything of my past."

"You probably suffer from amnesia?"

"That's what I thought, but I don't know."

Ling-Ling comments, "You sure look so much like Ranma! You even have pig-tailed hair like him, that's so creepy!"

Akane giggles, "Yea, but you get used to it, with Ranma, everything could be weird!"

"Hey!" Ranma mock-objects.

* * *

In the destroyed Amazon Village, three persons are walking around in it. They are the Vampire Demitri, the sexy Succubus Morrigan, and the demon Samurai Bishamon (who is actually the cursed armor Hannya using Bishamon's identity). They see the wreckage:

Demitri coldly says, "My, it looks like someone paid a little visit to this place."

Morrigan says, "Boy, they sure did leave quite a mess. Look at this place! Everything is destroyed!"

Bishamon agrees. "True, and I don't sense any living beings…that means that they're all dead…wait a minute…"

"What is it Bishamon?" Demitri wanted to know.

"I sense someone there…" Bishamon points to a destroyed house. "…in that house."

"Really? Well, let's check it out." Morrigan says.

Then, they approach the house, they lift the burnt wood, and found trapped inside a middle-aged Amazon woman. But she was badly wounded, and in agony:

"Looks like a survivor." Bishamon observes.

Yes, but, it appears she doesn't have much time." Demitri says.

Morrigan suggests, "Why don't we ask her what happened here?"

Then, they interrogate the woman. The woman sees them. Weakly, she asks, "Who…who are you?"

Morrigan innocently says, "Just some strangers coming along…tell me dear, what happened here?"

The woman, with her remaining strength and life, tells them about the fight they had against the warriors of Shadowloo and Wily's bots. And how they stole the treasure, in the end, now very weak, she finishes "…and, they left us here to die, we couldn't beat them, they stole our most valuable treasure…"

"And what valuable treasure was it, woman?" Demitri questions her.

The Amazon gasps, with her last breath, "…the –"Phoenix Scroll."-

Morrigan blinks, "Phoenix Scroll…what's that?"

"It was one of the secrets that we Amazon Warriors kept for many years…one of the secrets of the Phoenix…"

Bishamon demands, "Tell us…what secret was it…? Answer!"

But, they didn't get the answer, for the woman died:

Demitri, without an ounce of compassion in his voice, says, "Hmph…it appeared that this mortal just died."

Morrigan thoughtfully says, "I was wondering… what secret could she be talking about?"

"I do not know Morrigan…but we'll find out, and when we do, we'll find this Phoenix Stone and it will belong to us…" _Or to ME to be exact!_, he secretly thinks.

* * *

Around the same time…in the village of the lost Phoenix People, now destroyed, Donovan, along with Anita, enters the burned village, looking at the scene. "My god…look at this place, what could have happened here?"

Anita quietly speaks, "It appeared that it was under attack."

"I see, and it looks like there wasn't any survivors left."

"Wait…" Anita closes her eyes. "I sense a life, coming from…there."

Anita points toward some old, buildings…when they go there, they see a young female Phoenix Warrior beneath the rocks. Donovan picks the rocks and helps the girl, but he sees that the girl is mortally wounded and does not have much time to live:

The warrior opens her eyes weakly. "Who…who in god's name are you?"

Donovan introduces himself and Anita. "My name is Donovan, and this little girl is my companion Anita…tell me, what happened in this village?"

"It was…horrible…we…were attack, by some strangers."

"Strangers! What were their appearances?"

"They were two persons and three weird robots…one of them was dressed like a General, the other one…like a boxer…" She grunts in pain. "Ugn…"

Donovan tries to comfort the dying girl, "There there, take it easy…so what happened next?"

"…they came here…and asked us to give them the most…sacred treasure of our people…when we refused…they attacked us…and killed many of our people and burned our village…"

Then, though weak, she grabs Donovan's arm, a desperate look in her eyes. She pleads, "Please…you must retrieve our treasure…the golden sword of the Phoenix…if not, great disasters will be unleashed…please!"

Donovan tells her, "Very well, I'll try, but tell me…why will it unleash great disasters? What's so important about it miss? Miss…miss?"

Donovan sees that the Phoenix girl has died.

"She's dead, Donovan." Anita says.

Donovan bows his head sadly. "So it seems…poor girl…"

After that, Donovan buries the girl and says a prayer for her. After that, he leaves the village:

He tells Anita, "I have a feeling that this mission will be harder then I thought…I think I'll call the others."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the New Red Cat Secret Base…Erick was in the dark chamber of the Cat Ghost King, with Dr. Wily, Bass, Bubbleman, his love Delia and Onekomaru:

The Cat Statue says, "Okay Erick, now we have the jewels meow…so what's next?"

Erick tells his master, "Easy…now comes the next part…to try to unlock these riddles."

"Riddles! You mean those weird letters and pictures?" Dr. Wily asks.

Erick answers him, " Exactly…and I will do it."

"Hey, why don't I do it! I will use my computers to do it and…"

"Doc, no offense, but I don't think you could do it…these riddles are written in an very ancient language…your computers will be useless…I, on the other hand, know a lot of forgotten languages, so I will do it okay?"

"You think you can do it meow?" the Cat Statue asks his chief advisor.

Erick, mock-hurt, says, "Hey, I'm hurt…you forget Catty that I have a lot of knowledge about this."

"Very well then…see that you do it."

"And I'll do it…come Delia."

"Right behind you Erick-san." Delia says.

Then Erick and Delia leave the chamber…

Dr. Wily says to the Cat Statue privately, "She always hangs around him. You think that she likes him?"

The Cat Statue responds, "Don't know. If so, it's none of our business meow."

Outside, Delia asked Erick for his next plan. "I see that thinks are going smooth, right Erick-san?"

"They sure are De-Chan."

"What about those riddles, are you gonna try to solve them?"

"Not right now…," Erick tells her. "After all, I already know what they say. I only told them that for me to buy some time."

Delia raises her eyebrow. "Oh! How come?"

"I have to check on the competition."

Delia blinks. "Competition…?" Then, she realizes, "Oh I get it…those Darkstalkers right?"

"Right as always De-chan."

* * *

In Shadowloo's Secret Fortress, M. Bison enters the lab, where Tron Bonne is talking with some of M. Bison's scientists. "Tron Bonne, how's everything?"

"Just peachy!" Tron tells her new boss. "Take a look at the prototype robot I finished."

"Well then, let's take a look shall we?"

"Yes Sir!" Tron salutes.

Then Tron Bonne takes Bison to the lab, and turn on the lights. He sees a large robot, with heavy artillery and rocket packs. Bison is impressed.

Tron Bonne waits for her boss approval. "Well…what do you think sir, do you like it?"

Bison smiles. "I'm very impressed Miss. Bonne, you've done excellent work here."

Tron's pleased. "Why thank you, sir."

Then M. Bison turned to one of his scientists:

He smirks, pointing at Tron's new mecha. "You see…THIS is the kind of machine that I required! You ought to learn from her; she is indeed very bright."

The scientist just lowers his head from shame:

M. Bison declares, "From now on, Tron Bonne will be in charge here. You will obey her in everything she tells you to do." Now serious, he says, "Is that clear?"

The scientist shamefully replies, "Yes sir."

"Now that's settled, Tron Bonne and I must visit the Red Cat Gang…Tron, let's go."

"Sure," Tron happily says.

They go toward the Airship; when they arrive, M. Bison sees that his ship is very different. In awe, he says, "My ship…what happened to it?"

Tron Bonne tells him, "Oh, I just made a little change to it…as you can see, I added some upgrades to the ship and more equipment to it."

The ship is bigger, has more thrusters, and is loaded with secret weapons. When they enter the control room of the ship, Bison sees more computers. "Tron Bonne, you've truly made a great work…Erick wasn't kidding when he said you were good with machines!"

Tron blushes. "Why thank you, sir."

M. Bison gives the order to his pilots, "Take us to Japan right now!"

"Yes Sir!" the pilots respond.

Then they start the airship; M. Bison can feel the smooth roar of the engines. Then, they head for Japan.

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Leaving from Furinkan High School, Ranma, Ran and Akane are on their way home:

Ranma says, excited, "Man, I can't wait for vacation"

Akane nods. "Me too Ranma, we could really use a break."

"So what are you gonna do with your vacation guys?" Ran asks them.

"Geez…we really don't know…but, we'll think about when the time comes, right Akane?"

"You bet."

"Well guys, I'm gonna go to the store to pick up some things. I'll see you later okay?"

Akane says, "Okay Ranma, take care. Don't be late."

Then, they go their separate ways. Ranma goes to the store to buy some magazines. When he exits the store he begins walking, when suddenly, his danger senses explode. Turning around he sees some batons coming his way. Ranma moves away and scans the area. Then he sees Kodachi.

Ranma's annoyed. "Hey Kodachi, what's the big idea, tossing those Batons at me? You could hurt me with those you know!"

Kodachi snarls, "That was the point Ranma!"

Ranma blinks. "Ranma!? Oh, I see that you're no longer calling me your Darling."

Kodachi angrily says, "Shut up…you don't deserve to be called that…not after what you did to me."

Ranma's confused. "Did to you…? What did I do?"

Kodachi's mad now. "DID TO ME…? YOU LIED TO ME! YOU HURT MY FEELINGS YOU EVIL MAN!"

"Hurt your feelings…how?"

"YOU WERE THAT HARLOT AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME, YOU USED ME, YOU USED MY HEART AND MY LOVE FOR YOUR LUSTFUL WAYS!"

Ranma objects, "Hey, wait a minute…that's a lie! I never lied to you Kodachi! I tried to tell you, but like your brother, you're just too stubborn, and you never let me tell you anything!"

"LIES! YOU LIE, AND FOR THAT, YOU'LL DIEEE!"

Kodachi charges against Ranma with her Ribbon. She begins to attack him. Ranma's dodging them all. "Kodachi, stop this right now, I don't want to hurt you!"

"SHUT UP, RANMA…PREPARED TO DIEEE FOR YOUR CRIMES!"

Ranma, annoyed, mutters to himself, "Man, guess that Ryoga's stupid phrase is quite catching with everybody…" Then to Kodachi, he says, "Alright Kodachi, guess I'll have to stop you…this is gonna hurt me even more than you, so forgive me."

Then Ranma evades her attacks and runs toward her, then, inches away from her, he taps one of the Pressure Points on her legs. Then Kodachi falls to the floor:

Ranma calmly says, "Now Kodachi, let's talk about it."

A defeated Kodachi cries, "Damn you Ranma…sniff!"

"Please Kodachi, I just want to clear up some things here, so if you'll let me…"

"HOW DARE YOU HURT THAT SWEET LADY RANMA…!" a boy's voice yells.

Ranma blinks, looking everywhere. "Huh!?"

Then, from outta nowhere, R appears and attacks Ranma. Ranma evades his incoming blow. "What! Carl…what are you doing here?"

"YOU MORON! IT'S R, AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO INSULT KODACHI!"

"Hey, what's it to you?"

"I can't stand when a jerk insults such a beautiful girl, and you have insulted this girl!"

Kodachi's confused; the boy she met a while ago, is defending her. Even though she didn't need it, this touches her:

Kodachi thinks: _I don't believe it, this R is defending me. No one has ever done that for me before!_

R smirks, thinking: _Ha! If I rescue her, she'll fall in love with me, then I can ask her for her secrets, and she'll give them to me!_

Then R and Ranma beginto fight. Kodachi watches as they fought and is pleased with R's actions…

R smirks. "So, you have trained harder then usual Ranma."

Ranma notices, "You too, I can tell."

"Well…allow me to show you a move that I just developed…hope you're ready for it?"

"Bring it on!"

"Okay then!"

Then R begins to concentrate and he begins to shine with a reddish-purple battle aura…then he yells…-"ACTIVE RED PEARL!"-… unleashing a fireball at Ranma at full speed. It hits Ranma dead center and sends him crashing into a tree…

Ranma's hurt, thinking: _Woaa…that was some fireball…kinda like Ryoga's Shi-Shi Houkodan…but a little faster!_

R wants to know, "So what do you think of that move Ranma?"

Ranma's getting up as he says, "That was one cool move R, I'll give you that…ugn…okay, now its my turn!"

Kodachi thinks: _WOW…that R sure is strong…maybe I can use him to get rid of that cursed Ranma… _She's blushing now. _B__ut, I can't deny that he's cute!_

Ranma then proceeds to attack R with his abilities…R was trying to dodge them, then, thanks to one little distraction from R, Ranma is able to unleash his…-

"KATCHU-TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!" Ranma yells and hits R with 567 punches. But that doesn't stop R. Now R unleashes another Active Red Pearl to Ranma. But Ranma counters it with his Mouko Takabisha. Both attacks collide against each other and explode into a big blast. Unfortunately the blast range hits some walls where Kodachi was standing in front of. The walls came down and large pieces were going to hit Kodachi:

Kodachi's wide-eyed at the sight. "OH NO!" she cries.

Kodachi closes her eyes, waiting for the impact, the wall crushing down. When Kodachi opens her eyes she sees that someone was carrying her, she thought it was Ranma. But to Kodachi's surprise, it wasn't Ranma…but R.

"Oh my."

"Are you alright Kodachi?" R asks, concern in his voice.

Kodachi's blushing even more, her cheeks a bright red, "Um…yes…thank you."

"Good, now let's take you someplace to rest."

Ranma sees this and it's intriguing to him, but it disappeared. When R lands he puts Kodachi down:

Ranma walks up to him. "Hey Carl…thanks for saving Kodachi."

R snorts, "Feh! It was the duty of any gentleman to save a girl from danger…but you wouldn't know anything about that!"

Ranma's steamed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Listen…we'll fight tomorrow, until then, train harder, cause I'll do the same."

Ranma accepts R's challenge. "You got it."

R turns to Kodachi and says, "And to you my Lady…"

R takes Kodachi's hand and kisses it. "…a kiss for a beautiful one such as yourself."

Kodachi in awe of her new savior, her hero, her new knight in shining armor. Blushing furiously, she manages to say, "Why…thank you…"

R smiles. "The pleasure is all mine…well… I must be going, till we meet again Kodachi…you too Ranma."

Then R jumps away and disappears in a storm of white rose petals:

Ranma watches him go. "That guy sure knows how to make an exit…" To Kodachi, he says, "Well, I gotta go also. Take care Kodachi, hope we can talk without you tyrying to kill me…see you!"

Ranma then walks away. Kodachi doesn't even notice he's gone, lost in her world. Then, she has that same look of love and passionate longing in her eyes for R that she once had when Ranma first saved her some time ago.

Kodachi remarks, "R…such a cool guy, and brave…" With hearts in her eyes, she finally says, "Oh…I think I'm in love!"

Kodachi then giggles then she jumps to the rooftops, laughing her trademark laughter all the while.

"O-HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!"

* * *

In another part of China, Demitri, Morrigan and Bishamon were looking for any clues that would lead them to the Phoenix Stone, but with no such luck…

Demitri, frustrated, growls, "Argh…! We have being walking for some time and we still haven't found any clues that may help us to find this damn Phoenix Stone!"

"Patience Demitri, we have to keep looking, so don't get too desperate." Morrigan says.

Bishamon nods in agreement with her. "Morrigan is right Demitri…we will find this stone."

Demitri grudgingly admits, "Perhaps you're right…but, this is getting annoying."

They keep walking; they were in a forest in the night, the howling of wolves can be heard …when suddenly:

A man's voice says, "Well, well, it appears that we have some competition!"

This takes Demitri and the rest by surprise. They look everywhere to see who said that:

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Demitri demands.

Morrigan's looking around, itching for a battle. "Where did it come from…stop hiding!"

Bishomon draws his sword. "Reveal yourself, if you're not afraid!"

"Very well then…" Then the person appeared from the shadows of a tree. The gang see the person…it was none other than Erick in his black armor:

"Who are you?" Demitri wanted to know.

Erick chuckles, "My, my…who do we have here…if it isn't the Vampire Dimitri Maximoff."

Demitri's confused "Huh! How did you know?…I don't know you!"

"But I know who YOU really are."

Demitri's in no mood for this. "Enough with that! Just who are you?"

Erick sarcastically replies, "Well, since you asked me nicely, I'll tell you…My name is High Priest Erick Genryusai,…" He bows in grand fashion to the group. "Nice to meet you."

Morrigan asks, "Okay, so what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you three the same question…but, I think I already know that answer."

"Oh really?" the succubus says sarcastically, crossing her arms over her ample bosom. Looking him over, up and down, she sizes him up. Obviously he's the classic tall, dark, mysterious, and handsome type; she rates him as a nine, maybe nine-and-a-half.

Erick's not fazed by Morrigan's subtle attempts at enticing him. He has serious business to discuss. "Yep…bet you all 50 bucks that you're looking for the Phoenix Stone! Am I right?"

Morrigan wasn't expecting this. She may have to reconsider her opinion of this delicious-looking mortal. She gasps, "How…how did you know that?"

"Pure luck, I guess."

Demitri demands, "If you know that…then that means YOU know where it is!"

Erick innocently says, "Maybe, maybe not."

"Listen here…if you value your pitiful life mortal, you'll tell me where it is!"

"Oh!?"

Demitri spells it out for his soon-to-be-victim. "So here are your options…tell me where it is and maybe I'll let you live…if not, I'll skin you alive and eat your soul!"

Erick smirks. "I think I'll choose option three…" Then, imitating the voice of Bart Simpson, he says, "…_Eat my shorts!_"

Demitri is VERY angry. "WHAT?…OKAY, HAVE IT YOUR WAY!…YOU'RE DEAD!"

Demitri then unleashes his Chaos Flare, a fireball in the shape of a bat, on Erick. Erick just stands there, waiting for the impact:

Morrigan actually feels sorry for Erick. "Geez…that mortal is gonna be fried by that!"

But, to everyone's surprise, Erick raises his palm, catches the fireball with ONE hand (!), and crushes it, snuffing out the projectile. Demitri cannot believe it; neither could Morrigan or Bishamon:

Morrigan gasps in shock. "No way…how did he do that?"

Puzzled by this stranger's abilities, Bishamon can only reply, "I don't know."

Demitri's shocked. "Impossible! How could you stop my attack? What are you? Are you another Darkstalker?"

Erick tells the vampire, "Nope…just a High Priest…now, why don't we talk, okay?"

After what he's just seen, Demitri's thinking it might be a good idea to hear this fellow out. "Okay…I'm listening."

* * *

_**AT THE RED CATS' NEW SECRET BASE:**_

A huge Airship lands…It was M. Bison's 'new' and 'improved' Airship. As before…a squad of 20 Shadowloo soldiers form a two-line division. Balrog, Vega, Sagat, Rolento, Birdie, and Adon then step out. The last one was M. Bison, with Tron Bonne walking alongside him. Then they head for the chamber. Once they arrive, that see the Cat Statue, Dr Wily, Bubbleman and Bass. Along with some RED CAT Soldiers:

The Cat Statue welcomes his visiting allies. "Greetings M. Bison. Glad that you paid us a visit."

"Likewise," M. Bison says.

The Cat Statue senses the presence of a newcomer. His eyes spot Tron (Good grief, he's a STATUE! How can he see her!?). "And who is this young lady?"

When Dr. Wily sees Tron Bonne, however:

"TRON BONNE!"

Tron Bonne waves at the old man, "Hey, if it isn't Dr. Wily!"

The Cat Statue chats with Tron. "So Tron Bonne is your name is it?"

"That's right." Tron replies.

Dr. Wily's mad – he still wants to know, "WHAT IS 'SHE' DOING HERE?"

Bison sternly replies, "Tron Bonne here is my new enforcer of Shadowloo!"

Bass shares Dr. Wily's anger over this girl. "HER?…How come?…she's only a baby!"

"Well Bass…this "baby", as you call her, is a genius in building machines…War Machines, the kind that I like!"

Dr. Wily tries to object. "But still…!"

"ENOUGH…!!" M. Bison angrily says while summoning a fearsome aura of Psycho Power around himself, which does the twofold purpose of scaring the heebee-jeebees out of Wily and shutting him up quite nicely. "I didn't come here for you to scold anybody…I've come here to see if there's any news on the stone!"

Seeing that Wily's too scared out of his wits say anything right now, the Cat Statue tells Bison, "No, not yet meow…but Erick said that we are close to it."

Bison frowns. "I see…so where's Erick anyway?"

"He's working on trying to unlock some riddles that may help us find the Phoenix Stone."

* * *

Meanwhile, the three Nordic Goddesses Belldandy, Urd and Skull were in Tokyo walking through the crowds, trying to find any info on the mysterious energy, when:

Skuld whines, "I'm hungry!"

Urd scolds her, "Oh stop your whining Skuld!"

Belldandy says, "You know, I'm quite hungry myself."

Urd relents. "Well, since we're all hungry, why don't we go and grab a snack?"

"Hey, why don't we go to that restaurant"?

Belldandy points at a restaurant, and the three decide to head up there. This restaurant was none other than…-"THE MCD's **REAL BOUT** Martial Arts Bar & Grill"-…

Urd blinks. "Real Bout Martial Arts Bar & Grill? What kind of a restaurant is that?"

Skuld's like, "Don't know, but I don't care…as long as they serve food in there, they can call it whatever they want!

"Well let's go and eat." Belldandy says to her sisters.

Then they enter the restaurant, where they were received by the head waiter. He bows and says pleasantly, "Welcome to the Real Bout Martial Arts Bar & Grill, how many peoples?"

"Um, just three." Belldandy tells him.

"Very well then, follow me and I'll take you to your table"

"Thank you."

The Head Waiter took them to their table and hands them their menus:

Looking at the menu, Skuld says hungrily, "Yummy, look at all this dishes…so many, which one will I take?"

Urd says, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ordering these Buffalo Wings, they look good."

Belldandy says, "And I think I'll choose the grilled chicken…what will you choose Skuld?"

"Hmm…I don't know." Skuld looks over to the Head Waiter and asks, "What would you recommend?"

The Head Waiter replies, "Well Miss, I'd deeply recommend the House lo mein, which is one of the Owner's favorite dishes."

"Okay then, I'll choose that one."

"Excellent choices miss. Your orders will be served right away."

"Thank you!" the three girls reply in unison.

After the Head Waiter went for their orders, the girls were admiring the beautiful things the restaurant had. Among them is a unique sports car belonging to the owner that is on display, a fully-customized Honda NSX Type R, outfitted with a JGTC-inspired body kit from Taitec and a set of RAYS TE-37 wheels painted a flat black. The car has some serious go under the hood to go along with its showy looks – the engine's been overhauled and built to racing specifications by a shop out in Gunma Prefecture. The whole car's painted in the factory Championship White color, with a blue silhouette of an angel painted on the hood. Looking at it as a whole, the car somewhat resembles the "White Angel" from that old PlayStation game Ridge Racer Revolution. And rumor had it (and a major car magazine in Japan confirmed it!) that the owner had taken it out for a spin at the famous Tsukuba Circuit, where he'd clocked a 55-second lap on his first try during a time attack run.

Skuld in awe. "WOW, check it out! Look at that car, its awesome!"

Urd nods. "Yeah, it's a racing car!"

Belldandy remarks, "Oh my, what a lovely car."

The restaurant owner, the MCD was watching his restaurant and waving to the customers when they leave the place…-" Goodbye, hope to see you soon"-…he says to some people when they were leaving. He sees that one of his waiters was carrying some dishes, among them, his favorite House Lo Mein. "Say, who is this meal for?"

The waiter tells him, "Oh! It's for those girls over in table 12."

Then the waiter points to the table where the girls are sitting. The MCD sees the girls. When he sees Belldandy, however, he gasps big-time! He's thinking: _What! That girl__! __She looks like…_ He's shaking his head. _No, it couldn't be her!_

The waiter blinks, and asks his boss, "Um, something wrong, sir?"

This snaps the MCD out of his daze. "Wha…? No, it's nothing."

The waiter takes the order to the girls. The MCD's still puzzled with the girl he saw at the table, so he decides to investigate himself. Later, he approaches to the table where the girls were eating:. He waves at them. "Good afternoon ladies, I'm the owner of this restaurant. I just came to check if everything was in order."

"Yes, everything is okay." Skuld replies.

"Yeah." Urd says.

MCD continues making pleasant small talk. "So tell me, are the meals good?"

"You bet, they are good!"

Belldandy agrees. "Right, I like it here."

The MCD's pleased. "Well, I'm glad to hear it ma'am… So what are your names lovely ladies?"

"I'm Skuld."

"Urd's my name"

"And my name is Belldandy…nice to meet you, sir."

The MCD, after hearing this, is beyond shocked now. He thinks: _NO! I don't believe it! Could it be her? Is it possible?_

Belldandy and her sisters see the totally shocked look on their host's face.

Skuld wavies a hand in front of him. "Hello! Are you okay mister?"

The MCD snaps out of it. "Wha…oh yea, so sorry."

What happened to you anyway? You totally spaced out." Urd says curiously.

The MCD fake-laughs, "Nothing…nothing at all, I just had something on my mind, that's all…I must be going now ladies, I have to attend to a phone call."

Then he leaves and heads for his office. When he enters, closing the door behind him, certain that he is alone, he begin to think a lot:

After a while, the MCD finally whispers, "Can it be her? After all these years."

* * *

Now in Japan, Demitri, Morrigan and Bishamon are continuing their quest to find the Phoenix Stone. Demitri was still mad at his last conversation with Erick:

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Erick was talking to Demitri and the gang after the little fight they'd had:

"I just want to talk okay?"

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Fine…as I was saying, you're all looking for the Phoenix Stone, right?" All three nod yes. Erick breaks the bad news to them. "Well…the thing is…I'm afraid you can't have it."

Demitri yells. "WHAAAAAAAT DID YOU SAY?"

"Jeez, you have a hearing problem? I said that you guys can't have the Phoenix Stone."

Morrigan's angry. "And why not? What makes you think you can tell us that?"

Erick replies, mocking her, "There, there sweetie, don't get angry. You don't want to ruin that beautiful face now do you?"

"Grrrrr!"

Demitri goes on saying, "AND PRAY TELL WHY CAN'T WE HAVE THAT STONE? DO YOU REALIZE WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?"

Erick tells him, " I already know who am I talking to…besides being one stubborn Vampire…the reason you folks can't have it, is that WE need it."

"We?" Bishamon asks.

"Yes…the Red Cat Gang and Shadowloo."

"Red Cat Gang!" Morrigan asks, wondering who these guys are.

"Shadowloo!" Bishamon asks, wondering the same thing as Morrigan.

Demitri says angrily, "LISTEN HERE YOU MORTAL!…YOU THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA LET SOME PUNY MORTALS GET THAT STONE? I'LL CRUSH THEM AND TAKE IT BY FORCE!"

Erick chuckles. "Huhuhuhuuuu."

"WHATS SO FUNNY?"

Erick points at Demitri. "You."

"ME?"

"Yes…you think that the Red Cat Gang and Shadowloo are puny? If so, then you're more stubborn than I thought."

"AND WHY IS THAT? WHAT COULD THOSE MORTALS DO TO ME? I AM THE SUPREME VAMPIRE!"

Morrigan boasts proudly, "And I'm the supreme Succubus of Makai"

Bishamon draws his sword. "And I'm the great Warrior Bishamon!"

Erick's not impressed. "You're all idiots if you ask me."

All three yell angrily, "WHAT?"

"You heard me…you think that the Earth's mortals are as they were 2000 years ago? No! The mortals of today are LOADED with potential, why…there are people who are very skilled, strong and agile as a Darkstalker…or perhaps maybe more."

Demitri scolds, "I doubt that!"

"Demitri, Demitri, Demitri…" Erick says giving him the 'no-no' gesture. "You sure have a lot of ego…You think that you're invincible, that no one will hurt you…but…there was another Vampire by the name of Dracula, who thought just like you…he thought that no mortal could ever beat him, but, they did, some puny mortal beat him by the name of Simon Belmont."

Demitri's not interested in Erick's impromptu history lesson. "And what does THAT have to do with THIS?"

Erick flatly tells him, "That if you go up against us…you'll be destroyed."

Demitri laughs, "HAHAHAHA…AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK **YOU** CAN DO THAT?"

"I'm just telling you this Demitri, as an old saying goes_…-"Curiosity killed the cat"-_

"What does that mean?" Morrigan asks him.

Erick, in his own 'nice' way, tells them all, "Easy, if you're not all careful…you won't make it alive…and, don't underestimate Shadowloo, or you three will be sorry."

"IS THAT SO?" a furious Demitri asks.

Erick smiles. "Yes…I must be going now…you three have been warned…see you later."

Then he disappears leaving an angry Vampire, Succubus and a cursed Samurai.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Demitri's still mad, fuming. "I don't care what that stupid mortal says…no one will stand in my way in obtaining that stone…NO ONE!"

Morrigan asks, "I wonder though…could this Shadowloo be as strong as he told us?"

Demitri laughs at that notion. "Morrigan, you forget that WE are powerful beings…and they are just mere mortals! We have powers beyond those humans…besides, what could these mortals do to us? What 'abilities' could they possibly possess?"

Morrigan's reluctantly admits "Perhaps you're right Dimitri."

Demitri, ever confident (or just plain arrogant, take your pick!) sneers, "Of course I am…we will show this Red Cat Gang and Shadowloo what powers we have, and they'll kneel before us!"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

Erick arrives in his own dark chamber. Delia receives him, smiling. "Welcome back Erick…so how did it go with those Darkstalkers?"

Erick replies, "As I predicted they would…they were stubborn. And that Demitri, HA! He had a lot of ego."

"Really!"

"O yeah, he told me that 'he' was invincible, that no mortal will beat him"

Delia chuckles, "Just like Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula…he also thought he would rule and that no one could stop him, but they did."

Erick makes a rather true observation, commenting, "I think that all who have power start to think that they're invincible…but, that only makes them weaker."

"Quite so," Delia nods, agreeing with him.

"So tell me De-chan, any news you got for me?"

"Not much…just that the Cat Statue and Dr. Wily are still waiting for the riddles."

"I see… well, let's tell them okay…before they get on our nerves."

"Okay."

Then they go the chamber where the Cat Statue dwells. It asks, "Erick, did you solve those riddles Meow?"

"Sure did." Erick tells him.

Dr. Wily, who can't take all this anticipation, urges him, "Well…what are you waiting for? Tell us!"

"What's the hurry? Besides Doc, you would not understand them anyway."

The Cat Statue says, "Just tell us Erick…what do they say meow?"

Erick replies, "Very well then, here it goes, listen carefully_…-" To find that which cannot be seen, it will appear when that heart is free, only then, the Phoenix Stone lies waiting, look closer and you'll find it in…"-_

When he finishes:

Dr. Wily's confused. "What did he say?"

"Didn't you hear him Doctor?" the Cat Statue harsly asks, not believing that Wily wasn't paying attention.

Erick plainly reminds Wily, "I told you that you wouldn't understand Doc."

"So now what Erick Meow?"

Erick tells the Cat Statue, "I guess that we'll have to solve this riddle."

Dr. Wily groans, complaining, "Again?…I don't like this! This is a waste of time!"

Erick resists the urge to smack the irritating old fool into deep space. He calmly (through clenched teeth!) threatens, "Wily… I suggest that you shut up…"

Dr. Wily's offended. "WHAT! You can't shut me off…! Only the Cat Statue can do that!"

The Cat Statue hisses, "MROWR! Wily, shut up!"

In one of the rooms of the secret castle of the Red Cats, Bubbleman is thinking about some stuff. Like all those times he's fought against Megaman and lost, all the punishment he or any other robot received for their failure, now Dr. Wily has joined with the Red Cat Gang. Then, Frostman enters and sees him. "Duh! Hey Bubbleman, whatcha doing?"

Bubbleman looks up, noticing the huge ice-bot. "Hey Frosty, nothing much, just thinking about some stuff, that's all."

"Duh! Like what?…you can tell Frostman."

"I'm getting quite bored with this job. I mean, ever since I can remember, we've being doing nothing but fighting and stealing, stealing and fighting, and we lose every time we go up against Megaman. It's getting quite annoying for me."

Frostman nods. "Yea, you're right…Frostman don't like that."

"I don't know, but I'm thinking about asking Dr. Wily for some vacation."

Frostman blinks. "Duh! Vacation! What is that?"

Bubbleman explains, "Well um…I've seen that in the human world where they work, they ask for 'vacation' to relax after a hard day's work…or so I've seen on the TV."

"Duh! You think that Master Wily will give you this 'vacation'?"

"I don't see why not…I mean, I read that the humans have these things called… 'RIGHTS'."

"Well…good luck Bubbleman."

"Thanks."

* * *

Arriving in Japan by ship are the Warrior Monk Donovan with Anita, the catwoman and famous showgirl Felicia, and the werewolf Jon Talbain. Once they were on land:

"We are here." Donovan tells his companions.

Felicia asks, "Would you mind telling us again why we're here, Donovan?"

"Anita felt a very strong energy flowing here in Japan."

"What kind of energy?" Jon wanted to know.

Anita tells them, "This energy is very powerful, and deep, it's something that must be dangerous."

Donovan adds, "Which is why we must investigate. If it is that powerful, we can't let it slide."

Jon doesn't need be told twice. "Okay, so let's find out!"

* * *

In the MCD's Restaurant, it was closing time. All the workers left for the night, except the MCD, he decides to stay behind. But unlike the usual routine, he sits in his office, thinking about the girl called Belldandy.

"Can it be really her? She looks very much like her. If so, can she still remember me?…it has been thousands of years. But…"

Then he takes out a medallion, it had the shape of a flower with little rubies. It was very unique.

"I must know if she is the one…"

Who is this girl that is so very important to the MCD?

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hotel where Guile and Chun-Li are staying, they were explaining to Charlie and Cammy about their report on the Hinata Inn:

Charlie asks his comrade, "Hey Guile, how did it go?"

Cammy presses them for detals. "Did you get any leads to M.Bison?"

Guile shakes his head. "No."

"I'm afraid not." Chun-Li says, disappointed.

"What happened?"

They told the information they receive from the Hinata girls, at the end:

Charlie sighs, "Man, too bad that didn't give us any clues to M. Bison."

Cammy frowns. "Yea,h and we thought we had a shot at cracking him."

Guile says to Chun-Li, "I'm still confused on the Hinata girls, they were acting very weird."

Cammy perks up, hopeful for something, anything. "Oh! What is he talking about Chun-Li"?

Chun-Li giggles and whispering to Cammy, "THAT was funny."

Cammy blinks. "So what happened?"

"It's like this…"

Chun-Li then tells Cammy about what happened there:

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Guile and Chun-Li are having a drink and they are resting on the sofa at the house. Unaware to Guile, Haruna, Naru, Mitsune, Mutsune and Motoko were watching Guile with lustful eyes:

Haruna's thinking: _Wow, he has a strong body, and big and…_

Naru's thinking_: …gorgeous, like a hunk and…_

Mitsune's thinking: _…hot, he has a body that I would like to sink my teeth in…_

Motoko finishes the others thoughts: _…he's like a body builder, and that hair, such a hunk!_

Chun-Li remarks, "Guile, it's quite hot inside, why don't you take your jacket off?"

Guile nods "Yeah, you're right."

Then Guile proceeds to remove his Jacket. After that, he only had on his green T-shirt, and all his muscles were expose to the girls…the girls when they see him like this, they blush like hell!

Haruna, Naru, Mitsune, Mutsune, and Motoko are all thinking the SAME EXACT thing: _WOW…WHAT A MAN, WHAT A BODY, WHAT A HUNK, I'M IN LOOOOVE!_

Guile sees that the girls are blushing like mad. He blinks, then asks concernedly, "Um! Are you alright girls? Your faces are red!"

The girls, waking up from their reverie, laugh nervously, "Wha…nothing, nothing at all! Hahahahaaa!"

Guile, confused, sweatdrops. "Ooookay."

Of course, Chun-Li, being female, knew what was going on with those girls. Intrigued, she thinks: _My, my…it appeared that the girls developed a crush on Guile. This is gonna be very interesting._"

Then, entering the house, was Sentaro, who sees some guests:

Haruna greets him. "Hello, Sentaro."

Sentaro waves. "Hello Haruna, girls…" He spots Guile and Chun-Li. "Oh, I see that we have guests here…!" To Guile, he introduces himself, "Hello, my name is Sentaro,…" Then, to Chun-Li, he says, taking her hand, "And you, my pretty, can call me anything you want!"

Naru scolds, "Sentaro, stop being such a jerk!"

Sentaro was determined to impress Chun-Li with his charm, but for Sentaro:

Chun-Li chuckles, then turns him down COLD, "First grow up little boy; I don't go that way." Oooh…OUCH!

Sentaro's shocked. "Whaaa…!"

The girls just laugh, and continue to admire Guile – of course, HE doesn't know it! Then, they leave Hinata Inn. They wave goodbye to the girls:

"Thanks again for the ice tea, we appreciated a lot" Guile says.

"No problem whatsoever" Haruna tells him kindly.

"Yeah, it was our pleasure" Naru says.

Mitsune nods. "Yeah, yeah, our pleasure!"

"Well, we must go now Guile" Chun-Li tells her partner, not letting him in on what she knows.

Haruna, in a sweet voice, says, "Come again to Hinata Inn, Colonel Guile, we are always open for everyone (_And especially YOU_)!"

Naru, with a kawai face, says, "Yes, do come back again (_Oh, please come back_)!"

Mitsune nods. "Anytime you want to, you're always welcome (_Stud-muffin_)!"

Guile, not kwoning he's the been the center of attention, says – keeping things all professional and stuff, "Okay, maybe I will, but not right now. But thanks for that offer, I'll keep it in mind."

Then, Guile and Chun-Li leave. After that all the Hinata Girls –(except Shinobu, Kaolla and Sara)- sigh with looks of love on their faces:

Naru, sighs cutely, "Aaaaah! What a man!"

Mistune agrees. "Yeaaaa, and such a hunk!"

Haruna comments, "And the physique of a bodybuilder."

Motoko says, trying to keep a straight face, "And a great warrior, with a cute butt!"

All the girls giggle. Sentaro didn't like that:

Sentaro frowns. "Hmph…What does 'that guy' have that I don't, eh!"

Naru counters with, "Below or above the waist?"

Mitsune adds, "You mean the fact that he is a hunk master?"

Haruna continues in awe, "He's gorgeous, with a body of a bodybuilder!"

Motoko breaks her discipline, confessing, "And has a great ass, err… I mean, butt."

Sentaro sweatdrops. "Um…yeah."

Haruna swoons. "A lot."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Chun-Li finishes, "And that's what happened."

Cammy finally asks, "And does he know?"

Chun-Li giggles, "No, Guile is such a naïve man."

Cammy giggles too, nodding. "You're right, same as Charlie."

Guile overhears them laughing like a couple of schoolgirls and asks, "Hey girls, what're you laughing about?"

Chun-Li and Cammy reply innocently, "Nothing!"

Charlie wraps up the impromptu briefing, "Okay, so we go to sleep, for tomorrow we must return home and inform our superiors of our report."

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	20. The Present Danger and the Future Horror

CHAPTER 20

_**-"THE PRESENT DANGER AND THE FUTURE HORROR… ENTER MEGAMAN X AND ZERO!"-**_

At the RED CAT GANG's new hideout …

Now that Dr. Wily's finished analyzing the three Phoenix treasures and extracting the jewels from them for Erick, he went back to work on his latest creation. He was about to break out in his usual evil laughter when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in!"

Bass entered the lab, Treble with him. "OK, Doc, what is it now?"

Dr. Wily laughs his evil laugh. "Hee hee hee! You're just in time, Bass! At last, after months of work, it's finished!" He goes over to a raised platform, where there's a large object covered by a sheet. "BEHOLD!" He grabs the sheet and pulls it off, revealing…

"DOC! What the heck is that!"

Lying on the platform was a large, bulky suit of gray armor with blue gloves, blue boots, and blue shoulder pads. Dr. Wily's trademark "Dr. W" insignia could be clearly seen on the belt buckle.

"My latest creation, FIGHTMAN! HA HA HA!"

"Ah geez, not another lame-o robot, Doc! And you call it finished? That thing's got no head on its shoulders! What's up with that?"

"That's because it's not a robot, you idiot! It's a suit of powered armor. I've been working on it during the 2000 Anything-Goes Martial Arts Tournament. Wearing this suit puts the powers of the world's greatest martial artists in the hands (and feet!) of one man! Anybody who wears it will be the strongest warrior in the world, possessing superhuman strength, enhanced intelligence, heightened reflexes, and coordination! But there is one small problem…"

"Oh? And what's that?"

Dr. Wily explains. "Initially, I wanted to use the martial artists the RED CATS had kidnapped in order to provide combat data for Fightman's programming. But after Ranma Saotome's fight with that girl Rouge in the final match of AGMA 2000, the military showed up, freed the prisoners, and destroyed the installation where all of the accumulated combat data was stored! Grrr… it's that blasted Ranma's entire fault, I tell you!"

Bass sweatdrops. "Uhh, Doc? Just how exactly is THAT Ranma's fault?"

Dr. Wily sighs, "Never mind that. It doesn't matter now anyway." Then he laughs, "Hee hee hee… But it wasn't a total loss… A few days later, I came back to the ruined arena where Rouge and Ranma fought, and I found something amazing. You see, Bass, the RED CATS had brainwashed Rouge for me and, and while she was under our control, her strength was greatly increased, especially in her cursed form as that six-armed, three-faced goddess Ashura. She was so strong, that she was able to hurt Ranma pretty good, enough to make him bleed! I found traces of his blood, collected them, and took them back to the RED CATS' fortress. From Ranma's blood, I extracted a perfect sample of his DNA. Using the sample, I conducted a series of experiments in order to unlock Ranma's secret, and from those, I created…."

"Dog-Boy" and Lady Ran!" Bass finishes Dr. Wily statement.

Dr. Wily frowns at Bass' rude nickname for R., but he continues talking with Bass. "Precisely. Two perfect assassins, created from Saotome's own DNA, their sole purpose to hunt down and kill Ranma, thus ridding me of him for good! But of course, you know what happened after that…"

Bass nods in agreement with Dr. Wily on the events that happened after R and Ran's "birth". Wily's trying to drill it into their heads (by brainwashing them, of course!) that Ranma was their enemy and they had to kill him. Wily's sending R on a pre-arranged training journey to hone the boy's fighting skills. Ran's constant refusal to give in to the intense brainwashing Wily was putting her through; for some strange reason, she seemed to have a problem with killing Ranma. Ran's stealing of the Phoenix Stone. How R was sent to kill her and get it back, which led to Ran taking a near-fatal plunge into the ocean and R grieving over her apparent "death". And what really bothered Bass was R's return to active duty, as if nothing happened, forgetting that Ran was his… oops! Almost gave it away, didn't I?

Dr. Wily continues, "Sigh… I should have foreseen that…. With his exceptional fighting skill R can easily kill Ranma with no problems, but he couldn't kill Ran… I suppose the old saying is true: blood DOES run thicker than water. D'OH!"

"So "Dog-Boy" and Ran really ARE brother and sister!"

"Yes, Bass, they are. Because they share more than five tenths of Saotome's DNA, R and Ran Hayami have a unique spiritual and emotional bond and feel protective towards one another. That's why after Ran's betrayal, I had to brainwash R and block out his memories of her, so that he would remain loyal to us.

"Wait a minute! If YOU created them, then that means their parents…

"They don't exist. They never did. In the cemetery where R's "parents" were supposedly laid to rest, there's just a tombstone and two empty graves. No casket, no corpses, nothing. Posing as a friend of his late "father", I just told R his parents were dead as further motivation for him to kill Ranma. Like adding fuel to a fire, heh heh heh!"

"Does Ran know about this?"

"No, and I intend to keep it that way! The truth would devastate her. So don't YOU breathe a word to R about this! Besides, if he were to learn the truth, he would never forgive me." Dr. Wily gets teary-eyed. "After all, R is the only thing closest to a son that I ever had…"

Bass facefaults. "ARRGH! There you go again defending him! Stop calling him your son! It's like a bad soap opera!"

Then Onekomaru enters the lab. "Excuse me, Dr. Wily, but Lord Erick wants to see Lord Bass right now.

"What does that crazy High Priest want now? Oh, fine, tell him I'm on my way. See you later, Doc." Bass then leaves the lab, with Onekomaru following behind him.

Dr. Wily thinks, wondering: _What are Erick and Bass up to now?_

* * *

We see the RED CAT GANG's High Priest Erick Genryusai in his secret lair. Instead of his usual Black Armor Clothes, he's wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, black shoes, and a lab coat. He actually looks rather, well… like a normal scientist. You usually don't hear Erick and the word "normal" in the same sentence; it's very rare. I mean, this is ERICK we're talking about here, folks. Nothing he does is normal.

Anyway…Erick's in his lair working on something. He goes over to a table where an elaborate chemistry set with a variety of chemicals, electronic devices, and lab samples can be seen. Erick looks in a microscope; he seems pleased with whatever he's looking at. Then he taps in some information into a nearby laptop computer. After checking the results on the screen, Erick picks up a test tube filled with a dark substance. He then takes an eyedropper, dips it into a small bowl filled with a red blood-like liquid, and uses it, squeezing six drops of the red stuff into the test tube…

On his way to see Erick, Bass runs into Delia, who tells him why he wants to see him. It seems Erick has something he wants to show Bass…

"Look, Delia, this is no time for "show-and-tell"! What's your boyfriend want to show me?"

"All will be revealed when we meet Erick, Bass. Besides, he says it's a surprise," Delia says.

Bass replies sarcastically, "Really? Ah geez, I HATE surprises!"

Suddenly…

**KA-BOOM!!**

"What was THAT? It sounded like it came from Erick's lair!"

Delia panics, actually worried for her beloved's safety. "OH NO! ERICK DARLING!

"Lord Erick!" Onekomaru cries.

Bass tells them, "C'mon you two! Let's go check and see if Erick's okay!" _You'd better not be dead, Erick! You promised you'd help me get my kingdom, and I can't get it if you're in little itty-bitty pieces!_

And so, Bass, Treble, Delia, and Onekomaru rush to Erick's lair. When they enter, they see Erick, looking like he'd been roasted alive and yet with a triumphant look on his face. His lab coat and the clothes he was wearing were burnt and smoke was coming from them.

Delia cries, relieved, "Oh, Erick, thank god you're alive!"

Bass mock-frowns. "So, he's not dead after all." Secretly relieved, he thinks: _I'm glad! Without Erick, I won't get my kingdom!_

"Cough,cough….Ah, you're all here! And just in time, too. Give me a moment to change into some fresh clothes." Erick steps into the darkness of his lair to change clothes. Minutes later, he returns dressed in his usual Black Armor Clothes and skull necklace and his burns are healed. Now refreshed, he sighs, "Ahh… that's much better."

Bass is impatient. "OK, Erick, what did you want to see me for?"

"Well, Bass, as your "royal advisor", I just wanted to show the future king of the world my latest invention. BEHOLD!" Erick then pulls out a large test tube filled with a cloudy red substance swirling around inside.

Delia, Bass, Treble, and Onekomaru all sweatdrop.

"A test tube, Lord Erick?" Onekomaru risks asking.

Erick sharply tells him, "NO, stupid! It's not the test tube! It's what's IN it!"

Bass: Yeah, well, what IS that stuff in the test tube?

"I'm glad you asked, Bass! Take a closer look, everyone." Erick puts the test tube in a holder and positions a large magnifying lens over it so they can see what's inside.

Delia, Bass, and Onekomaru go over to the lens, and are surprised by what they see…

Delia's the first to comment on the contents of the test tube. "Erick! It…it's…they're…

Onekomaru gulps, scared, "Alive?"

Unimpressed by the stuff inside, Bass asks, "Just what ARE these things, Erick?"

Inside that test tube, tiny starfish-shaped creatures are swirling around. They are red in color, but their bodies are transparent. Bass can see that the creatures have organs and what looks like electronic circuitry inside them.

Erick explains, "These, Bass, are the result of centuries of research! I've combined ancient magic and modern technology in order to create them. They're nano-machines, microscopic mechanical organisms. But soon, they will be the ultimate weapons! I call them "Diabolic Variable Life Forms", or "DVL Cells", for short."

Delia catches on. "DVL", as in "Devil", right?

Erick laughs, "Right, Delia!"

"So, what do these "Devil Cells" do, Erick?" Bass asks.

"That's what I'm going to show you all. Everyone, follow me.

They all follow Erick into the darkness, and appear in another room. We can see a large control panel, and a large panoramic window. It's one-sided; you can see what is going on outside, but the person on the outside can't see in. On the other side of that window, is a room that looks like some kind of prison cell. Erick goes over to the panel and pushes a button for the intercom. He speaks into a microphone, "I'm ready now. Bring him in, would you?"

Looking through the window, Bass, Delia, and Onekomaru see two RED CAT Soldiers enter the cell with a third soldier in handcuffs.

"Strip him of that disguise," Erick commands.

The soldiers take off their "comrade's" cap and then pull off a pair of cat ears! Surprise, surprise!

The sound of disgust in Bass' voice is obvious. "HEY! He's a human!"

"Worse, Bass, he's a spy. We caught him during our trip to Gokuentou. The Cat Ghost King warned me that spies might try to infiltrate our organization. Up until now, we've been fortunate; the RED CATS have gotten pretty good at covering their tracks ever since Ranma beat them. We can't have anyone interfering with our master plan, especially not now." Erick speaks into the microphone again to the soldiers. "Release him, and then leave. I'll take it from here."

"Yes, Lord Erick!" the RED CAT Soldiers obediently reply. They release the spy, and then they leave the cell. The spy's alone now; it's just him and whoever he heard speaking to the soldiers. And since the wall he's facing is really a one-sided window, he can't see who's talking to him, but Erick, Delia, Onekomaru, and Bass can see him. The spy doesn't say a word.

Erick speaks into the microphone to the spy. "All right, Mr. Spy, you might as well give up the silent treatment, because your cover's already blown. We know who you work for, anyway. Our men deciphered your secret message. You were trying to contact Interpol, weren't you? You're one of their agents. Admit it!"

The spy still doesn't say anything. He stands defiantly against his unseen interrogator. He would never reveal his mission or betray his fellow agents. They'd have to kill him first!

Erick's rather impressed by the man's bravado, despite the fact it's pathetically futile. "Not afraid to die, are you? Look, if I wanted to kill you. I'd have done it already. Now, then... What shall I do with you?"

The spy finally speaks, "Uhh…. Let me go?"

Erick laughs, "Amusing, but…. no. I can't do that. You know too much, so I will simply have to make an example of you!"

"Interpol will know that I'm missing, and they'll come for me. You won't get away with this!"

Erick, now serious, says, "I very much doubt that. But your time is up, so I bid you farewell. You do know what comes next, don't you?"

"NO! Please... Not that! Anything but that! I beg you!"

Erick coldly says, "Beg away... I don't care..."

Erick then presses a glowing red button on the panel. In the cell, vents on the walls open up. A thick red mist pours out of the vents. The whole room is being flooded with DVL Cells!

The spy gasps, "OH NO! GAS!"

"No, my friend, it's something much worse. Ha ha ha ha ha!

As the Cells fill up the room, the spy tries to escape, but the only door is locked! He's doomed, and Erick knows it. He laughs at the spy's futile efforts. "MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

"No…NO!…AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

A bloodcurdling scream can be heard as the Cells devour the spy, then the screaming stops. Erick then pressed the red button again, closing off the vents. After that he flips a switch, turning on a fan to blow away any leftover vapors. After the smoke clears, we see the spy, who appears to be unharmed. But he's just standing there with a blank, distant look on his face.

Onekomaru notices, "Hey! He's still alive!"

Delia remarks, "Just look at him. He looks so, so…"

Bass finishes for Delia, "Stupid looking, maybe?"

Erick smiles. "You haven't seen the best part yet. Just watch." He gets on the intercom again and calls out. "OK, you can bring it in now."

A RED CAT Soldier enters the cell carrying a large heavy mallet (like the kind Akane uses to hit Ranma with when she's really angry!) The soldier puts the mallet on the floor and leaves.

Erick commands the spy, "Now…take the mallet and hit yourself in the head with it."

Bass stupefied by this. "HUH? Erick, have you gone nuts? Why would he want to do that?"

Obeying Erick's command, the doomed spy picks up the mallet and…

**BONK!!**

The next thing we see is the poor spy out on the floor.

Erick asks matter-of-factly, "You were saying, Bass?"

All Bass can say is, "Uhh…. oh, never mind."

"If you need more proof of what my Cells can do, Bass, I'll be happy to demonstrate it for you again." Once more, Erick orders the spy, "Get up, and do it again, only this time hit harder."

Delia, Onekomaru, and Bass can only watch as the spy gets up (although he stumbles groggily from the first blow), picks up the mallet again, and with one good swing…

**WHAM!!**

The reactions to the scene vary. Bass and Onekomaru are shocked, Delia just stands there like nothing happened, and Erick has a satisfied grin on his face. Nobody says a word for a brief moment. Then Onekomaru breaks the silence. "That guy's gonna have one MAJOR headache when he wakes up."

"You mean, "if" he wakes up?" Delia corrects.

Bass speaks up, "So these Cells…"

Erick finishes, "Yes. By exposing him to my DVL Cells, he was under my complete control. This man is, or should I say WAS, my puppet and as you all witnessed, did ONLY what I told him to." He gets back on the intercom again and calls out, "Take him away, treat his wounds, and put him back in his cell. And bring in the next test subject while you're at it, will you?"

The two RED CAT Soldiers from earlier pick up the unconscious spy and drag him out of the room. Then another soldier enters bringing in an old, beat-up, rusty motorcycle and leaves.

"You've just seen what my Cells can do to humans. Now, watch what they can do to machines!" Erick repeats the procedure from before, pressing the red button and flooding the room with DVL Cells! After a minute or two, he closes off the vents and turns on the fan again. When the smoke clears, in the place of that old, beat-up bike is the same bike, cleaned up and fixed just like new.

Bass isn't impressed. "So you gave that old piece of junk a new paint job. So what?"

"My Cells did more than that. Look at this." Erick pulls a lever on the console; a concealed panel in the ceiling slides open, and a 16-ton weight falls and crushes the bike flat!

Onekomaru's shocked by what his master's done. "Lord Erick! You…you destroyed it?

"Nope. Keep watching."

And before their eyes, the crushed bike reassembles itself piece by piece until it looks like it did before it got flattened!

Bass, wide-eyed, is in awe. "WHOA! It repaired itself!" _Hmm… the Doc might want to know about this!_

Delia's gushing with praise. "Erick, that's amazing!"

Erick aw'shucks, feigning embarrassment. "Heh. Why thank you, Delia. But this is only a sample of the powers of my DVL Cells. I should warn you all, though; "_Actual results may vary_!" I'll still need to do some more tests before can I mass-produce them. When the time is right, I'll present my creation to the Cat Ghost King, Dr. Wily, and M. Bison. But in the meantime, our goal is to obtain the Phoenix Stone. Okay, guys, let's take a little break for now. I'll call you again for the next phase of the plans… Soon, the world will be in my power."

Onekomaru humbly interrupts, "Don't you mean the Cat Ghost King's power, Lord Erick?"

Erick catches himself. "Err…right! Of course! Yes, that's exactly what I meant. After all, the Cat Ghost King is all-powerful." He thinks: _Fools! They don't know that they're just pieces in my game! The Cat Ghost King's resurrection is only a piece of a much larger scheme orchestrated by ME!_

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Dr. Wily is working on one of his other projects now that Fightman's construction is complete.

"Hee hee, I've learned from my past failures...Thanks to my experiments with Saotome's DNA and with the completion of my Fightman Armor, I'll have everything I need to finish my long-term project - a new type of robot which is much more powerful than Bass or Megaman! Its power level is far superior to any of my creations, and second only to Fightman's. And this is more than just a simple robot, oh yes! With this and my other project complete, the world will be mine!"

Wily goes over to another raised platform, where there's something (or someone!) covered by a sheet. He grabs the sheet and pulls it off, revealing a robot with a long, blond ponytail wearing red armor.

Dr. Wily smiles. "Soon, you'll be awake and ready to do my bidding! You will destroy all of our enemies. You will be the greatest of all my works. Now, all I need is a name for you…. Ah! I have it! Your name shall be…

* * *

_**IN THE YEAR OF 21XX…**_

"Zero! Zero! Over here!"

"On my way!"

Zero, ace Maverick Hunter and commander of Special Unit 0, was at the scene of a huge disaster. Entire city blocks were set ablaze, and he and his unit were sent to help put out the flames and find the individual responsible.

Soon, Zero finds two Hunters, injured. "There you are! Are you all right?"

The Hunters tell him, "Beyond here is a giant Reploid... It's the one responsible for these attacks! We are afraid and we got hurt...

"I'll take care of this. Return to the Hunter Base now."

"All right. It acts like it's possessed. Be careful..."

Zero goes over to the location where the giant Reploid was sighted. The police and the military have the area surrounded. He gets on a loudspeaker and addresses the Reploid. "Attention! This is Special Unit 0, Maverick Hunters! You're surrounded! Disarm and give yourself up!"

Through the flames, we can see a large elephant-shaped form. It turns around and slowly comes toward the group. It's Flame Mammoth! Or rather, what's left of him. His body is damaged, with spots of rust, exposed circuitry, and a red, blood-like fluid pouring out of the cracks in his armor. He's missing one of his tusks, and his ears are decaying. This Reploid, who was one of Sigma's Maverick warriors, now looks like a reanimated corpse, a zombie!

Hunter 1 panics, "F-Flame Mammoth! Isn't he supposed to be destroyed?"

"Yeah, but look at him!" Hunter 2 says. "He looks he's never been repaired."

"This is something we've never encountered before!" Hunter 3 says, stating the obvious. He turns to Zero. "What should we do, sir?"

Zero does not panic, does not lose control. Instead, he simply stands his ground and confronts Flame Mammoth. "Mammoth! You don't look too good these days."

Flame Mammoth speaks angrily, but with some difficulty at first. "That…voice! You're Zero!….Where's…your pal X? I…got a bone…to pick with him!"

"Never mind X. Who reactivated you, Mammoth? Sigma?"

"Heh…You wish!… As for how I reactivated…Don't know, don't care!…. Excuse me…while I roast this city to ash! Burn…BURN!….BURN!! HA HA HA! BUUUUUUURN!!

Zero thinks: _Hmm…the lights are on, but nobody's home … His body's here, but his mind's gone. Looks like I'll just have to destroy him again!_ Out loud, Zero rallies the other Hunters to battle. "All right then! Charge!"

Zero and the Hunters that are with him proceed to attack Flame Mammoth!

"Stupid Hunters!….I'll show you….FIRE WAVE!" Flame Mammoth shoots a huge burst of flame, taking out several Hunters!

The Hunters, burned alive, scream in agony, "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

They are burned to ashes! The others draw back in fear.

Flame Mammoth (being an elephant-type Reploid) trumpets, laughing, "HA HA HA! Anyone else…want to be cremated?"

Angered by the Maverick's senseless violence, Zero tells him off. "Mammoth! You always liked picking on those smaller than you! Well, I'm small! Why don't you try pushing ME! HYAH!"

Flame Mammoth shoots another blast at Zero. Zero jumps out of the way, leaping into the air, draws his Z-Saber, and with one quick slash chops off Mammoth's flamethrower cannon arm! It lands on the ground with a heavy thud. He lands and steps back triumphantly. "HA! Give up, Mammoth! You can't beat me!"

Flame Mammoth snorts, "Feh! That's nothing!"

"Nothing? Your weapon arm's off!"

Flame Mammoth evasively says, "No, it isn't."

Zero points to the severed arm on ground. "Yeah? Well then, what's that?"

A pause.

"I've had worse."

"You liar!"

"Come on, Zero!"

They battle again until Zero chops Flame Mammoth's other arm off. The arm lies on the ground. "Victory is mine! That should take care of him!"

"HEY! I'm still here! Come on then. FIGHT ME!" Jumping with his gigantic heavy figure, Flame Mammoth tries to land on Zero and crush him flat! Zero gets out of the way still holding his Saber. Flame Mammoth stomps after him.

Zero's like, "What?"

Flame Mammoth threatens, "I'll squash you like a bug!"

"OK, Mammoth, give up already! I've already won."

"Oh, had enough, eh?"

Zero can't believe this idiotic Maverick. "Look, you stupid bastard! You've got no arms left!"

"Yes I have."

"Look!"

"Just a flesh wound."

He tries to stomp on Zero.

"Look, stop that!"

"Chicken! Chicken!" Flame Mammoth taunts.

"Look, I'll have your leg."

Jumping with his gigantic heavy figure once more, Flame Mammoth lands on the ground, causing an earthquake!

"Right!"

Flame Mammoth stomps again and Zero chops one of Mammoth's legs off. Yet, Flame Mammoth keeps his balance with difficulty. "Oh yeah! I'll get you for that."

"You'll what?"

"Come here!"

"What are you going to do, bleed on me?"

Zero then notices a red mist coming from where he sliced off Flame Mammoth's limbs. He gets a strange sensation from the mist. It feels familiar, and evil… A new version of the Sigma Virus? He thinks: _No, it couldn't be that_. _Sigma's gone, and the Virus too. But whatever this stuff is, it's the reason Mammoth's still functioning! This could be a problem…_

Flame Mammoth boasts, "I'm invincible! HA HA HA!"

Zero flatly tells him, "You're a loony!" _X, where are you?_

* * *

In another part of the city, Megaman X of the Maverick Hunters' 17th Elite Unit was having problems of his own. The 17th was called in to put down a riot caused by several Reploids who'd been turned Maverick after being exposed to a strange red mist. Then they had to fight with Boomer Kuwanger and Gravity Beetle, who like Flame Mammoth, were reactivated, but showed obvious signs of damage and decay. Then X and the 17th teamed up with the 7th Air Calvary to destroy the newly rebuilt aerial battleship Death Rogumer, commandeered by a zombie Storm Eagle! After a spectacular air battle, they destroyed the ship, taking Storm Eagle down with it. Then X gets a call from the Maverick Hunters' Headquarters (HQ).

_This is Hunter Base. X, are you there?_

X responds, "X here, go ahead HQ."

_A giant Maverick has set most of the city in flames. Zero and the Special Unit 0 are already there battling it, but they're being overpowered. Hurry and regroup with him as soon as possible! Stay alert; more reactivated Mavericks have been spotted in the area, especially where the mist is the strongest._

"What about that strange mist?"

_Alia and the Reploid Research teams are currently conducting an investigation. They think it's some kind of new virus. Proceed with extreme caution!_

"Roger, HQ, I'm on my way." To the rest of the 17th, X says, "Okay, 17th, let's roll out!"

X proceeds to join up with Zero, fighting off various Mavericks along the way. During the battles, X feels something very evil about that thick cloud of red mist over the city… He thinks: _What a terrible sight... The city's been badly damaged... What could this mist possibly be? Could Sigma be behind this?_

* * *

Meanwhile….

Zero and Special Unit 0 are having a hard time battling Flame Mammoth. As if that wasn't bad enough, more reactivated Mavericks appeared, and things went from bad to worse. Special Unit 0 is taking heavy losses.

We see Zero and some of his men continuing to fight against impossible odds. The Mavericks have them cornered in an abandoned building.

A fearful Hunter reports, "We're taking a beating out here, Zero! There's too many of them! What do we do now?"

Zero tells him, "Don't give up now! The only time these Mavericks will beat us is when we aren't able to fight any longer! We'll have to stand our ground until reinforcements come." _C'mon, X, hurry up!_

As the hunter and Zero talk, we hear the angry trumpet of an elephant's roar. Then an explosion!

**BOOM!!**

One of the building's walls crumbles, with rocks and debris flying everywhere. Through the large hole in the wall comes Flame Mammoth! "HA HA! Now I got ya! There's no escape! Now, I'll burn you all up! HA HA HA….. AAAUGH!!"

A large energy blast hits Flame Mammoth, blowing a huge hole right through him. He falls to the ground with a heavy thud.

**THUD!!**

Zero's troops look up to see who fired the shot that finally took Mammoth down. It's Megaman X!

The Hunters are cheering, "Look! It's X! We're saved! YAY!! Go, X! You da man!"

X calls to his friend. "Zero!"

Zero hmph's. "X! It's about time you showed up. I was really worried about you."

"Sorry about that..."

Zero grins. "Don't worry about it. Now let's go to work!"

X nods. "Right!"

With the arrival of X and the 17th Unit, the tide began to turn in the Hunters favor. They defeated all of the Mavericks; unfortunately, with every one they defeated, more kept popping up! And once again, the combined forces of the 17th and Special Unit 0 were outnumbered by the growing legions of undead Mavericks. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew through the abandoned building, blowing away everyone in its path!

When the winds died down, X, Zero, and a handful of their fellow Hunters were the only ones left standing. The rest of their comrades were injured, or worse, destroyed. Even worse, the hordes of zombie Mavericks were still standing, advancing toward our heroes. Only now, another one showed up – Storm Eagle! Most of his feathers were gone, and his armor was rusting and burnt from the explosion caused by the 17th's destruction of his ship, the Death Rogumer.

X yells, "Eagle! You're still alive!"

Storm Eagle laughs, "Heh heh heh! You thought you'd beaten me that easily? HA! So how'd you like my winds X? Did they blow you away? HA HA HA!"

"Those were our comrades you just killed! To avenge them… we'll stop you, Eagle!"

"I doubt that X! Take a look!"

And to X's horror, the red mist surrounded the remains of those slain Hunters and brought them back, only as zombie Mavericks! They had their weapons pointed at X and Zero! "Oh no! This can't be!"

Zero curses, "Damn! This isn't good. I never thought we'd end up fighting our own forces!"

With his enemies right where he wants them, Storm Eagle decides to savor the moment before finishing them off and starts monologue-ing. "HA HA HA! Give up, you two! Don't you see how futile it is? Thanks to "the mist", we have been reborn! We will infect the world with devastation, divide humans and Reploids across the nation, crush the evils of truth and love, and spread our wrath to the stars above!

Zero sweatdrops. "Now where have I heard THAT before?"

Storm Eagle's just about finished with his speech. "So surrender NOW, foolish Hunters, or you will surely lose this fight! HA HA HA!

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	21. Blasting Into the Past!

CHAPTER 21

_**-"BLASTING INTO THE PAST! X AND ZERO'S NEW MISSION!"-**_

X and Zero look all around and see what they're up against. There were undead Mavericks on every side, their fallen teammates among them. Storm Eagle was in the sky, laughing at them, mocking them. Flame Mammoth was slowly getting up, his limbs reattached, although now he had a large hole in his chest from where X shot him with his X-Buster. And above them, the sky was a blood red, with thick clouds of the mist in the air. There was only one thing they could do now…. Both charged up their Busters to full power and fired, taking out a large group of Mavericks!

Zero yells, "Everyone! Fall back! RETREAT!"

And X, Zero, and the rest of the Maverick Hunters ran through the gap they made, fighting off the legions of undead Mavericks as they fled. X and Zero rush toward the enemy forces like avenging angels, brandishing their Z-Sabers, slicing and dicing everything in their path while the Hunters provide covering fire. They make their way to a parking lot where the 17th's Land Chaser motorcycles were parked. Hopping onto the bikes, they rev their engines, and zoom off to the Hunter Base to regroup and plan their next move.

Storm Eagle's insulted. "Oh, oh, I see. Running away, eh? You bastards! Come back here and take what's coming to you!"

As they ride through the city, X and Zero have a conversation.

"Ugh. That was disgraceful back there. Still, we had no choice but to retreat." Zero looks at the death and destruction around him. "The carnage... It's... horrible... Those Mavericks will pay for this!"

"Zero, remember what Eagle said, how the mist was responsible for their reactivation? Do you think Sigma is behind this?"

"I don't know for sure, X. But that stuff is definitely evil, probably more so than Sigma. You saw what it did to those Mavericks and our fallen Hunters. Does HQ have any ideas on what it is?"

X replies, "No, not yet. Alia and the Reploid Researchers are still investigating it. I wonder if Dr. Cain, Signas, and the others are okay. I'm really worried…"

"I see… Well, let's hope they have some answers for us by the time we get to the base. That is, if those Mavericks don't get to them first!"

"Right! Let's go, Zero!"

Going full throttle, their Land Chasers speed off into the night.

And all the while, the mist was spreading throughout the city….

* * *

_**MAVERICK HUNTER HQ:**_

Months have passed since the "Nightmare Incident". [AUTHOR's NOTE: If you don't know what I'm referring to, just play Megaman X6!] X and Zero defeated the renegade Reploid scientist Gate and his Nightmare Investigators. Then, they had to battle Sigma (or what was left of him) once again and destroyed him, hopefully once and for all. At last, the world was at peace, and humans and Reploids shared the Earth together. With Sigma gone, the world seemed ready to enter a new golden age...

Then the "Zombie Mavericks" came...and the world became a living hell!

They were Mavericks who were destroyed by the brave Hunters Megaman X and Zero in the past. But thanks to the mysterious red mist (a.k.a. Erick Genryusai's DVL Cells), they were brought back to life! The zombies suddenly appeared and began to riot, attacking humans and Reploids alike.

When X and Zero arrive at the Hunter Base, they head for the command center. Upon entering, three people are waiting for them. The first is a young woman who looks like a grown-up version of Roll; the second, a tall man in a blue military-esque uniform, and the third, an elderly man with a long white beard wearing a blue robe and a long sleeveless gold vest. They are Alia, the Hunters' Reploid researcher, General Signas, the leader of the Maverick Hunters, and Dr. Cain, the man who discovered X and created the first generation of Reploids.

Dr. Cain's the first to see them. "X! Zero! Are you all right? The entire city has been thrown into a panic because of this mist. Truly, these are perilous times."

Signas nods, agreeing with Dr. Cain. "Yes, the situation is far worse than expected. The mist has spread throughout the city. It's affecting both people and Reploids. At this rate, it's going to eventually cover the Earth...Everything, including Reploids and the entire human race, will be in danger."

Alia says, "We have no choice... For the sake of the world, we must destroy this mist! But how?"

Entering the command center was a man wearing a doctor's uniform. It's Lifesaver, the Maverick Hunters' medic.

"Ah, Lifesaver. I trust you have good news?" Signas asks him.

Lifesaver affirmatively replies, "Yes, I do, sir. I believe I have found the origin of this strange evil mist." He shows a canister, filled with Erick's DVL Cells!

Everyone gasps!

Alia, fearful, asks, "Wh-what is that?"

Lifesaver explains, "It is an artificial virus. It has the ability to reanimate deleted Reploids, or as the humans call it, "bring them back from the dead". You've seen how that the Mavericks you've fought are able to function yet their exterior plating and internal circuitry show obvious signs of decay and has not been repaired at all, giving them the appearance of human corpses. This virus is the cause of these "zombie" Mavericks. I don't know exactly as my analysis is not yet complete... But this virus is very similar to the Sigma Virus; except for one main difference…it's alive."

"Alive? What do you mean, Lifesaver?" X wanted to know.

"In my analysis, I discovered traces of genetic material encoded within the virus. Which leads to the other problem…"

Zero wants to hear more, knowing he's not going to like what's next. "And that is…?"

"The real threat of this virus. The zombies are only carriers. If they come in contact with any Reploid, the Reploid too becomes infected. The Zombie phenomena... An infected Reploid gets out of order, turning Maverick. Once infected, the virus rewrites their DNA and AI programs, immobilizing them. At worst, even their appearance changes."

Alia remarks, "It's almost like the Nightmare Incident."

Lifesaver confirms, "Yes. Which leads to yet another problem… Because of the genetic material this virus is made of, it can also infect humans."

"WH-WHAT!" everyone else yells.

Lifesaver notes their surprise, but continues, "As I was saying, because of the genetic material this virus is made of, it can also infect humans, rendering them in a comatose-like state. Observe."

He pulls up a video display of a hospital ward. We see doctors and nurses tending to the victims of the Cells, both human and Reploid alike. One catches the group's attention, a young girl. She's lying in a bed with a blank, distant look on her face, as if waiting for a command from someone…

Alia, saddened by what she sees before her, risks asking, "That girl…is she…?

Lifesaver tells her, "No, she's very much alive. How long though, it's not certain. Clearly this virus affects humans differently than Reploids."

Zero notices the blank look on the girl's face. "She looks as if she's been brainwashed or possibly hypnotized…"

X's thinking them same thing, and voices his observations, "Now that you mention it, Zero, you're right. All the humans who've been infected have that same expressionless face."

Lifesaver's impressed. "Very perceptive, you two. All they would need now is a puppet master to pull the strings…"

"This is very bad," Dr. Cain concludes. "Lifesaver, if what you've told us is true, then the whole world is in grave danger!"

X is about to say, "Dr. Cain, you don't mean…?"

"Yes, X, I'm afraid so. This new virus would give Sigma the means to return to life, and threaten the peace that we've enjoyed these past few months. If he were to learn how to harness the virus's power, he could control both humans and Reploids, and there would be nothing to stand in his way of conquering the Earth, no, the very universe!"

Zero's angry now. "We can't allow that to happen!"

"What do we have to do?" X asks.

Lifesaver state the obvious solution. "Well, obviously destroy the virus, of course! But it will be difficult, since it's beginning to spread at an alarming rate."

"The safety of the people is our top priority. I suggest evacuating as many non-infected civilians and Reploids to the shelters," Signas says.

Alia replies, "Already done, sir. I've sent warnings to all the world leaders."

Signas, pleased, continues, "Good. Then, we Maverick Hunters, along with Repliforce, and the rest of Earth's military forces will work together on a strategy to combat the new virus."

Lifesaver approves. "A brilliant idea, sir, although…. shouldn't we learn a little bit more about our new enemy, before we charge in? Besides, I still need to finish my analysis of the virus. There are secrets contained within it that, if I find them, will reveal who created it and why."

"Very well, Lifesaver. You and Alia will uncover those secrets."

Alia & Lifesaver agree, "Right."

Then, the emergency alarms are sounded!

A voice over the intercom shouts: _Emergency! Emergency! All Maverick Hunters on call should assemble immediately! We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!_

Signas can't believe this. "Who'd dare to attack us directly?" To Alia, he orders, "On screen!"

"Yes, sir!" Alia gets on a computer and pulls up a video image on the command center's main monitor.

And wishes she hadn't. Everyone is shocked to see who attacked the Hunter Base. It's…

"Repliforce!"

X shouts, "No way!"

Zero says nothing, gritting his teeth, "…"

Outside the Hunter Base, just only miles away, were the founding members of the Repliforce. X, Zero, and the rest could see Web Spider, Slash Beast, Cyber Peacock, Split Mushroom, Jet Stingray, Frost Walrus, Magma Dragoon, and Storm Owl. Even The Skiver (a.k.a Spiral Pegacion), whom X and Zero fought during the "Colony Incident" [AUTHOR's NOTE: Again, play Megaman X5], was standing with his fellow soldiers. Leading the group was the massive General, and his second-in-command the Colonel. Like all the Mavericks that X and Zero had just fought today, the General and his troops were reactivated, but showed obvious signs of damage and decay. They've become Maverick zombies!

The General speaks. "Maverick Hunters! You have wrongfully judged us all as Mavericks and destroyed our hopes for an independent nation of Reploids!

X gets on the communicator and speaks to the General. "General, please! You don't know what you're saying! Listen, it's this evil mist that has done this to you!"

"X…. There is no turning back for us now. It was always our destiny to fight. And this "mist" you speak of has granted us this opportunity. Therefore, we will fight you to the bitter end!" To his soldiers, he commands, "Onward, men!"

And the Repliforce makes its advance toward the Hunter Base.

Signas grimly says, "So the mist has gotten to Repliforce, too… Very well, then. We have no choice but to fight them now. X, Zero, dispatch!"

"Roger!"

And X and Zero go out to battle the reanimated General and his soldiers. Even though their enemies fought with their best attacks, X and Zero managed to beat them pretty easily. The only one who put up a fight at all was the Colonel as he and Zero clashed sabers in a spectacular duel.

"I've been waiting for this for an eternity, Zero!"

Zero tries to reason with the Colonel. "Colonel, stop this! For Iris's sake! Or have you forgotten her too?"

"Bah! Stop dredging up the ghosts of the past! My sister's dead, and when this is over, you'll join her! Now fight me!"

And so, the former-friends-turned-foes continue their duel, neither one letting up on their attacks. In the final moments of their face off, the two leap into the air and clash swords one last time. Upon landing, it's the Colonel who falls in defeat.

An hour later, Zero rejoins X, who just finished off the last of the revived Repliforce members, the General himself. But before they can catch their breaths, they get an emergency call from the base!

_Emergency! Emergency! This is the Maverick Hunters 14th Grapple Combat Unit! One of the Maverick zombies made it into the training hall! It's…AAAARGH!_

The line goes dead.

"Oh no!" X exclaims.

Zero realizes, "No wonder the General and his goon squad went down so easily. It was a diversion to keep us occupied while one of those no-good zombies runs amok inside!"

Returning to the base, they enter the 14th Unit's training compound, which resembles a martial arts dojo. All of the 14th lie dead inside, killed by some powerful force. Seeing this gruesome scene, they are even more determined to destroy this Maverick zombie and avenge their slain comrades.

"Let's split up, X. I'll go this way; you go that way. It'll be much faster finding that Maverick this way."

"OK. Be careful, Zero."

"You got it. Let's go."

They split up and explore the compound, searching for the undead Maverick. After some time searching, Zero calls X on his communicator. "Hey, X, find anything yet?"

X, on the radio, replies: _Negative. What about you?_

"Nope. Just keep your eyes open and your Buster charged."

As they're talking, Zero hears something moving behind him. "Huh?"

_Zero! What is it?_

"Nothing. I thought I heard something for a moment there…"

Then, he hears it again! Zero looks around, his danger senses on full alert. He whispers, "X, lock in on my signal and get over here as fast as you can. I think I've just made contact…."

_Roger!_

Zero pulls out his Z-Saber and assumes a fighting stance, ready to face whoever or whatever was coming…

He calls out, "All right, you no-good Maverick! Where are you? Quit hiding! Come out and face me!"

Then, a girl appears. She has long brown hair and is wearing a red and blue dress with a matching red beret. It's Iris, the Colonel's sister and the girl Zero once loved.

Iris says quietly, "Zero."

Zero is shocked. "Oh my god….Iris?"

Zero WOULD have been happy to see her. But there was just one, teeny-weeny, little problem…OK, it was a BIG problem. He noticed that Iris' clothes were tattered and dirty, some of her circuitry was exposed, and worst of all there was blood on her hands. Fresh blood. Which meant…

"Iris…. YOU killed the 14th Unit? But that means…. No, not YOU too!"

Iris walks towards Zero, with her arms outstretched as if to embrace him. "Zero… Please... come with me. Let's live together…"

"Iris…."

"Zero…I'm lonely…. Come with me…I don't want to die…alone…"

To Zero's horror, long tentacles burst out of Iris' back and make their way toward him. They coil around him and lift him into the air, then squeeze him like a large python squeezing its prey before feasting on it.

Zero screams, as the tentacles crush him, "AAARRRGH!" _Ugh…C-can't move…She's got me! Right where she wants me. I guess this is her revenge for me killing her brother the Colonel._

As the thing that used to be Iris tries to kill Zero, he sees his life flash before his eyes. Part of him DID wish to be with her once again, but the Maverick Hunter part of him screamed that it was madness. He had to face it; the girl he loved was dead. Just before the final squeeze, Zero summons all of his strength and manages to break free! He lands on the ground, his Buster aimed at Iris.

Iris is sad, "Zero…why?"

"Iris…forgive me for what I'm about to do…"

"Don't you…love me…anymore…?"

Zero's heart breaks at that question. His Buster aim wavers unsteadily for a moment. But only for a moment. Zero knows what he has to do. He aims his Buster, and calmly says… "Goodbye, Iris…" He fires three times.

"Zero…" Iris dies…again.

Later, X arrives and finds Zero standing over something. "Hey, Zero, are you all right? You got that Maverick, didn't you?" He gets close enough and sees… "Hey! Isn't that… Iris? Zero, don't tell me SHE was…"

Zero says not one word to X. X takes his friend's silence to mean, "Yes, Iris killed the 14th Unit." Zero raises his hand to stop X from coming any closer, pointing to Iris's body. Thin vapors of the red mist are coming out from the holes where Zero's Buster shots hit Iris. He goes over to her, picks her up, and carries her limp body in his arms.

Megaman X tries to warn his friend. "Zero! The mist!"

Zero assures him, "It's OK, X. Just don't get too close. This mist is kinda like the Sigma Virus, and since my return I seem to be immune to it, so I should be safe from its effects. Anyway, let's get back to the base."

They return to the Hunter Base. Zero gives Iris's body to Lifesaver and a group of Reploid medics wearing protective gear so that Lifesaver can examine her and finish his investigation of the strange mist.

Hours later, in the Maverick Hunters' command center, Dr. Cain, Signas, X, and Zero are waiting for Alia and Lifesaver to give their report.

Signas asks, hoping for something good to come out of all that's happened today, "Well, Lifesaver, any news?"

Lifesaver reports, "I've finished my examination of Iris." He turns to Zero, "I'm sorry, Zero. There was nothing I could do to save her, especially given what we're dealing with."

Zero sadly replies, " … I see."

Lifesaver continues, "There's more. As a result of our analysis, Alia and I have found what we believe are those secrets I mentioned earlier. Alia?"

Alia takes up where he left off. "Thanks, Lifesaver. Anyway, everyone, we found out that this mist is actually made up of microscopic machines. But they were programmed to act like a virus. When they infect a human or a Reploid, these tiny machines infiltrate their bodies and then take over their minds, turning them into mere puppets of their creator. We've already seen what it can do to deleted Reploids, of course…"

Megaman X realizes, "The Maverick zombies!"

Lifesaver says, "Correct, X. But you remember how Flame Mammoth was decapitated by Zero, and yet was still able to function? And later, when Mammoth returned with his limbs reattached? That's another effect of the mist – self-regeneration. It has other abilities too, such as reproduction, mutation, and evolution."

Dr. Cain comments thoughtfully, "Hmm…that's very bad."

"Yes…," Signas agrees. Then, turning to Alia, "Alia, what did you find out?"

"With Lifesaver's help, I was able to analyze the machines' program. At first, they appeared to be quite advanced, but they're really quite primitive. I only got four pieces of information from them….The cells….Deimos….Japan….20XX."

"Cells?" Signas asks.

"Deimos?" Dr. Cain then asks.

"Japan?" Megaman X asks next.

"20XX?" Zero finishes asking.

Lifesaver replies, "That's exactly what we thought, too. But here's what we came up with. The "cells" are these machines, and apparently someone named "Deimos" from Japan in the year 20XX created them. Their ability to reproduce, mutate, and evolve, is probably the reason for their survival."

Megaman X consider this. "That makes sense. So all we have to do now is go to Japan, and destroy these "Cells" at the source, right?"

Zero would agree with his friend. But there's yet another problem. "Yeah, but X, 20XX? That means these things have been around for a century, before you or me, before Sigma and the Mavericks. Just HOW do we destroy something that's been asleep for a hundred years and is just now waking up with a vengeance?"

Just then, Douglas, the Maverick Hunters' head mechanic entered the room. "Hey, everyone! Sorry I'm late."

Signas tells him, "It's all right, Douglas. You're just in time anyway. We were about to discuss how to destroy this mist once and for all."

Douglas takes a seat as the meeting continues. He listens with great interest as everyone talks about how to go about destroying the "Cells".

Signas comments, "Well, we know a frontal assault would be useless. We can't risk any of our Hunters being exposed to these Cells."

Megaman X agrees with his commander. But he begs to differ about the use of force to deal with this issue. "Even if we fight, what good will it do? A battle won't solve the problem."

Alia offers a suggestion. "Wait a minute. We still have Dr. Doppler's anti-virus program, right? We could use it to destroy them!"

Lifesaver's intrigued. "A possibility. But even if we use that, we still need to destroy the Cells' source."

Zero's a bit skeptical. "That's great and all, but where exactly in Japan would we begin looking for it?"

Douglas speaks up. "Don't you mean "when", Zero?"

Everyone turns to Douglas.

"What do you mean, Douglas?" X asks him.

"No,no,no! When I said, "when", I didn't mean it in the present tense. I meant "when" in the past tense. Time travel!"

Everybody else sweatdrops. They think Douglas has finally lost it.

"Time travel? Sounds like something from those ancient science-fiction novels," Zero says.

Douglas makes his point. "Well…. yeah, back THEN it was science fiction, but technology's come a LONG way since those days. Using a time machine, we'll go back in time and destroy the Cells in the past so they can't wreak havoc in our time. Neat, huh?"

Signas decides to humor Douglas. "Do you even HAVE such a device, Douglas?

"Oh yes, sir! In fact I'll even show it to you! C'mon!"

* * *

At an indoor testing facility within the Hunter Base...

Inside, we can see a few cameras, and some computer equipment set up to monitor something. Douglas takes the group over to a long object covered by a tarp. He pulls it off, revealing a mean looking Delorian sports car with gull wing doors. We can see all sorts of strange equipment attached to the back of it.

Megaman X breathes in awe, "Whoa..."

"Is THIS it, Douglas?" Signas asks.

Douglas tells him, "Yep, this is it, sir. This is my time machine! I've been working on it in my spare time." To Alia, he says, "Say, Alia, would you mind grabbing one of those cameras?"

Alia takes one of the video cameras and starts filming.

Megaman X looks the time machine over; he notices something rather familiar about it. "Umm…it looks like something from a very old movie I saw."

Douglas confirms, "You're right, X! I found it in a place that used to be called "Hollywood, California". I even found some video records about this machine. It used to be powered by a crude energy source from the 20th century, but I've made some special "modifications". Hee hee! Here. Get a shot of this!"

Alia does so, and focuses the lens on the interior of the car. "This is what they call a flux capacitor!" Douglas says proudly. "It's what makes time travel possible!"

There's a strange electrical device in the back seat of the car, taking up the whole thing. Douglas indicates a particular portion of it. It is a box with a Y-shaped light inside of it.

Zero asks, "Does this thing actually work, Douglas?

"Oh, it does! I'll show you how it works!" Douglas calls out to someone. "Come here, please."

Then, a Mettool (you know, one of those little hard-hat wearing guys, who've been in just about EVERY Megaman game!) walks up to Douglas. Douglas takes the Mettool and puts it inside the car. "I have just attached a stopwatch to our little friend here. As you can see, it is set at exact synchronization with my own!"

X nods. "Um. Okay."

Douglas jumps out of the vehicle and closes the door. "And now we begin!"

He pulls out a remote control and started the engine with it. "Keep your eyes on the car, everyone!"

The vehicle comes to life; the engine roaring as it speeds down a long stretch of the testing area. "When the car reaches eighty-eight miles per hour, the reaction should occur!" Douglas says excitedly as he uses the remote to apply gas to the vehicle again.

Zero mutters out loud, "What exactly does this thing do?"

Then the car vanishes, leaving two flaming trails where the wheels had once been.

Douglas jumps up and down excitedly, crying joyously, "I did it! I did it! It works! It works!"

Zero sweatdrops. He looks at Douglas as if he's gone crazy. "All that, just to get rid of one Mettool?"

"What?" Realizing what Zero's just said, Douglas laughs, "No! No! He's not dead!"

"He's not?"

"I sent him into the future! Five minutes into the future specifically!"

X blinks. "Oookay,"

"Wait! Keep the camera rolling. In exactly thirty-five seconds, he should reappear!

Alia does so, focusing on the point where the vehicle had vanished. It blasts back into existence, leaving her staring slack jawed at it as it suddenly brakes and spins around to a stop.

"Whoa," is Alia can say.

Douglas rushed up to the car, opening the door and motioning the group to follow. "Keep the camera on me, so there's no question about the validity!" The Mettool gets out of the car and stands next to Douglas as he put up the watches. "Exactly five minutes and thirty-four seconds have lapsed on my watch, but here..."

The Mettool's watch was still behind, by five minutes.

"Whoa," Megaman X says.

"Exactly! I'll show you how it works!" Douglas, in full mad-scientist mode, giggles madly and rushes over to the back end of the vehicle. "You see, it takes an enormous amount of power for this to run. As I mentioned before, this machine used to run on an older energy source, nuclear power. Now, thanks to my modifications, it now runs on these Energy tanks!"

Dr. Cain's impressed. "That's amazing, Douglas!"

"Gee, thanks, Dr. Cain!"

"So this thing will let you go five minutes back in time?" Zero asks.

"No! That was just a test! With my time machine, I can go anywhere! Or should I say, any-when!"

Douglas pulls X and Zero over to the interior of the car. He continues, "For example, should I want to go to Japan in the year 20XX, at say, eight o'clock in the evening? I just punch it in here."

Using the time machine's onboard computer, Douglas adjusts the display to the time and place he had mentioned and smiles at the group.

Signas stepped back from the car, obviously impressed. "Well, Douglas, you've obviously done your research." To the others, he says, "OK, let's all take a break. We'll meet back in the command center in one hour for a final briefing before we start the mission. Dr. Cain and I will be drawing up our final plan to destroy the "Cells"!"

* * *

While everyone else makes preparations for the mission, X and Zero are in the observation deck. Zero is standing over at the room's large panoramic window, lost in thought. X goes over to talk to him. "Zero. You've been pretty quiet since we left the testing facility. What's on your mind?"

Zero snaps out of it. "Oh, sorry, X. It's nothing. Just doing some thinking, that's all."

X asks innocently, "It's Iris, isn't it?

Zero gives X a look that says "You shouldn't have brought that up, X." He lets out a deep sigh. "Yeah, it's Iris. Remember the time when Sigma turned Repliforce and the Hunters against each other? After we beat the Colonel, we boarded Repliforce's space station and split up, just like we did today. While you were fighting with Double, I had to fight…her. She'd found out that Colonel was dead, and… You should have seen her, X. In her last moments, she was so beautiful and yet so sad. I tried to explain what happened, but it was as if she had just given up all hope. When she died… part of me had died with her."

"Zero! Can it be? You never said that…."

Zero laughs bitterly, "That I loved her?" He changes his tone of voice, gravely admitting, "Yes, X, I loved Iris."

Needless to say, X is shocked!

Zero notices his friend's reaction. "Does that surprise you? I mean, if humans can fall in love, why not Reploids? If only things were different…well, I was going to give her this…" He reaches into a compartment in his armor, and pulls out a round golden object. It's a wedding ring! "…And ask her to marry me. You would have been the best man at our wedding, X."

X's jaw drops! Shocked again!

Zero goes on, "Yeah, I'd dreamed of the day when we'd finally defeated Sigma once and for all. Iris and I…we'd spend the rest of our lives together. But it never happened."

X, getting over his shock, finally speaks, "Zero, did you ever tell her how you felt?"

"No, and by the time I'd finally summoned my courage to do that, it was too late. I loved her once, and I killed her twice. Maybe Iris and I weren't meant to be; maybe I was just nursing some foolish hope."

"No, Zero, you're not being foolish. Love, like peace, is something that can be wished for and fought for."

"Your optimism is always refreshing, X, but it just shows how naive you are," Zero plainly tells his friend. Pointing to himself, he continues, "Look at me, and tell me what chance I have at love, huh? Feh. I have no illusions, yet at times I'm weak. On an evening patrol, I sometimes ride through the botanical gardens on my Land Chaser and breathe in the scent of fresh flowers. Then I notice some guy strolling through the park with a girl on his arm and I dream that I too could be strolling there, with a girl on my arm, under the moonlight. My heart fills with joy at the thought, and for a while I forget about all my troubles, but then I see my reflection in the pond….and realize that it's just not going to happen. And then I think I see this shadowy figure who says "Beware, don't fall in love Zero! You'll end up dead!" The price of peace is often high, X. The same could be said for love, too."

X thinks: _So these Cells do more than bring back the dead. They destroy dreams! Zero dreamed of falling in love. But his dreams were shattered when Iris died. Today's battle must have reopened old wounds for him._ Aloud, he says to Zero, "Zero, I've always dreamed of a world where humans and Reploids live together in peace. And with Sigma gone, I thought that dream might finally come true, until today when the Cells swept through the city like a plague. I know Douglas' time travel plan sounds crazy, but I think it'll work. We've got to destroy the Cells. To protect our hopes and dreams!"

X's words seem to bring Zero back to his senses. "That's why I'm going on this mission, X. When I find this Deimos, I'm gonna give him the business end of my Saber! He'll pay for what his creation has done to the Earth, to Iris, and to me. For you see, I have two deaths to avenge: Iris's and my own happiness!"

Then, X and Zero hear their names being called over the intercom.

_Maverick Hunters X and Zero, report to the command center immediately for final mission briefing!_

"That's our cue. Let's go, X!"

"Right, Zero!"

They leave the observation deck and head off to meet with the others.

* * *

An hour later, Dr, Cain, Signas, Megaman X, Zero, Alia, Douglas, and Lifesaver are assembled in the command center.

Signas begins the briefing. "We are now beginning our mission to destroy the "Cells"! But considering the current situation, you are the only Hunters who can accomplish this difficult mission. You are our only hope... Can you do it?"

"We'll do it," X replies.

"Then it's decided. X, Zero, you'll use Douglas's time machine to travel back in time, destroy this new virus, and terminate this "Deimos" with extreme prejudice."

Alia says, "Meanwhile, Lifesaver and I will be working on a cure to treat those who are already infected by the Cells."

Zero approves. "Great. While you guys work on the cure, X and I will discover what the Cells really are and what this Deimos' intentions are."

Signas warns, "Be careful, you two. Remember you are our only hope."

"Roger," X & Zero respond in unison.

Later, everyone is assembled in the launching bay. Normally, it's used for launching the aircraft used by the Maverick Hunters. But today, it's being used as a runway for the time machine, which will be piloted by Megaman X and Zero.

Douglas does one last run-through of the systems. "OK, the coordinates are all set – time, place, destination, everything! You're ready to go! I should warn you guys; time travel is a fickle thing. There's really no guarantee that the world you'll return to will be any better, worse than, or the same as right now. So while you're in the past, be careful what you do. Any actions you take in the past could radically alter the future! Suppose you disrupted an important event in time? You two, as well as all Reploids, might never be created!"

Signas admits, "It will be dangerous, and you two are in no way obligated to go. You can back out now if you wish. But I need to ask you something... Will you carry out this mission?"

Zero smirks. "Hey, it's our job. We're Maverick Hunters... Things have been too quiet for a while with Sigma gone... But we are ready to fight for peace!"

X and Zero get into the vehicle and close the doors; Zero's in the driver's seat with X on the passenger side. Zero turns the ignition, starting the engine. The time machine comes to life; the engine roaring as it sped through the launching bay into a starting position. Zero works the clutch, throwing the shift lever into gear. The vehicle roars forward, putting up billows of smoke as he jams his foot onto the gas. He keeps his eye on the speedometer as an energy field surrounds him and X. Once the speedometer hits 88 miles per hour, the energy crackles in front of the car as it bursts into the fabric of time. Then it vanishes, leaving two flaming trails where the wheels had once been. Signas, Alia, Dr. Cain, and Douglas stare at the two trails of flame it left.

Dr. Cain says, "X, Zero, good luck. The fate of Reploids and humans alike rests in your hands."

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	22. Lovers Reunited, Prophecies Revealed!

CHAPTER 22

_**-"LOVERS REUNITED, PROPHECIES REVEALED; R's (and KODACHI's) FIRST DATE!"-**_

7:30 pm, Belldandy and her sisters were staying in a hotel room in Nerima; they were resting after a long day, and a good meal. Urd and Skuld were relaxing on the sofa, but Belldandy was worried…her sisters notice that:

Urd asks, "Hey Belldandy, what's up with you? You've being acting kinda weird."

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Yeah, right…come on Bell, you know you're a terrible liar, you can tell us!"

"Well…you see, when we were in that restaurant this afternoon, I began to sense a very strong life energy…a familiar one."

Skuld blinks. "What do you mean?"

Belldandy tries to explain, "I really do not know why, but, somehow this aura was very familiar to me."

Urd whistles, "Damn, you don't say?"

Meanwhile, at THE MCD's house. The MCD was still thinking about the girl named Belldandy…why was this girl so important to him?

_After all these years…could it be her? I mean, she's supposed to be in heaven, same as me if it weren't for that damned Cat Ghost King. I must find out if 'she's' the one._"

* * *

Meanwhile…at the _**RED CATS' Secret Base**_…

Erick is with his beloved assistant Delia in his dark chamber, having a nice conversation about his plans. "Ah Delia…everything is going according to my plans, soon, the show will begin."

"That's good Erick, you sure are doing a great job."

"Yes…but I have you to thank, Delia-chan…you're always with me in everything, keeping me company, giving me your support. I mean, I couldn't have done it without you, Delia."

Delia blushes, the look of happiness obvious on her face. "Erick, do you really mean that? That's so sweet of you!"

"It is…for it was you who gave me what that miserable woman –(Cassandra)- didn't give me…LOVE… You've made me into a happy man. I'm so lucky to have you."

Delia blushes a deeper shade of red. "Well…you've also made me happy, for you are the first and only mortal who taught me what love is, and for that, I am lucky to have you."

Erick hmph's, "Guess we're both lucky to have each other...right Delia-chan?"

"Right Erick, my love."

Then, Erick puts his hand on her shoulder. Then, their faces slowly draw closer and closer. They're only inches away from each other…when…

**TOCK TOCK TOCK TOCK!**

Someone just knocked on the door…Erick and Delia wake up and open their eyes:

Mad, Erick says through clenched teeth, "No…it couldn't be!"

Delia tells him, "Ignore it Erick, maybe they'll go away."

Then they try again to have a kiss…when…

**TOCK TOCK TOCK TOCK TOCK TOCK!!**

Erick's angry now. "Dammit…WHO IS IT?"

Bass' voice can be heard behind the door. "It's me, Bass!"

"What do you want Bass? I'm…busy here!"

"The Cat Ghost King wants to see you."

"That so? Alright, tell him I'll be right there."

Once Bass leaves, Erick grumbles, "I wonder what that fur-ball wants this time?"

Delia shrugs. "Who knows…but we'd better go before he starts to get desperate."

"Afraid so…," Erick sighs. "Guess we'll have to take a rain check on that kiss Delia."

Delia giggles, "Don't worry about it Erick. After all, we have all the time in the world!"

Then, Erick and Delia head for the Cat Ghost King's chamber. Once they arrive:

"Ah Erick, glad that you came meow."

"Thank you…so you wanted to see me sir?"

"Indeed I have meow…Erick, I have some doubts about M. Bison."

"Oh! Doubts of what?"

The Cat Ghost King reveals his concern to his High Priest. "We'd better not lay down our guard with him…I have the feeling that M. Bison's joined us cause he wants to get a hold on the Phoenix Stone."

"You don't say, oh great Cat Ghost King?" _Well Duh! You stupid cat_! Erick thinks rudely of his lord and master.

"It is…so we better not trust them too much…and be on alert."

"We will…Oh! Before I forget…Cat Ghost King, I want a meeting this afternoon. I'll contact M. Bison; everyone must be there."

"Why meow?"

"Cause it involves the riddles I unlocked."

"But meow, I thought you already told us that you finished them meow."

"No, I've only revealed part of the stones…but there's more."

* * *

The next day…Belldandy and her sisters wake up in their hotel room, and Skuld begins to make breakfast. Once they finish eating, Urd wanted to know, So Bell…what are today's plans?"

"To try to find out about that weird energy that father asked us to do."

Skuld wonders aloud, " Now the question is…how do we find it?"

Then, someone knocks on the door. When Belldandy opens it, she sees the bellhop with a letter in his hand. "Yes?"

"Miss. Belldandy?"

"Yes, I'm Belldandy."

"Good…I have a letter for you…just sign here please."

Once Belldandy signs and gives the Bellhop a tip and he leaves, Belldandy opens the letter and begins to read it:

"What is it, Belldandy?" Urd asks her.

"It's a letter…from the owner of the restaurant we went to yesterday."

"Really…what does it say?"

"He said that he wants to meet us this afternoon at this place."

Urd blinks. "Wonder why he wants to see us?"

Skuld, excited, says, "Maybe we won a prize and he wants to give it to us!"

Urd snorts, "Yeah right…Bell, are we gonna go? I mean, we do have an assignment you know."

"I know, but it would be rude of me not to attend."

Urd nods, "I suppose…well, I'm gonna go and have something to eat, Skuld, you wanna come?"

Skuld says, "You bet, let's go!"

Urd and Skuld went to get something to eat. Belldandy, now alone, wonders, "I wonder why the restaurant owner wants to see me?"

* * *

_**RED CATS SECRET BASE:**_

There was a meeting in the Cat Ghost King's shrine …Erick and Delia are seated at the center of a large table…the other people there are…Adon, Sagat, Rolento, Birdie, Vega, their Leader M. Bison and his assistant Tron Bonne, also Dr. Wily, Bass with his canine robot dog Treble, Bubbleman, along with some of Dr. Wily's robots…

Erick starts the meeting. "Welcome gentlemen, and thank you all for coming."

"Happy to be here…but tell us…why did you call us?" M. Bison wants to know.

"I'll tell you all…I found out some more inscriptions on those stones…which you all will find very fascinating…especially you, Cat Ghost King."

The Cat Statue blinks (c'mon already, he's a friggin STATUE for cryin' out loud!). "Me!…Why?"

"You'll soon find out…now, as I was saying…aside from the riddles that I uncovered…"

Now it's Bison's turn to blink. "Riddles?"

Erick remembers, "Oh, I forgot that you guys don't know them. Allow me to tell it, so M. Bison listen well_…-" To find that which cannot be seen, it will appear when that heart is free, only then, the Phoenix Stone lies waiting. Look closer and you'll find it in…"-_

All of M. Bison's men look at Erick as if to say –"What in the world did he just say?"-

M. Bison ahem's before saying, "Excuse my rudeness, but, what does that mean?"

Tron Bonne takes a wild guess. "Sounds to me like clues to find that stone."

Erick confirms, "And you're right, Miss. Bonne…that's exactly what they are…clues to find the Phoenix Stone."

Bass isn't convinced. "But…it didn't sound like a clue to me…I mean, that doesn't make any sense!"

Erick's thinking: _Always an idiot_. Out loud, he says, "Bass…in order to know the answer, you must first look for the question, if not, you'll be confused."

"HUH?"

"And, I found more on it…listen carefully…

-"_ When the black moon appeared on the sky, and the sky turned dark, the evil one will arise, and it will become very big and very strong…"_

The Cat Statue likes that one. "Meow, I like those words!" he purrs

Erick notices this. "That's good, however, Oh Cat Ghost King, there's more…"

_-"…however…the evil one will fall, when Fire and Lightning become a Thunderstorm…"_

M. Bison rubs his chin in thought, pondering what this could mean. "Fascinating."

Erick smiles. "It is…"

Tron says, "Wow, they sound cool, kinda like prophecies!"

"Right again Tron Bonne, that's what they are…a prophecy, written by _Nostradamus_ himself.

Dr. Wily asks, "Who…Nostratus?"

Erick corrects him. "No, Dr. Wily, Nostradamus."

M. Bison (who we would have thought would know who Nostradamus is) asks, "Who is this "Nostradamus"?-

Erick explains, "Nostradamus was a predictor from long ago. It is said that he had visions of the future, and he wrote down all those predictions down, all those prophesies he wrote down, began to happen over the course of time."

Dr. Wily ventures, "You mean…"

Erick nods. "Oh yeah, Doctor. All the disasters and wonders that this world's had over the years, Nostradamus told it in his Prophesies…"

Bison's intrigued. "So that means that…"

"He revealed the two World Wars, Hitler's rise and fall, the men walking on the moon, etc…even, your rising M. Bison and your resurrection Cat Ghost King."

The Cat Statue lets out a huge gasp. "WHAAAAAAT?"

Even Bison is shocked. "ME?"

"That's right comrades…amazing, wasn't he!"

M. Bison and the Cat Statue can't believe it. That Nostradamus guy (who, they both reasoned, was obviously around a LONG time before the Red Cat Gang and Shadowloo were even formed) knew about them:

Erick changes the subject, there are other matters to discuss. "But enough about that my friends…we have to know what those riddles mean, for once we solve them, we will find the Phoenix Stone."

The Cat Statue agrees. "Meow…you're right, we must find that stone and we must do it fast."

"One more thing guys…it appeared that we have some competition for the Stone."

"Competition? What do you mean Erick meow?" the Cat Statue asks.

"What I mean is…There are 'others' who've found out about the Phoenix Stone, and now they're trying to find it and claim it for themselves."

This does NOT sit too well with the Cat Ghost King. Mad, he yells, "WHAT!? WHO ARE THIS STUPID HUMANS WHO DARE TO FIND MY STONE!?"

M. Bison nods. "That's right…who are these persons who you speak of so that my men can find them and destroy them?" Thinking to himself, Bison says: _After all, it will be 'my' stone!_

Erick tells them both, "If you must know I'll tell you, but, they're not quite human…they're Darkstalkers."

"Darkstalkers?" Bison asks.

"Yep, they're supernatural beings…" Erick motions to Delia, who waves her hand and a holographic image of Dimitri appears. "…This guy is a Vampire called Dimitri Maximov, a self-proclaimed "Prince of Darkness"," Erick laughs to himself, ridiculing THAT notion. Next, a picture of Morrigan appears. "This lovely lady is Morrigan, she's a Succubus from Makai…" The image changes to a picture of Bishamon. "And this warrior is Bishamon, a cursed Samurai…these are the people who are seeking the Phoenix Stone, oh great Cat Ghost King."

The Cat Ghost King was angry at them for trying to get what he thinks is his…Vega however, gets a VERY good look at Morrigan, and a spark shines in his eye… he's thinking: _My oh my, such a_ _beautiful woman! Such radiance from her! I like her!_

It seems that Morrigan is now Vega's 'new' prey.

The Statue of the Cat Ghost King angrily hisses, "I DON'T CARE WHO THEY ARE! NO ONE SHALL GET MY STONE…I WANT THEM ELIMINATED!"

Delia sweetly asks, "M. Bison, would you do us the honor of helping us get rid of them please?"

Bison says, "Very well, we will take care of the problem."

Delia happily says, "Thank you so much, Bison!"

Satisfied (for now, anyway), Erick concludes the meeting. "Now that that's taken care of…anyone for Chinese Food?"

* * *

It's afternoon; Belldandy and her sisters arrive at the place where the MCD asked to meet them. It was in Nerima Park. Belldandy's still wondering why he asked her to meet him. They wait for him for a couple of minutes when…

"Good, you made it," a man's voice says.

Belldandy and her sisters turn around and see the MCD. He was wearing a black jacket, short white coat, white pants, white and dark shoes:

The MCD smiles. "So good you came."

Belldandy's unsure. "Well, I'm here. What is it that you wanted to see me about?"

Urd steps toward the MCD. "Yeah, why did you want to see her?"

The MCD tells them, "I'll explain it all to you, but first, you must allow me to explain it to you gals. Then you can ask me all the questions you want…okay?"

"Well…okay." Belldandy says, a little nervous.

Urd: snorts, "Whatever." _But I still don't trust this guy; I'd better keep an eye on him._

Skuld's thinking: _I just hope that this guy doesn't try to make a pass at Belldandy, or I'll mallet him with my hammer!_

"Okay…what I'm about to say, you must listen and believe and not be afraid, please..." Belldandy and her sisters nod yes. The MCD sighs, relieved, "Thank you…"

Urd stops him before he can even start talking. "Listen, no offense, but, why did you want to see Bell? I mean, she doesn't know you."

"But I know who 'you' really are."

Urd, raises an eyebrow, sarcastically asking, "Oh really?" _This must be one wacko guy or an enemy. If he tries to harm my sister, he'll be in a world of trouble!_"

"I know that your names are Belldandy, Urd and Skuld, and that you're sisters."

"So? That doesn't prove anything."

"And…that you're all Goddesses."

This takes the sisters by surprise…

Belldandy, shocked, thinks: _No, he knows what we are…but that's impossible!_

Urd, startled, thinks: _No way…how does he know that? No mortal can do that!_

Skuld, worried, thinks: _He…he knows us, but, there's no way! How did he do that?_

Then, they try to deny it:

Urd gets serious, hands on her hips. "Listen buster, I think you're mistaken. We're not what you say we are!"

Belldandy laughs nervously, "That's right mister, I think that there's a misunderstanding."

Well, the MCD is pretty certain. "No there isn't…You, Belldandy are the Goddess of the Present, First Class, unlimited, and also…the daughter of God -(Kami)-…"

Belldandy, like her sisters, is beginning to get scared of him…

THE MCD continues, looking in Urd's direction, "…you Urd, are the Goddess of the Past, also known as the Goddess of Love…

Now Urd's scared, thinking: _NO! HOW DOES HE KNOW? WHO IS HE?_

THE MCD then says to Skuld, "…and you Skuld, are the Goddess of the Future, who likes to build machines, and likes ice cream a lot."

The sisters are now scared of him; they think he is an enemy. Urd with a defiant look in her eyes faces him. "Okay buster…who are you? How is it that you know who we are? ANSWER ME!"

THE MCD: calmly says, "Very well then…my name is THE MCD, but my real name and self is…"

Then, the MCD closes his eyes and concentrates and changes in front of Belldandy and her sisters. When they look up, they see an Angel…

"…Michael Angelus…General of the Armies of Heaven and loyal Angel of God, but also…your fiancée, Belldandy."

* * *

THE MCD has just revealed himself to Belldandy and her sisters as Michael Angelus, the General of the Armies of Heaven…but most of all…As Belldandy's fiancée!

Belldandy is shocked after hearing this…Urd and Skuld were just as shocked.

Belldandy couldn't believe this…Her fiancée! And he knows her! then, something came to Belldandy's mind. Frightened, she thinks: _No, my fiancé? Wait a minute…Michael Angelus…?_

Angelus risks taking a step towards her. "I see that you might have forgotten about me…but it's me, Belldandy."

Belldandy wakes up, and then she looks at him with a scared look in her eyes and walking back. It's as if she's seen a ghost. "No, you can't be him…it's impossible…"

Angelus blinks. "Why do you say that, Bell-chan?"

"You can't be him…he disappeared a long time ago."

Angelus grimly thinks: _Hmm, that must have been due to the accident I had thanks to that damn Cat Ghost King_… Aloud, he tries to persuade her that he's telling the truth – after all, why would he lie? "Look Belldandy, it's me, Michael Angelus, your fiancé and…"

Belldandy angrily yells, "SHUT UP!"

Urd and Skuld tense up. In all the times they've known her, Belldandy never yelled at anyone. She was always a warm, loving girl (Reminds me of Kasumi Tendo). Now, for the first time in her life…she's angry:

Urd's thinking, worried: _Oh man, I've never seen Belldandy like this since…well, never!_

Skuld likewise thinks: _I'm scared…Belldandy's mad…I didn't think that Belldandy could get mad!_

Belldandy continues, upset, "HOW DARE YOU TO TAKE THE FORM OF MY LOST FIANCEE! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BUT YOU CAN'T, YOU WONT, YOU WILL NOT FOOL ME!", She starts to cry, "HE IS DEAD!! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU, YOU IMPOSTOR!"

Then, she begins to walk away, when Angelus says, "Wait Belldandy…I can prove it! Please listen to me…!"

Belldandy stops, but she didn't look at him:

Angelus goes on. "…Look, you like to play the harp for your father, and you love animals, little ones you love the most…"

Belldandy gasps when she hears this…

"And, this…!" Then Angelus takes out a medallion and throws it to Belldandy. When she grabs it, her eyes go wide when she sees it, it was a blue crystal with rubies, in the shape of a flower… Shocked, she thinks: _Oh my…this, this was my Medallion, but…how?_

Angelus tells her, "… That Medallion, you gave it to me on the day of the ceremony in heaven, the day I was made General by your father…"

Belldandy turns around slowly to face him. Angelus sees her, and the tears in her eyes, but he continues, "…and, remember at the dance? We were on the balcony, and I recited a poem that I wrote for you. I said to you…-"_You are my world, you are my light, you are my inspiration of life, your heart is a mighty star that will never fade out, your kindness is a light that illuminates the night, forever I'll be grateful for being yours_…"

Belldandy finishes it, "…_just as I am grateful for being yours._"

Belldandy then looks at Michael Angelus, the look of happiness and joy in her eyes obvious, tears streaming down her face.

She whispers, "Michael…it is you…!" Then, she yells, "MICHAEL!"

Belldandy rushes to him and embraces him, she was crying on his shoulder, but she's happy. "Michael, I'm so happy,! You are alive! I thought that you died, I missed you so much!"

Angelus hugs her back. "And I missed you a lot Belldandy, more that you can ever imagine."

Urd and Skuld are happy as well. Urd hmph's, smiling. "So it IS him. He's alive. I don't believe it. This is great!"

Skuld agrees, "You're right, I sure missed him a lot. But he's back! I'm so happy."

Then, when Belldandy calms down a little. "Oh Michael, I'm so sorry for treating you awful and yelling at you, I thought that you were an impostor."

Angelus is not even worried about it – he's just happy to see her again. "That's okay Belldandy, no harm's done."

"But, what happened to you? I thought that you died."

Angelus chuckles, "Well, I'm not, although I hadn't got that chance."

"So, where were you all this time Michael? Why didn't you come back to heaven? Why didn't you contact me, or my sisters?"

"Belldandy, guys, why don't you all come to my restaurant, I'll explain it there, okay?"

"Very well."

"Okay." Urd agrees.

Skuld nods. "Sure, and while we're there, can we have something to eat? I'm kinda hungry."

Urd, frustrated, groans, "You're always hungry, Skuld!"

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Meanwhile, R was at his house, preparing for his romantic date plan with Kodachi. He picks up the phone and begins to dial… "It's a good thing I paid some girls at St. Hebereke to get Kodachi's phone number", R says to himself while dialing.

At the Kuno Estate, Sasuke answers the phone: _Hello, Kuno residence?_

"Hello, I'm looking for Kodachi Kuno. Can you page her?"

Sasuke questions the person on the other end of the line, _Who is this? And what business do you have with Mistress Kodachi?_

"Just get her would you? Tell her it's R…GO!"

Then, minutes later, Kodachi answers: _Hello?_

R smiles. "Hey Kodachi, how you doing girl? It's me, R."

_R, so glad to hear from you, so what do I have the pleasure of your call?_

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me tonight?"

This takes Kodachi by surprise:

_Going out, with you…? As in…a date?_

"Well…yeah, I mean, if you want to…. Course if you don't want to go, I'll understand."

Kodachi's thinking: _He's asking me out on a date! I don't believe it; no one has ever asked me out!"_

The silence on the other end causes R to worry. "Um…Kodachi, are you there, hello?"

Kodachi wakes up and answers the phone. "Yes, yes I'm here!"

"So, what's it gonna be, would you like to go out with me?"

_Yes, yes I'll go out with you!_

"Great, can I pick you up at, 6 pm?"

_Sure._

"Then it's settled. I'll come to your house at six. Wear something pretty."

_Okay, see you at six, R._

When Kodachi hangs up the phone, she's blushing. Kodachi says to herself, "Wow, this is…wonderful, I've never gone out on a date…I was always hoping that Ranma would ask me out, but, that will never happen. R is rather sweet; perhaps I'll be able to like him…after he defeats Ranma."

When Sasuke enters, he sees Kodachi's ACTUALLY happy. This gets him kinda scared.

Meanwhile…R's just finished his first part of his plan. "Well, that went well. Now to take Kodachi on a date, give her a good time, and then, she'll hand over all her secrets, then Ranma will fall…but, I can't deny that I will have a good time with her…I mean, I've never been on a date before…guess I'll have to ask Dr. Wily for some dating tips."

* * *

_**AT THE REAL BOUT MARTIAL ARTS BAR AND GRILL:  
**_

Angelus, Belldandy and her sisters are having a good meal. When they finish eating, Angelus takes them to his office for a lot of explanations:

Skuld says, patting her full stomach, "That was a gooood meal, I'm stuffed!"

Urd nods. "Tell me about it, I don't think I can eat another bite."

Angelus smiles. "I'm glad that you enjoyed that meal...now, I think I have some explanations for you, and most of all, to you Bell-chan."

Then, he begins to tell his tale of his tragedy. "We had a report of an evil demon cat known as the Cat Ghost King, causing lots of trouble on Earth. So God asked me to go and stop it. You remember that, Belldandy, don't you?"

Belldandy nods. "Yeah, I remember. It was three days after the dance."

"Right. Anyway, my squad and I went there to stop him. When we arrived we fought him and his servants…we defeated them all, but, before we returned, the Cat Ghost launched one last attack against us…I faced him and destroyed him, however…before disappearing, the Cat Ghost King knocked me out and I landed in a spring…however, this was a cursed spring. Next thing I knew, my wings disappeared, I just transformed into a mortal, and, I don't know, but somehow, my powers were reduced…"

"That explains why I lost contact with you, I was trying to find your energy, but the feeling was almost gone…," Belldandy sadly remembers. "When the soldiers arrived, I asked them where you were, but they didn't know, they said that you went down fighting the evil cat, but they lost contact with you."

Urd adds, "That's right, later they sent a search group to find you, but they couldn't track you, your energy reading was nowhere to be found, after many search…well…"

Skuld finishes. "They gave up and returned home. They came to the conclusion that you'd died with the evil cat."

"I…see…so what happened then?" Angelus decides to ask, having heard from the sisters what happened after the battle at Jusenkyo.

Urd goes, "Well…first of all, we where all shocked to hear the news, but Belldandy…"

Angelus is worried now. "What was her reaction?"

Skuld sadly tell him, "She was heartbroken when she thought she lost you. She cried for almost three days. We tried to comfort her, but she was really devastated. Even our Father had to intervene."

Angelus looks directly at Belldandy. "Really Bell-chan?"

Belldandy nods, teary-eyed. "Yes…when I heard that you died, I was crushed. I thought that I lost my love. Part of me had died that day. I was nearly from dying in my mind. I was so sad that, I almost gave up my hope and my love for myself and others…"

Hearing this makes Angelus sad. "Geez…I don't know how sorry I am, Belldandy. I didn't know what happened; I was trapped here. If I had known that would happen, I would never have accepted that mission. I'm so sorry Belldandy, really I am."

"No, it's okay, it wasn't your fault. You did what you had to do, it was your mission and job, and you knew the consequences."

"But still…"

Belldandy's cheerful. " Don't worry, what's important is that you're alive, and I'm so happy that you're here."

Angelus smiles. "Me too."

When the conversation ends, all doubts were cleared up, and Belldandy and her sisters are happy, especially Belldandy. The love she thought she lost, has returned to her. When they have to return to their hotel, Belldandy turns to face Angelus. "Um, Michael?"

"Yes, Belldandy?"

"Do you…still have the ring that I…gave you, you know…that ring?"

Then Angelus put his hand inside pocket of his jacket and pulls out a golden ring. It had the form of a star on it.

"You mean THIS one Bell-chan…?" he says, surprising her, showing the ring. "Of course I have it. Always did. When I couldn't go to heaven and see you, I held onto it and always remembered you, hoping that one day I could see you again."

Belldandy's about to cry. "Michael…"

"Just as my love for you hasn't, nor will ever fade away…I love you Belldandy, as before, as of now, and always for ever."

Belldandy cries happily, "Me too Michael, me too."

Then, Angelus grabs Belldandy's shoulders, and then they share a big, passionate, kiss. Many things are racing around in their minds:

Belldandy thinks: _Oh my, oh my, his kiss, so warm, I almost forgot this feeling, I haven't felt like this in so many years_!

Angelus is thinking: _Her lips, are so warm, like the rays of the sun. How I missed those warm feeling; I'm so happy._

When they break the kiss, their faces were red as tomatoes. Angelus, for the first time in a LONG time, ACTUALLY blushes. "Gosh, that was…incredible Bell-chan."

Belldandy also blushes, nodding, "Yes…it was…cool…well, I'd better go. my sisters are waiting. We'll be back later on."

"I was wondering Bell-chan…why are you here anyway?"

"Oh we forgot…you see, Father asked us to come to Nerima, caused he sensed a disturbance of energy flowing here, so he asked us to investigate."

"A disturbance of energy flowing here! What could it be?"

"We don't know, that's why we're here."

Angelus thinks about what Belldandy's just told him. It would not surprise him at all if the disturbance she and her sisters were sent to investigate has something to do with his old nemesis the Cat Ghost King and his High Priest Erick Genryusai. He finally says, "Well, if you want my help Bell-chan, I'll gladly help you. I might have my powers reduced by half, but I've still got my powers."

Belldandy's happy. "That's so sweet of you! Of course we'll need your help."

"Then it's settled, together we'll look for this problem, okay"

"You got it, and thanks Michael, that means a lot to us."

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO – KUNO RESIDENCE:**_

Its 6 pm. R arrives at Kodachi's mansion. He's wearing a black and white jacket, gray shirt, black pants, white shoes, with a little red scarf around his neck, and, to finish his wardrobe, he has a white rose in the left breast pocket of his jacket. He's standing at the door. "Well, this is it…time to play my cards right…it's a good thing that Erick gave me dating tips. Wily sure didn't know anything about it.'

R remembers his tutoring from them:

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

R sees his creator Dr. Wily. He sees him in the lab where he was working on his latest creation. "Hey, Wily."

Dr. Wily greets his boy. "Hey R my boy, how're you doing?"

"I'm fine. I came here for a little advice from you."

Dr. Wily blinks "Advice…? What kind of advice my boy? Are you having trouble with school, or do you need some weapons?"

"No, you see, I have this date with this girl and…"

Wily gasps, "You have a date…? With a girl?" He starts crying Soun Tendo-style, "Oh, my boy is growing up and now he's having his first date! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!! Where does the time fly…? It feels like it was only yesterday when you were only a little baby."

R, embarrassed, sweatdrops. "Come on, Doc. Cut that out, it's kinda embarrassing."

Dr. Wily, after he shuts off the waterworks, calms down and apologizes. "Sorry, it's just that, you're having a date with a girl and…"

R blushes, "It's not like that, Wily! I really don't like this girl! Well… I do… a little, but the only reason I'm going out with her is so that I can ask her for her secrets."

"Secrets?"

"Yeah, her name is Kodachi Kuno, and she specializes in drug-type weaponry, paralysis powders and all, and I need her knowledge. Once I know her techniques, Ranma will be defeated!"

Dr. Wily likes R's plan. "I see, that's very clever of you R…like me…!"

"The reason I wanted to talk to you is…if you could, like, give me some dating tips."

Dr. Wily starts sweating. When it comes to building super robot warriors, he's a genius. His recent dabbling in genetic engineering has borne fruit, the result of which is currently seeking some fatherly counsel. But dealing with the opposite sex? Uhh… Wily may be in over his head here. "Um…Dating tips…? Um, well, the thing is…"

"Come on Wily, haven't you ever gone out with a girl before?"

"I…of course I have!" Wily says, sweating nervously. He's never had this type of discussion before, not even with his robots (Cause they're ROBOTS! Why would they need to know about male-female relationships for anyway!) And don't even get him started about the birds and the bees – Wily can't even talk about it without blushing! But being Wily, he tries anyway. Here goes…um…something? He clears his throat and starts to explain, "Well, now where to begin…a woman is like…uh…um…a car."

R sweatdrops. "A car…? How the heck a girl is like a car?"

"Well, you have to treat them and look inside and…" Wily shakes his head and tries again. "No no nooo! It's more like this…uh…"

"Why don't **I** help you with this, R." a mysterious voice says out of nowhere.

R and Dr. Wily turn around and see Erick and his beloved Delia.

R briefly startled, shouts, "You!"

Erick smiles. "Yes. You wanted to learn about dating tips right, R?" R nods yes. "I can help you. Besides, it's a lot better than listening to 'Dr. Love's' advice," he points to Dr. Wily, who looks all confused and stuff.

R shrugs, "I suppose."

Then R follows Erick and Delia to Erick's dark chamber. Once there Erick sits on his throne and explains to R the basics of dating. "Okay R, first lesson in dating a girl is…you must always be charming and polite with her, and always be on time for her."

R nods. "Okay."

Erick continues, "Listen well. On a date, you mustn't allow a girl to pay. NEVER. It's against all that a gentleman is… and, never use foul language around her, and never disagree with her opinion, because it can get kinda ugly…"

R makes careful notes, writing down what Erick says. "Okay, got it."

"When on a date, take her to a nice place, like a park, or a movie, the kind of places couples usually go…And most important R…Be yourself…don't try to be something or someone you're not for her, 'cause its not worth it."

"Be yourself…got it."

Delia smiles at R, taking the opportunity to add her feminine perspective to Erick's wise advice. "And remember R, we girls like it when they give us flowers or candy."

"Flowers and Candy…I think I can handle that."

Erick concludes, "Well R, we've given you the knowledge; now it's up to you to put it to the test…good luck."

R bows to Erick and Delia. "Thanks."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

_Well…now it's time to put my plan into action._ R rings the doorbell; Sasuke then opens the door:

"Yes, who are you?"

R tells the Kunos' loyal servant, "It's R. I've come here to pick up Kodachi."

Sasuke nods, remembering, "Ah yes, Mistress Kodachi is expecting you. Do come in please."

R bows. "Thanks."

Then R enters the Kuno Mansion; walking across the grounds of the estate, he sees the pond and some bonsai trees. When he enters the house proper, he sits down on the sofa. Fifteen minutes later, Kodachi arrives. R is speechless at the sight of her; she was wearing a short black skirt, black panties (Hmm... Now how would R know that?), black boots, and black jacket. Somebody in some funny movie once asked, "Is she hot?" This narrator says oh yes. OH GOD, YES!

Somewhere out there, the author shakes his head in disbelief. The narrator's being a pervert.

Kodachi is delighted to see R. "R, I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," R replies. Then, he looks her over, and whistles, "Damn, Kodachi, you look cute."

Kodachi blushes, gracefully accepting his compliment. "Thank you…you look rather dashing yourself."

"Thanks…now, shall we go?"

"Yes, let's go."

Then R takes Kodachi's hand and they walk out.

Kuno was out practicing with his Bokken Sword when he sees her sister along with R. Angered by R's presence, Kuno shouts, "YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE YOU FIEND?"

Kodachi cheerfully says, "Oh hello brother dear, R is here to take me out on a date."

Kuno flips. "HE'S WHAAAAT?"

R covers his ears from the near-legendary volume of Kuno's shouting. "She said that I'm taking her on a date…you have a hearing problem?"

"NO, SHE WON'T! I REFUSE TO ALLOW HER TO GO OUT WITH A SCUMBAG LIKE YOU!"

Kodachi pleads, tears starting to form in her eyes. "But brother dear…"

Kuno puts his foot down. "NO. I WILL NOT ALLOW HER TO GO OUT WITH YOU! SHE WILL NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION AND THAT IS FINAL!"

Kodachi starts to cry.

R gallantly comes to her defense. Mad, he now faces Kuno. "Listen here jerk, she WILL go out with me!"

Kuno's firm – firmly stubborn, is more like it. "I SAID NO!"

"Just who the hell do you think you are, huh? You're not her boss. You do not own her. She can go out with whoever she wants to, and she doesn't need your stupid permission for that!"

Kuno's red with rage. The nerve of this knave! "HOW DARE YOU?"

Kodachi thinks: _R is defending me against my brother, how noble of him!_"

R takes her by the hand. "Kodachi, let's go."

Kuno fiercely objects, "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER!"

"Oh, and who's gonna stop me? YOU? Please. Tell you what, Kuno, how about if we have a duel here, right here, right now. We'll fight for her; if I win, she goes out with me, but if I lose, I will never return here…so Kuno, do you accept my challenge?"

Kuno smirks, confident that he can defeat this audacious scoundrel. "Very well, I accept…prepare to lose at the hands of Tatewaki Kuno, the Invincible Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!" He takes out his bokken and assumes his fighting stance.

R snorts, "Whatever" while cracking his knuckles.

Kuno charges at R. "EN GARDE YOU EVIL DE…UGN!"

But Kuno couldn't finish his sentence because R, in a blink of an eye, nails Kuno with a mighty blow in his stomach. Kuno goes flying toward a wall, crashing into it hard, and then he falls down, rendered blissfully unconscious. Kodachi's impressed with him. "Wow R! That was fabulous!"

R smiles back at her. "Thanks, not that that's outta of the way…let's go, Kodachi." He gentlemanly offers her his arm, and she takes it.

Seeing that the evening's gotten off to an… interesting start, Kodachi's curious as to what her date has planned. "Where are we going R?"

"Why tell you now, when it could be a lot cooler if I just show it to you?" R says with a wink.

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	23. The Wild Date of the Roses!

CHAPTER 23

**_-"THE WILD DATE OF THE ROSES! RYOGA MAKES A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL!"-_**

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

The Cat Ghost King is looking for R; then he yells for Dr. Wily. 15 minutes later Wily arrives at the chamber of the Cat Ghost King. "You called, Cat Ghost King?"

"I did…Wily, just where is R meow? I haven't heard from him for a while."

"Not to worry, your highness, he's on a date."

"WHAT? A DATE? WE ARE ON A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION HERE! HE DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR A STUPID DATE! HE'S VERY FAR BEHIND ON HIS OWN MISSION!"

"Don't worry, Cat, this date will help R destroy Ranma for good."

The Cat Statue blinks; how a STATUE can blink, this narrator has no idea. "And how exactly will this date help R beat Ranma, Wily?"

Then Dr. Wily explains all about what R's told him…in the end, he asks, "So what do you think?"

The Cat Ghost King ponders this idea. "Hmm…I suppose that COULD work…All right meow, but he'd better not waste more time…cause time is what we don't have…got it, Wily meow?"

* * *

"Got it."

We see R with Kodachi in his S2000, driving on the streets of the Shibuya Ward of Tokyo:

"So R, where are we going?" Kodachi asks.

R tells her, "I was thinking about a movie, then, later tonight we have dinner."

"Dinner? Uhh… where?"

R smirks. "Well, I've made reservations on this new restaurant that just opened back in Nerima, a French one I guess."

Kodachi giggles, "Sure sounds like we're going to have a great time."

"You said it, Kodachi-chan."

Kodachi thinks, _Oh what a wonderful day, today is the first day that I've been on a date! R sure is handsome, polite, he likes roses, white, but he likes them…I always wished that I could do it with Ranma…but I'm afraid that's in the past… After I use R to crush Ranma, maybe I'll settle with R._

R's thinking, _This Kodachi sure is a wonderful girl, she likes roses like me, black, but likes them, she always has a sense of humor…she's cunning, agile and tricky…after she gives me her secrets and beat Ranma…who knows…maybe…just maybe I might…asked her to_ –(blush)- _um, be with me._"

It appears that both people have the same idea.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Shadowloo Base, M. Bison was studying some plans with Tron Bonne about new mecha construction, when an incoming message comes on screen. When they receive it, it's Erick on screen. "Hello Erick…," Bison greets his ally, "What is the purpose of your calling us?"

Erick smiles, "Hello to you too, Bison…the reason for this call is to inform you that I've located where the competition is."

"Really…do tell?"

"They were seen three miles south of your base…they're on their way to Nerima…why don't you go there and…'greet them' Bison."

"All right, I will."

"May I suggest that you take some of your fighters…cause these people can be quite powerful."

M. Bison smirks. "Is that so? Ha, I'd like to see that!"

Erick warns, "Seriously, Bison…don't be overconfident, always be on your guard, and never be too cautious."

"Very well…I'll do what you tell me…Well, if there's no other business to talk about, I must go and prepare to 'welcome' those people."

"Very well Bison…good luck"

When the transmission ends:

Tron Bonne!" Bison calls.

Tron snaps to attention. "Yes, Sir?"

"Call Sagat, Vega and Zangief…we're gonna go and 'welcome' those people who are trying to steal the Phoenix Stone."

"Right away, boss!"

* * *

R takes Kodachi to dance at a disco. R dances quite well, but Kodachi was kinda nervous. Later they head for the Juban District, cause R wanted to buy Kodachi a dress. Kodachi's very grateful to him. Next, R intends to take her to dinner, but in the meantime, they're enjoying a quiet evening in the park, they're sitting in a bench looking at the sunset:

Kodachi, leaning on R's shoulder, sighs, "Ah R, I'm having a wonderful time with you."

R's pleased. "Why thank you Kodachi, it WAS my intention in the first place after all."

"Say R, how did you get very good in Martial Arts?"

"Well, I guess since I was little, I think."

"But you are good. I mean, no one has ever fought against Ranma like that, and you hit him. You must be a pro."

R blushes, saying in an "aw-shucks" manner, "Oh come on Kodachi, I'm not that great. Well…. maybe a LITTLE, but not THAT much…So what about you? How did you become very good at Gymnastics?"

"I've always loved it. Every since I was little, I like doing Gymnastics. It's good for the body and mind."

R smirks, "Heh, heh… You got that right about the body part…you have a beautiful body."

Kodachi giggles, laughing, "No I don't…!"

"Yeah, you do…" Then, changing the subject, R takes a risk and decides to ask, "Say, I was wondering Kodachi…"

"About what R?"

"May I ask how do you do that thing with the roses…you know, those weird paralyzing powers? I'd like to know."

"Well, it's MY own secret technique."

"But surely you could at least SHOW me your secret technique…if you don't mind?"

Kodachi blinks. "Nani…? You want to know my secret technique…why?"

R explains, "Um…you see, I too love roses, and, if I knew how to make those powerful powers, I could be stronger…and, with those secrets…I could beat down all my enemies…among them, Ranma."

Kodachi thinks, _This is getting more interesting…R wants to beat Ranma…and if I help him, he will! Maybe I'll teach him_"

R says, observing, "You know…this is all cool and everything but, it wouldn't hurt if there was some action here."

Kodachi agrees, "Yes…but where do we get it? I mean, it's not like action's gonna appear in front of us."

Suddenly, from the bushes, a monster jumps out and lands in front of R and Kodachi…it had the shape of a bull, with claws and long tail…screaming…-"MINOTAUR!"-…

Kodachi blinks. "Who…or WHAT is that thing?"

R shrugs, but keeps his eyes on the monster, ready to attack it if tries anything. "Don't know…looks like a bull with legs or something."

Then the monster sees them. "I will take away your pure heart!" it roars.

Kodachi gasps, momentarily frightened by the creature. "Say what? My heart?"

R looks at the rather stupid-looking creature, which reminds him of something out of those ridiculous _sentai_ shows. "You're not serious are you…take away MY heart?"

Then the monster launches himself toward them, when:

"Hold it right there evil youma!" a girl's voice yells.

R and Kodachi look up and saw 5 girls in the top of a building. They are dressed in Sailor-Fuku costumes… (This would be the part where the typical villain or bad guy would cry, "OH NO! Not THOSE guys!" – or girls, in this case!) One girl has short blue hair with a blue skirt, another has long black hair with a red skirt, one more girl has long blond hair with an orange-yellow skirt, the tallest one has brown hair with a green skirt…and their leader has blonde hair done up in two pigtails! Does this narrator need to tell you who THEY are?

R and Kodachi cannot believe what they are seeing. "What are those girls? Why are they dressed up like college students?"

Kodachi laughs, "Don't know…but they sure look funny."

Then the girls' leader addresses the Youma. "A park is place for peace and for loving couples to spend time with each other! I will not tolerate you disrupting it! I am Sailor Moon!"

Then each of the sailor-suited girls introduces herself, complete with her own unique background scenery.

"…I am Sailor Mercury…!"

"…Sailor Mars…!"

"…Sailor Jupiter…!"

"…Sailor Venus…!"

Sailor Moon finishes up, saying, "…so on behalf of the Moon…"

Then all of the girls strike a pose, declaring, "We shall punish you!!" An elaborate backdrop of roses and stars appears behind them. Hollywood's got nothing on fan-fiction writers with an active imagination, which is like an infinite budget when it comes to neato-keen special effects and stuff!

When they finish their introduction, the Youma's getting angry…R and Kodachi however…

Kodachi blinks. "Gracious… and I thought my brother had lousy speeches!"

R's annoyed. These sailor girls are stealing the spotlight. HIS spotlight. "Oh man…are these girls for real?"

Then Sailor Moon jumps and lands in front of R and Kodachi. "Alright folks, you don't have anything to worry about, cause we're here to save you!"

R, further annoyed, sweatdrops. "Say what? Save us…? Geez…you gotta be kidding me!"

Kodachi blinks again, wondering aloud, "What are you supposed to be? Some sort of Cheerleading Squad?"

Sailor Mars tells R and Kodachi, "Just stay away from this fight, or you might get hurt." She readies one of her talismans, setting it on fire.

R's insulted. "HEY! LISTEN HERE, YOU LITTLE GIRL…!"

R couldn't finish cause the Youma begins his attack on the Scouts…Sailor Mars launches her Mars Fire Soul against the Youma, but it didn't do any damage. Next Jupiter releases her Thunder Shock, but with no such luck. The Scouts were getting desperate:

Sailor Moon whimpers, "Scouts…none of our attacks are working against this Youma!"

R shakes his head, disappointed with their futile efforts. "Geez, these girls are pathetic!"

Kodachi nods. "Tell me about it…it appears that these girls can talk, but can't fight."

Suddenly, the Youma charges against Sailor Moon, but, outta nowhere, a rose strikes the ground in front of the Youma…then in the corner of a tree lies…

Sailor Moon happily squeals, "Tuxedo Mask!"

Tuxedo Mask breaks into his monologue. "Parks are places for peace and tranquility; I will not let an evil Youma such as you destroy them!"

Sailor Moon was impressed with him (when ISN'T she!?); R however is furious! "Why that Penguin guy…! How DARE he copy MY technique with the rose!"

Kodachi obverse, "What do you know…it looks like that guy uses roses for weapons…! I should sue him for copyrights!"

But, even with Tuxedo Mask aiding them, the Youma was too strong for them. When the Scouts were down…the Youma turns to face R and Kodachi. Of course R and Kodachi weren't intimidated by it. When the Youma charges against R, R delivers a fast and powerful punch to the Youma's midsection. The Youma cries out in a lot of pain as he falls to the ground, then he sees R with a deadly look, R, however, laughs, "Listen here bully…if you're thinking that you can defeat me like those girls with the short skirts, then you're out of your mind!"

The Youma, Minotauros, is angry! " WHAT…? YOU FILTHY HUMAN, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"That's so…? HA! Now get of here before I make barbeque out of you."

"NEVER! GYAAAAAH!"

"Have it your way then…Kodachi, you might want to step aside…," R says, while cracking his knuckles, "…cause things are about to get messy!"

R then begins to walk toward the Youma. Minotauros launches his claws, trying to decapitate him, but R dodges them all easily:

R laughs while dodging, "Ha hahaa…! Hey, hot head, is that the best you can do? You move like my grandma!"

Minotauros' steamed. "MISERABLE…. I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!"

Even angrier he launches more attacks…but like before, they fail:

R taunts, laughing, "No, my mistake… My grandmother moves even faster then you! Hahahaha!"

The Sailor Scouts were in awe of R. He moves even faster then them. And THEY had magical powers:

Sailor Moon remarks, "Wow, that guy moves even faster then us…how is that possible?"

Sailor Mars, worried, replies, "I…I don't know."

Sailor Venus wonders aloud, "You think he could be part of the Sailor Scouts?"

Tuxedo Mask silently fumes, thinking, _Hmph…showoff._

The Youma begins to get tired from his futile efforts at attacking. R mocks his opponent. "Oh…don't tell me that you're already tired? What a pathetic creature. "

Minotauros screams, "SHUT UP…ITS TIME TO FINISH THIS!"

R gets serious. "You know what? You're right…time to finish this…so get ready! VIOLET OUTCAST!!"

R then proceeds to punish the Youma with a ferocious assault of punches and kicks. The Youma is being pummeled badly by R; then R begins to concentrate, creating a flaming purple-red aura around him. The Sailor Scouts are frightened by his power. Then R follows up with another of his signature special techniques!

"All right buster, time to say goodbye…ACTIVE RED PEARL!"

R then releases a big purple-and-red-tinted fireball at the Youma. Upon contact, it explodes, bathing the doomed creature in raging flames. When the flames die down, the Youma is gone, burnt to ashes…! Then R cools down, whistling, "Phew, what a weak-ass monster! It didn't even give me a workout! Oh well…" he turns to Kodachi, glad that she is safe, and smiles. "Shall we go Kodachi?"

Kodachi smiles back. "Let's shall."

The Sailor Scouts are another matter; they're still in awe of him. Sailor Mars says disbelievingly, "No way…! His fire attack was much stronger then mine!"

Sailor Jupiter's in awe. "And he fought that Youma single-handled, and destroyed it!"

"Just who is he?" Sailor Mercury wanted to know.

Before leaving, R looks over at the Scouts and smirks. "You girls are pathetic! You should all return to cheerleading where you belong."

Sailor Moon's steamed. "HEEEY!"

R glares at Tuxedo Mask. "And as for YOU, penguin boy…don't try to copy other people attacks. The rose strike is mine!"

Tuxedo Mask objects, "What! Listen here boy, it is MY attack!"

R's like, "Yeah right. In your hands, the way you use those roses to attack is SO pathetic."

"Oh yeah? I'll show you!"

Then Tuxedo Mask reaches into his pocket and throws three of his red roses at R. But to everyone's surprise, R reaches into his pocket and throws one (!) white rose very fast like a bullet. R's white rose deflects Tuxedo Mask's red roses and strikes him in his left shoulder, pinning him to a wall. Tuxedo Mask screams in pain, "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Sailor Moon's scared for him. "TUXEDO MASK!"

R laughs, " Now THAT's a 'real rose strike' cape boy! Well, we're off, remember our names, R of the 'White Rose'…"

Kodachi adds, "And I'm Kodachi Kuno "The Black Rose"!

Then R and Kodachi leave the park to enjoy the rest of their date…

* * *

Meanwhile, the Darkstalkers Demitri, Morrigan and Bishamon were still searching for clues to find the Phoenix Stone, they were now walking on a hill, and it was nighttime, with strong winds:

Frustrated, Demitri growls, "I can't believe we still haven't found no clues whatsoever to find the stone!"

"Well we can't give up now. I know we'll find it Dimitri; it's just a matter of time." Morrigan says.

"Hey, I feel something coming towards us," Bishamon says, alerting the others.

"What could it be?" Morrigan wonders.

Then, from the clouds a huge air ship descends upon them. It was Shadowloo's Air Ship, hovering in front of them:

"What in the seven hells is that thing!?" Demitri asks.

Morrigan remarks in awe, "It appears to be a giant ship or something…I don't know."

Then, the hatch doors open…and then someone emerges from them…It is the leader of Shadowloo himself, M. Bison. Bison glares at the Darkstalkers:

"Who is that mortal" Demitri wanted to know.

Morrigan replies, "Don't know…he looks like a General."

Bison greets his opponents. "Mwahahaha…Salutations… I am M. Bison, ruler of Shadowloo."

Morrigan remembers, "Shadowloo! Hey, that's the name that weird priest Erick told us a while ago…the one who wants the stone!"

"So it is." Demitri says grimly.

"You must be the Darkstalkers…the ones who are trying to find the Phoenix Stone, am I right?"

Demitri confirms, "You are correct…I am…"

M. Bison cuts Demitri off. "We know who you people are…so, to make this speech short…you can stop your quest to find the stone…cause we'll be the ones who will get it."

Demitri flares up. "WHAT! Listen here you pitiful mortal…it is WE who will get the stone…and if you or anybody tries to get in our way…will be destroyed!"

Bison laughs, "Then you're dumber than Erick told us…I suggest that you people leave…if you continue to bother us…we will fight you."

Demitri scolds, "Ha…and what could a miserable and weak human like yourself could ever do to us!? We are powerful beings!"

"Miserable and Weak is it…?" Then, in a blink of en eye, M. Bison teleports himself from his ship right in front of Demitri, Morrigan and Bishamon. They gasp and jump back a little.

Demitri gasps, "What the…"

Morrigan's in awe. "How…how did he do that?"

Bison laughs, "Well…what were you saying about being Weak and Miserable?"

Demitri recovers from his surprise. "Hmph…so you can do a few tricks…but I have powers like you've never seen!"

"Is that so…how would you like to prove your theory…? Let's see if you can prove it with actions and words, 'cause talk is easy."

"What…you want to fight me?" Now Demitri laughs. "…What makes you think you have ANY chance of surviving against me?"

"So…are you backing away? I should have figured it out…coward."

Demitri's offended. "WHAT…all right, you scum mortal…no one calls me a coward and lives…you just signed your death certificate…so get ready to be burned!"

Then both persons prepare for combat…Bison took off his cape, same with Demitri and assume their fighting positions.

Morrigan predicts, "Demitri will kill that fool human in no time at all, right Bishamon?"

Bishamon's not sure. "I don't know Morrigan…that Bison guy has a high energy power within him…a dark one."

"Oh, come now…what could that human do?'

Then it starts. "Any last words before I kill you?" Demitri asks his victim.

M. Bison replies, grinning evilly, "Yeah…duck."

Demitri blinks. "Duck?"

Then, Bison moves very fast and hits Demitri in his chest. Demitri goes flying away and lands hard on the ground. He gasps as he ACTUALLY feels pain from that hit.

Demitri gasps, clutching his chest, "What the…ugh…how can that be? That mortal not only hit me, but moved so fast I didn't see it!"

Bison laughs, "What's the matter Demitri…didn't see that coming?"

On the side lines, Morrigan is shocked. "No way! Did you see that Bishamon? That mortal moved so fast I didn't see it."

Bishamon nods. "Me either…that mortal has powers that I couldn't have foreseen…maybe Demitri will have trouble beating him."

On the battlefield…

Demitri says while rising, "Alright you pitiful… you only hit me because I was distracted, but that won't happen again. This time, you'll die!"

M. Bison's like, "Really? Then let's see it… or is it that you won't do it?"

"I'll show you…TAKE THIS! GRYAAAA!" Then Demitri releases a couple of Chaos Flares toward Bison. Bison just stands there; when they were about to hit him, he smiles wickedly, his eyes glow and the attack reverts back to Demitri. Demitri gets hit by his own attack. When he recovers, he is confused and shocked at Bison's ability. "No…! What happened here? Why did my attack fail to strike you and hit me…? WHY?"

Morrigan's equally shocked. "No way…! How did he do it…he just stood there and somehow reflected the attack right back to Demitri!"

"I…I don't know," is all Bishamon can utter.

"How did you do that?" Demitri asks of Bison. "There was no way you could have done that…impossible!"

Bison laughs, "Easy…you may have your dark powers…but I have within me the Psycho Power!"

"Psycho Power…? No matter, you're still gonna die…I haven't lost to anybody in a long time!"

M. Bison agrees, "Neither have I…so let's finish this!"

"Yes…let's shall!"

Then they fight for a couple of minutes. During the fight, Bison nails Demitri with his Knee Press Nightmare, Demitri then strikes Bison with his Bat Spin, and later Bison hits him back with a Psycho Shot. Both warriors were now facing each other and charging their powers:

Bison thinks, _He is a great warrior…he could be a worthy opponent for me_.

Demitri's thinking, _This human is indeed very strong…never have I fought someone who could actually give ME trouble…especially a human…but I refuse to lose to a human!_

"Ready, Demitri…you're about to feel my Psycho Power."

Demitri smirks at Bison, "Do your worst…cause you're about to feel my supreme power!"

Then Demitri unleashes his Demon Billon, transforming himself into a swarm of flaming bats at Bison. When they make contact they explode.

Morrigan grins, satisfied by the outcome. "Well…I guess that's over…Demitri won."

Bishamon nods in agreement. "Sure looks like it."

Then, having finished the Demon Billion attack, Demitri reverts back to his former self, snickering, "Ha…guess that takes care of him…like all those who dare to stand in my way."

A familiar voice laughs, "Mwahahaha…is that so?"

Demitri gasps, "What the…what was that?"

Then, they all look through the smoke as it clears; they see someone at the center. It was M. Bison, still standing:

Demitri yells, "WHAT THE…NO, IMPOSSIBLE!"

Morrigan's wide-eyed. "He's…he's alive…I don't believe it!"

Bishamon questions, "Just what is he?"

M. Bison flashes his fiendish grin. "Well now…I believe it is my turn now to show you my powers, right?"

"I don't know how you survived my attack…but you're still going to die!" Demitri declares.

Bison explains, "Simple…my Psycho Barrier stops your attack…now prepare to feel MY Special Power."

"NEVER! GYAAAAH!"

Once again, Demitri tries to launch another attack, but Bison vanishes. "Hey, where did he go?"

A voice says from behind Demitri, "Right behind you!"

When everyone turns around, they see Bison. He was covered from head to toe in blue flames. Then he launches himself toward Demitri, spinning around with his outstretched glowing hand; charging forward like a comet, he yells…-"PSYCHO CRUSHER!"-…

Demitri was hit by it like being hit by a speeding car. The sheer force of the impact sends him spinning through the air, covered in flames and he lands hard on the ground. It was over…M. Bison has won. Morrigan and Bishamon cannot believe what they've seen…Demitri lost to a human. They decide to help Demitri.

Bison, pleased with his victory, says coldly, "I guess I've won then…haven't I?"

Demitri weakly replies, "Shut up…you won only by luck…I didn't take you seriously."

"That was your mistake…never underestimate your opponents, or that will get you killed."

Demitri's mad now. "Why, I oughta…!"

"I must be going now…We still have lots of work to do if we're gonna find the Phoenix Stone…farewell…and don't try to get in our way…or the next time…," Bison laughs at Demitri, "I'll plunge a stake in your heart!"

Then Bison teleports himself back to his ship and flies away. Dimitri's now angry and humiliated.

Morrigan tries to calm him down. "There, there Demitri…don't strain yourself."

"I don't believe this…to have lost to a human! Well, next time I see him, I'll devour his body and crush his soul. Nobody beats me and gets away with it…!" Demitri snarls. "NOBODY!"

* * *

Belldandy and her sisters arrive at their hotel after talking with the MCD -(A.K.A Michael Angelus)-. Belldandy's happy and singing, for she has found her lost love once again. Her sisters notice this. "I see that SOMEONE's in a good mood today." Urd says, grinning.

Skuld asks, "You mean Belldandy-oneechan? I see."

Belldandy's singing happily, "O what a wonderful day it has been…He's back, my fiancée is back!"

Urd regards her sister. "I'm very happy for you, Belldandy. I'm proud of you."

Belldandy nods, giggling, "It is!"

Skuld's unsure. "Well, I'm happy for you Belldandy, really…but Belldandy?"

Belldandy now dancing around with joy, asks, "Yeah, Skuld?"

"What about Keiichi?"

This woke up Belldandy from her sweet dream and she gasps, covering her mouth, "Oh no…Keiichi! I forgot about him!"

Urd remembers, "Damn, that's right…!! Oh, man!"

Belldandy's now worried…she already found her past love when she forgot she had another love.

Meanwhile…

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE**_:

M. Bison was ordering his scientists to work faster to build Tron Bonne's machines. Then he receives an incoming message from Erick:

Tron Bonne informs her boss, "Sir, we have an incoming message from Erick, should I put it on?"

"Yes," Bison tells her.

Tron clicks on one of the monitors, and Erick's face appears on the screen. "Hello M. Bison, how's everything with you guys?"

Bison replies, "Good, thanks for asking."

"So Bison…how do you find Tron Bonne?"

"She's one marvelous girl Erick, so full of energy, so hard-working and smart; she's indeed an asset to Shadowloo."

Tron blushes. "Ah geez… Thanks, boss!"

Erick goes on, asking, "Tell me Bison…how did your, how should I say it…'meeting' with the Darkstalkers went?"

Bison remarks, "Very fascinating. That vampire character Dimitri; he may be one worthy warrior to fight against."

"That's good, but don't let your guard down Bison…they'll be back."

"I know."

"So what are your new plans for today Bison?"

Bison smirks, "To confront this Ranma kid and ask him to join Shadowloo."

Erick cocks an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Really Bison?"

"Yes, he is indeed one very powerful warrior; imagine if he joins me, he could even be my second-in command!"

Erick hates to burst Bison's bubble, but… "Well, that's good and all, but I'm afraid that it won't happen."

"Huh! What do you mean?"

"Ranma won't ever join you, Bison"

"Oh really…and why is that?"

Erick explains, "You see Bison…Ranma is very honorable, and he's not so easy to seduce to the…'dark side'…greed, hate and vanity."

M. Bison laughs, ridiculing the idea of such a person. "Please…no man I've ever met in my life is without weaknesses. Everyone has a price…and if I reach his…"

"You're wasting your time Bison. Ranma's soul has remained intact. He has never, or ever, sold his honor for anything. Believe me…many have tried…but failed."

Bison considers this. "I see…" Frustrated, he says, "…too bad."

"However Bison…there's 'another one' who you might be able to persuade into joining you..."

"Who?" Bison wants to know.

Then Erick clicks on his computer and the image of Ryoga appears on Bison's screen:

"Who is that boy?"

"This, Bison, is Ryoga Hibiki…he's a rival of Ranma's, a very powerful martial artist"

Bison is interested. "Do tell."

"Ryoga has an ancient vendetta against Ranma. He always fights against him all the time. He has powerful moves like Ranma; although he always loses to Ranma, he always comes back for more."

Bison is impressed, but he's unsure. "But still…"

"Listen, why don't you use him to destroy Ranma."

"Why?"

"You see Bison, Ranma is a, how should I put it… a rightful warrior. He could pose a problem for you, for he could stop you."

"You don't say…Can he?"

"Oh yes, he has powers that could rival Ryu's, and even yours…why, he still has hidden power deep within…take my advice Bison, use that boy Ryoga to finish off Ranma."

M. Bison sighs, "Since there isn't another way… So how do I find this Ryoga boy?"

Erick, pleased, reveals, "It just so happens that I have his current whereabouts…you'll find him here."

Erick then sends the coordinates of Ryoga's whereabouts, M. Bison looks into them and says, "So be it…if what you say about this Ryoga is true Erick, then perhaps I could really use him."

"I know you will Bison. Well, I'd better get going. We'll keep in touch Bison, so long."

After Erick logs off, Bison orders, "Tron Bonne, prepare my transport. We'll go and find this Ryoga boy."

Tron salutes, "Aye aye Captain!"

Bison sweatdrops. "Aye aye Captain?"

Tron giggles, "I always wanted to say that! Tee hee!"

Bison chuckles, "Whatever, let's go."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Tendo Dojo, Ranma is practicing with Akane. Ran's helping Kasumi and Nodoka in the kitchen preparing the meal. While practicing, Ranma is telling Akane about his encounter with Kodachi:

Akane blinks. "So Kodachi attacked you Ranma?"

Ranma nods, "Yep, seems that I'm no longer her 'Ranma-Darling'. She said that I used her love for my selfishness and my lust and that I lied to her."

"Boy, she sure doesn't like to face reality, doesn't she Ranma?"

"Yes, but, it's not like I didn't try to tell her - she just wouldn't let me. I feel like it's MY fault or something."

"Don't say that Ranma; it's not your fault. It's HER own fault for trying to live a fantasy that she created for herself."

"Thanks Akane, I needed that."

Akane smiles. "Hey, my pleasure."

Twenty minutes later, they stop practicing.

Ranma's worked up a good sweat. "Phew, that's enough for today Akane. How's about if we take a rest before we eat?"

Akane agrees, "Good idea!"

Just as they're heading inside, Ranma begins to think about R. _Hmm…__wonder what R's doing right now__?_

* * *

To answer Ranma's question…

R was driving in his hot car with Kodachi in the streets of Nerima, after having a little fun in Jubban. They were heading to eat at a new restaurant he saw…a French one…owned by a familiar character…They arrive at 7:00 pm. R is dressed in a black tuxedo with white shoes. Kodachi's dressed in a beautiful Black and White evening gown with some red roses on her body. The restaurant looked like a small palace, with cool lights, fountains and flowers of all kinds. Kodachi absolutely loves it:

R smiles. "Well Kodachi, we're here."

Kodachi's quite taken with the scenery. "Oh R, it's lovely! Look at all those roses, just marvelous!"

"So let's go inside. I've made reservations."

"You did? How cute! Let's go then."

Then they enter and are taken to their table. The place is finely decorated, with chandeliers, an orchestra playing classical music, like being in seventeenth-century France. When they were seated the waiters hand them the menu. Kodachi lookes at the dishes, and the prices. They were expensive; she begins to worry if R can afford it. "Um R, look at these prices, are you sure you can afford it? They look quite expensive."

R reassures her, "Don't worry, Kodachi-chan, I got it covered."

Then R orders their meals…R orders the sirloin steak, medium done with onions and cream; Kodachi orders a t-bone steak, and R orders himself some white wine.

When their order arrives, they begin to eat. Later, a man dressed in a white tuxedo, with short blonde hair, walks to the center and grabs a microphone and speaks to the audience. His name is Picolet Chardin II.

With an obvious French accent in his voice, Picolet makes his introduction. "Hello and good evening, my name is Picolet Chardin II, the owner of this new restaurant; I welcome you all to it…" He takes in the applause. "…and to celebrate this restaurant's opening, I am challenging anyone to a "Eating-Contest"!"

The audience is confused by this. Picolet explains, "… it is very simple, he who can eat a lot and beat me will win big prizes, and if he loses…well, why tell it. So, is there's anyone out there who has the courage to face me?"

R just heard those magic words, a challenge! He stands up from his chair and…

"I will do it."

Kodachi gasps, "R…what do you think you're doing?"

"What it looks like…that guy wants a challenge, and a challenge I want!"

Then R walks toward Picolet with a cocky smile. Picolet notices his challenger. "My my, what have we here? So you want to challenge the Great Picolet to an eating contest?"

"Yeah, you did ask for someone didn't you? So let's get it over with."

"Very well. I must say that either you're very brave, or very stupid for accepting my challenge."

R stops him. "Lets just get this challenge started would you, before I lose my appetite!"

"Fine, follow me to the Arena." Picolet says coolly.

Then, he leads R to the center of the stage. Minutes later two tables appear on stage…-(as seen in Ranma 1/2 Season 5 Episode 18 –"Dinner at Ringside" and volume 15 of the manga); THIS time however, they were inside of a glass cube. Once the combatants are inside, a girl emerges and announces the fight. "Hello and welcome to the second annual "Battle Dining", where two people will have a eating contest to see who can eat the most… She pauses, taking in the cheers of the restaurant's patrons. "…now, in this corner, the Prince of Pâté and owner of this restaurant, say hello to Picolet Chardin II!!" A loud cheer erupts from the crowd. "And in this corner, the challenger, R!" The crowd cheers again, only R doesn't get as many cheers as the reigning champ Picolet does.

Kodachi, after hearing that name tries to remember where she heard it; then she snaps and calls R. When R goes to her… "Say Kodachi, what do you want?"

"R Darling, you must be very careful with this guy."

R blinks. "Of this guy? Why do you say that?"

"I've heard from my friends in High Society that Picolet is a very cunning and special person in this 'kind' of battle. For he, like his family, possesses a unique style."

"A unique style, huh? Hmm…what's that?"

"You'll never believe me, but, he can eat a lot in his mouth, please be very careful!"

R reassures her, "Hey, don't worry Kodachi-chan. There isn't any fight that I can't lose!"

Then he returns to the ring. Picolet waits for him. "I would advise, Monsieur R, that you back away. This is a contest in which you cannot win."

"Oh put a sock in it boy, and let's get it on!"

"Okay…here are the stakes…if you win against me, which I doubt, you will eat free in this restaurant for a year…however, if you lose, you will pay 10 times what you were eating, and it IS rather expensive!"

Kodachi gasps loudly, and almost faints. R just stands ready; Picolet continues. "Tell me something R…" he asks, grabbing a watermelon, "…you think you can swallow this watermelon?"

R laughs, "Are you kidding me? Nobody can do that!"

"Is that so…" Picolet swallows it – WHOLE, I might add! – in ONE gulp. "…glup…how's that?"

R is shocked and his eyes go wide after what he sees._ That Picolet guy just swallowed an entire watermelon! No way!_ R sees that Picolet's mouth was EXTREMELY wide open, like a Pelican's. _Jeez, talk about having a big mouth, but this is insane!_

Then, a woman, around in her 40's enters the ring. She's wearing a long dark-blue dress (Uh…are those cloves of garlic (!) around the skirt of that dress?), glasses, and her brown hair is done up in an unusual hairstyle – is that a roast turkey or is that actually her hair!? (She's also appeared in Season 5, episode 18 and volume 15, too). It's Picolet's right-hand woman, the loyal long-time supporter of the Chardin family, Madame St. Paul.

Madame St. Paul takes the mike from the announcer girl and speaks to everyone assembled, her voice giving away her heavy French accent. "I will now explain the rules, the winner is the one who can eat the most and fastest…however, if that eating can be seen…," she says, pointing at R, "Then you get this penalty…first we get to call you a pig; also you get an extra plate…now that the rules are told…READY…

R's thinking, worried, _I'd better think of something fast, or else I might be washing dishes for a while…but how to do it?"_

Picolet thinks, laughing, _Ha ha haa, this guy is done for! He will fail__!_

Madame St. Paul thinks, smiling, _He has no chance; only one –(Ranma)– was able to do it, but unless this guy knows the –"Parlay du foie gras"- he's a goner!_

Kodachi's thinking, worried for R, _R__-darling, good luck!_

"GOOOO!" yells Madame St. Paul.

Then the match starts… Picolet's eating faster that R cause of his big mouth; R can't. Unlike Ranma's battle with Picolet, R couldn't use the Parley Du Foie Gras even he knew HOW to do it, because they were inside that glass cube, so he couldn't throw the food at the audience like Ranma did, nor at Picolet, cause there was a glass barrier in front of them. R is getting far behind. _There's gotta be a way to do this, but I can't eat as much as –"Big Mouth"- here! How, how to do it?_

Madame St. Paul laughs, thinking, _Hahaha…he's done for! Monsieur Picolet will win this match in no time at all!_

Kodachi gasps. _Oh no, R…! That Picolet guy is almost at the finish, while R is far behind…he's going to lose!_"

R could see that he still had many dishes left, while Picolet had little dishes. But he refuses to give up. He thinks, _Damn…if I don't think of something, I'll lose, and I NEVER lose! Wait a minute…if I can't throw the food out, maybe I can…_ R gets an idea, and he brightens up._ THAT'S IT, I KNOW WHAT TO DO!_"

Picolet laughs at R, "So monsieur, are you ready to lose and wash dishes?"

"Not on your life pal! This match ain't over!"

Madame St. Paul sneers, "Fool, the match will be over!"

Then R's raging battle aura comes to life! _Alright, time to do it!_ R thinks, then his hands become a furious blur of purple…What happens next astonishes everyone.

All the food on R's dishes is disappearing from sight at very fast speeds, like Ranma's did before. Picolet and Madame St. Paul are both shocked at this display.

Madame St. Paul, wide-eyed, her jaw dropping ALL the way to the floor – literally! – exclaims, "NO! ALL HIS FOOD IS DISSAPEARING! BUT HOW…!" She looks everywhere. "HE CAN'T THROW IT OUTSIDE BECAUSE THEY'RE INSIDE THE DOME, NOR AT PICOLET…HOW?"

Kodachi cheers, "YES, R DARLING! GO FOR IT! YOU CAN DO IT!"

Picolet, shocked, wonders aloud, secretly in awe of R's skill, "How he's doing it? I thought that only that boy Ranma could do it cause of the Parlay Du Foie Gras! But I won't lose again…I WONT!"

Then they speed up the pace. Both of them are at the finish. Everyone's waiting to see who would win. Then, it happens. Picolet was only one dish away from winning… _Ha! This is it, and once I eat this one I'll win the match!_ Picolet thinks happily, confident of his victory. Just when his mouth is inches away from the last plate…

"_Le battle c'est fini._ I'm finished," a satisfied R says, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He'd just knocked off his last plate of food and consequently seized victory from Picolet.

Everyone is silent for a couple of seconds…then the crowd breaks into a wild cheer. Picolet and Madame St. Paul both have their mouths wide open and shocked expressions on their faces.

Picolet's thinking, _NOOOOOO...! HE WON! BUT HOW? HOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!?"_

Madame St. Paul is stunned by this. In it's four-hundred year history, the La Belle France School of Martial Arts Dining had experienced only two defeats. First, from the man who practically created the Parlay Du Foie Gras technique, "Le Petit Bouche" (The Little Mouth). Then, years later, from Ranma Saotome, who'd used the Parlay in his battle with Picolet. And now, with R's victory over Picolet tonight, yet another loss would mar the school's otherwise impressive win record. Poor Madame St. Paul, with equal parts shame and shock going through her mind, can only think, _GRYAAAAAAA...! NO, THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD HE HAVE DONE IT? NOOOO!!_

Kodachi happily runs toward R, hugging him, and congratulates him. She's cheering, "YEAAH, R, YOU DID IT! I KNEW YOU COULD!"

R grins. "Heh, thanks Kodachi!"

Later, R is being presented a Year Certificate by Picolet who, gracious in defeat, humbly says, "I congratulate you monsieur R. You've won the battle dining, and for your victory I present you this Year Certificate for you, with which you'll be able to eat here free for a year."

R accepts the prize. "Thanks…maybe next time I'll come back for more!"

Later, when R and Kodachi are heading for R's car. "Kodachi praises her date. "You were awesome R, I'm very impressed with you."

"Aw… It was nothing, really."

"Say R…how did you do it? I mean, you don't have a large mouth for all that food that you put inside."

R honestly tells Kodachi, "Well…it was like this…"

Then R takes out a piece of meat, then he ignites his hands with purple fire and in one fast motion, he uses his speed (in the style of Ranma's Amaguriken), to burn away the meat, not leaving a single trace of it. "…and that's how I did it…Pretty impressive isn't it Kodachi?"

Kodachi's in awe. "WOW…R that was really something!"

Then R and Kodachi hop into R's car and head back home.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE...**_

Somewhere in the Sahara desert is Ryoga Hibiki. He's walking slowly, heading for nowhere (no surprise there!), just walking and crying, cursing all the while, "Damn that Ranma…sniff…it's his fault for everything! He…he stole Akane away from me…sniff…sniff…it's all his fault…my curse, my disasters, my…sniff…HELL!"

Then Ryoga hears some noises coming toward him, almost like a plane. When he looks up, he sees a large flying machine hovering above him in the sky. It is Shadowloo's Air Ship. Then, M. Bison appears in front of him via his teleportation technique, the Bison Warp.

M. Bison smiles his trademark wide grin, teeth and all, at the Eternal Lost Boy. "Greetings, Mr. Ryoga Hibiki."

Ryoga jumps back, startled by Bison's sudden appearance (Apparently, Erick's habit of sneaking up on people and appearing out of nowhere is contagious – having experienced it himself with his own dealings with Erick, Bison's been taking notes). "Who…who the heck are you?"

"My name is Bison, master of Shadowloo, and I've come here to make a deal with you."

"Look, Captain Bison, I'm not interested right now, so if I could continue with my…"

"Oh, but you'll love it. It involves Ranma."

This part takes Ryoga by the leg. "RANMA…! How?"

Bison explains, "You see Ryoga, you're not the only one who wants Ranma dead…if you accept my deal, I can guarantee your victory over him."

Ryoga's interested. "Really…? Do tell me more."

M. Bison tells Ryoga all about his deal. At the end, he says, "So that's my deal…do you accept Ryoga?"

"Yes…yes! I'll take it!"

M. Bison laughs, "Hahahaha…I knew you would boy! Together, we will crush Ranma Saotome for good!"

Ryoga laughs, "Yes…yes, he will be crushed! HAHAHHAAAA!!'

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	24. Ran VS The Speed Demon, Quickman!

CHAPTER 24

_**-"RAN VS. THE SPEED DEMON, QUICKMAN! RYOGA HIBIKI, SHADOWLOO'S NEWEST MEMBER?"-**_

-(DREAM SEQUENCE)-

Ran is standing out in a playground in Nerima. She sees many children playing together with their friends, as well as her friends, having a nice day, with clear skies. She feels happy…

But suddenly, the blue skies turn red, and then she sees a red ball (the Phoenix Stone) that appears, floating above her in the sky. Then it explodes with a huge flash of light…

When Ran opens her eyes, she sees something that scares her big time…The whole city is destroyed; all the people are turned into skeletons… Extremely horrified by the death and devastation all around her, she gasps, crying out, "NO! WHAT HAPPENED HERE!?"

Then, an evil-sounding voice calls her. "THERE IS NO ESCAPING YOUR DESTINY, RAN! SOON, WE WILL FIND YOU! HAHAHAHA…SOON, A NEW ERA OF EVIL WILL BEGIN!"

Ran's crying, "No, no…!"

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

Ran wakes up screaming, "…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!!"

3:00 A.M. at the Tendo Dojo…Ran wakes up screaming, louder then usual. As before, Ranma, Akane and family comes running to her and ask her what's wrong:

Ranma's the first one to ask, ":Hey Ran, wake up! What's wrong?"

Akane's concerned for Ran. "What? Is it another bad dream?"

Ran whispers, "Yes…but, this one was scarier than the last ones I've had."

Ranma wants to know, "What do you mean Ran…?"

Ran, shaking a little bit, asks, "Akane…can I sleep with Ranma, just for tonight? I'm…. a little scared."

Akane blinks, not expecting this. "With Ranma!? I…I don't see why not…but why, if I may ask Ran?"

"I don't know why, but…when I'm with Ranma, I feel very secure, as if, I know that I'm safe no matter what, and that I can trust him."

Akane smiles, saying, "Well Ran, if it makes you feel secure, go ahead."

Ran bows gratefully. "Thank you so much, Akane."

But just for her own peace of mind, Akane asks, "But, is it okay if I also stay with you guys tonight?"

Ran nods, "Yes…yes you can…with you guys beside me, I can sleep in peace."

"Thanks Akane…," Ranma says, "Well, it's three in the morning, so let's go to sleep."

Then Akane and Ran sleep in Ranma's room. Ran slept in Ranma's bed, while he took out a futon and slept on the ground. Minutes later, Akane wakes up for a glass of water, then she sees Ran sleeping with Ranma on his futon:

Akane thinks, "_Hmph, she really must have been scared, but…it's funny… For some strange reason, I'm neither jealous nor angry with Ran for sleeping with Ranma. I don't know why. I mean, if it were Shampoo or Ukyo I would have exploded, but with Ran… I feel that I can trust her with him no matter what. She really likes him; she makes me feel like if…like if there was a strong connection between those two, like if, she was a part of Ranma…" _She laughs off THAT notion, chuckling softly._ "But that would be silly!_"

* * *

The next morning they wake up, have their breakfast and run to school. Just then they were about to reach the School Gates, Kuno appears.

Ranma's annoyed. "Oh man, not Kuno again!"

Ran agrees. "Tell me about it. It's bad enough that I had one nightmare, but also him?"

Kuno sees them coming and what happens next surprises them all.

"Ranma, I've been waiting for you," Kuno says calmly.

"Look Kuno, I don't have time to fight you, so if you could…"

"Wait, I do not want to fight you, just talk to you."

Ranma's confused. "Talk to me!" _What could Kuno want to talk to me for_? "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Ranma, I've came here to tell you that…I'm sorry."

Ranma blinks. "Wha…sorry?…sorry for what Kuno?"

Kuno explains, "Ranma, for a long time, I've been attacking you, cursing you and all, all because I thought that you held captive one of my loved ones…-"The Pig-Tailed Girl"-. What I ignored was that you and she were the same person. I was blind and stupid, always claiming that you were a foul sorcerer and a cheater, while I always claimed to be honorable…but, when you showed me the truth about you and her, I was…shocked and confused…"

Ranma says, "Really!?" _Well, DUH!_

Kuno goes on, "Indeed…what I saw that day, it destroyed my world, I was crushed. My dreams of obtaining the love of the Pig-Tailed girl faded away. I was saddened, yet angry. But then, I've began to meditate a lot…and came to a decision that, well, I was only obsessed with a love that could never be, a love that I created for myself…a selfish one, as well as with you Akane…"

Akane blinks, "Me?"

"Yes…I loved you not because of you, but because of my obsession with –platonic loves- …and because I wanted to have you, regardless if you didn't want me…I was being selfish with you…," Kuno sighs. "I guess I didn't want to face the reality of things…so I hid in my little world within myself."

This takes Ranma, Akane and Ran by surprise:

Ranma's first to speak. "Wow…that was…interesting, Kuno…wasn't it Ran?"

Ran's nodding. "Tell me about it, Ranma? What about you, Akane?"

"Same here."

Kuno gets to the point of all this. "…So Ranma, I've come here to apologize for all the trouble that I've caused in the past. I know that I've done many terrible things to you."

"Well, if you really mean all those things Kuno it's okay," Ranma tells him.

"So then, do you accept my apology, Ranma?"

"Yeah, if you promise to stop calling me foul sorcerer or any weird accusations, then I accept."

Then Kuno and Ranma shake hands. Ran and Akane are impressed by Kuno's change:

"Thank you Saotome, for giving me an opportunity to redeem myself."

"No problem Kuno, I'm just glad that you managed to change."

Ran adds, "That's right!"

Kuno then addresses Akane. "And you too Akane Tendo, I have also caused you many ill tidings."

"Nothing to worry about Kuno." Akane then shakes his hand. "And I'm also happy for you."

Kuno regards the group. "Thank you all…and Ranma, from now on, you can start seeing me, not as a adversary, but as a…friend."

Ranma considers it, thinking it over. "That's good."

Ran cheers, "Way to go Kuno!"

"Friend…of course you can be our friend Kuno!" Akane says.

"Yes…a friend…and, if you ever need my help, I'll be more then honored to assist you."

Ranma's made up his mind; maybe having Kuno as a friend now might not be such a bad idea after all. "You bet!" Ranma finally says, smiling.

Kuno then says, "Now that our rivalry is over…it's time for me to look for MY one true love…" He sighs sadly, "…or maybe there isn't one for me…"

Akane encourages him, "Don't say that Kuno…I'm sure that your loved one is out there, waiting for you!"

Ranma offers his two cents, "Yeah, Akane's right, Kuno. Search for her; I'm sure you'll find her."

"Thank you all for your support…we'll we'd better get going," Kuno tells his new friends.

Ranma gasps, "Oh man, he's right! We'll be late for class!"

Then they run toward their classes. Meanwhile...

* * *

_**AT THE RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – DR. WILY'S LAB:**_

Dr. Wily is giving instructions to one of his robots about his mission. "Okay, you know what you must do, right?"

The robot that Dr. Wily was talking to was the speed robot…Quickman.

Quickman nods. "Go to Nerima and find this girl Ran, and I'll bring her here."

"Exactly, my boy…use whatever means necessary, but bring her here."

"Got it Doc."

" And if she refuses to come…well, use extreme brutality."

Quickman:" Understood."

"And…should Ranma Saotome appear…DESTROY HIM!"

"What…? Oh yeah, THAT boy! I'll do it!"

"And, I'm also sending you Geminiman to aid you on your mission, in case you have trouble."

"Thanks Doc!"

"Now go, Quickman!"

Once Quickman leaves, Bubbleman enters the lab. "Hey Doc, can I have a little talk with you please?"

"What do you want? I'm busy!"

"Oh it will be short, Doc…" Bubbleman then clears his throat, and says, "Doc, I've come here to ask for a little favor, a petition."

Dr. Wily 's mad now. "Get to the point, fool!"

Bubbleman's nervous. "Yes…well…I was wondering if I…could…have…a vacation?"

Wily blinks. "Vacation…you're asking ME for a vacation?"

"Yeah. You see, I've being working for you for a long time now, and I was wondering if I could have some time off…cause I'm kinda tired, so, you think that can be done, please?"

Dr. Wily puts on a fake smile. "Sure my boy, of course you can have it! Oh yes, while you're at it, how's about if I send you to Acapulco, or Hawaii? Oh, oh, or better yet, how's about Florida…how's that sound, hmmm? Would you like that a lot?"

Bubbleman nods happily, "Yeah…yeah!"

Dr. Wily laughs, "Ha ha ha ha haaa…!!" Then, he screams angrily at the poor robot, "FORGET IT!"

Bubbleman blinks. "Um…come again?"

"A VACATION? HA! ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND? WHAT MAKES **YOU** THINK THAT YOU CAN HAVE A VACATION?"

Bubbleman nervously replies, "Um… come on Doc. It's not that much what I'm asking for. Don't I have a right to ask that and…"

Wily can't believe what Bubbleman's saying. "RIGHTS! RIGHTS! YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS YOU STUPID BUCKET OF BOLTS! YOU'RE JUST A ROBOT! YOU DON'T HAVE ANY RIGHTS BUT TO WORK FOR ME!"

Bubbleman's hurt. "Hey, I resent that "stupid" part Doc. I do have feelings you know!"

Dr. Wily laughs, "FEELINGS? YOU? A MISERABLE PIECE OF JUNK LIKE YOU? HAHAHAA…DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! NOW GET OUT OF HERE AND FORGET ABOUT YOUR STUPID PETITION FOR A VACATON AND GET BACK TO WORK!"

Even though he's scared of him, Bubbleman gathers what little courage he has to stand against Dr. Wily. "Hey, that's not fair Doc! I've been working for you for a long time. Me and the other bots work all the time for you, doing all your bidding! We have being doing your work without any breaks; don't you think that it's the least you can do to repay us? We do all the work for you, while YOU'RE all safe and sound in Skull Castle and WE'RE being trashed by Megaman!"

Dr. Wily didn't like this at all. Bubbleman was standing up against him, and worse, demanding for things. Even insulting him:

Wily's really angry now! "HOW DARE YOU! LISTEN GOOD BUBBLE-JERK! DON'T YOU DARE DEFY ME! AND DON'T YOU DARE TO RECLAIM FROM ME! I MADE YOU, AND I CAN DESTROY YOU! UNDERSTAND?"

Bubbleman, still nervous, yet acting bravely, replies, "*Gulp*…yes Doc. We just want some benefits, that's all."

"GET OUT OF HERE NOW…BEFORE I DECIDE TO TURN YOU INTO A TOASTER!!"

"Yikes!! Okay, okay, I'm leaving!"

After Bubbleman flees from the place, Erick appears.

Erick chuckles, "Trouble, Doc?"

Dr. Wily hmph's, "Nothing to worry about…just that that Bubbleman was asking me for some vacation."

"And what did you tell him?"

"To forget it! The nerve of him, to ask for that from me! Ha ha ha! What a nutball!"

Erick is serious now. "Hmph…you shouldn't have done that Wily."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Doctor, I'm afraid that Bubbleman could cause us lots of trouble."

Dr. Wily's laughing hard, "HAHAHAHA…!! AND WHAT COULD THAT MISSERABLE JUNK ROBOT DO TO US?"

"I guess that you don't get it Doc. So I'll tell it by an example…" Then Erick chants a spell…and a tennis ball-throwing machine appeared.

"Now Doc. Tell me, does this hurt…"

Erick presses the button and the machine launches a ball at Dr. Wily. It hits him softy.

Dr. Wily replies, "Um…no, not at all."

"How's this…" Erick throws another ball and it hits Wily.

"No, didn't feel it."

"Good…HOW ABOUT NOW!"

Then he presses the button and the machine release thousands of balls at full speed at Wily like a machine gun. An avalanche of balls hit the old man. Minutes later he was buried in a mountain of tennis balls. When he emerged, kinda dizzy and hurt:

"How's that Wily, hmmm?" Erick asks.

Dizzy and hurt, Wily groans, "Ugn…that really hurt a lot, but why did you do it?"

"Doc. If one robot stood against you…then the other robots will do the same, and you'll have a massive Robot Strike on your hands, demanding for rights and all the stuff that Bubbleman asked for."

Dr. Wily's confused. "I don't understand, why did he do that? He's just a dumb robot!"

"Maybe so…but, that dumb robot has something inside…something that could be trouble for you…he's a kind and gentle robot."

"But why…how's that gonna cause me trouble?"

"Easy…," Erick begins to elaborate. "When he has feelings, and a good heart, he'll begin to question your orders. He'll begin to think for himself, and that could have an influence on the rest of your robots. Now imagine what could happen if your robots began to have a…conscience of their own? Or worse…to start to think for themselves?

The Doctor began to have images of all his robots quitting and refusing to help him. This worries Dr. Wily. "Oh man! That can't be good!"

"I know…my suggestion to you Doc is to keep a good eye on him…for if he continues to go this way…well, you'll know what you will have to do…don't you?"

Dr. Wily nods. "Yes…to eliminate him."

"Tell me Doc. Anything new to report to me?"

* * *

_**AT A PARK IN THE NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Ran is coming home from school. Ranma and Akane had to stay because it was their turn to clean the classroom. She's coming from buying a chocolate ice cream cone from the store and heading for the Tendo Dojo:

Ran's thinking, "_Who would've thought that that Kuno could change? Oh well, I better head fast to the Tendo House, cause I'm kinda hungry!_"

Suddenly, a blur rushes besides her. She gasps and begins to look everywhere. "What the…what was that…?"

The blur comes back and dashes from side to side around Ran. She begins to lose her cool; annoyed, she says, "Okay…that's enough!"

Then, the red blur stops in front of Ran, revealing the robot Quickman:

Ran assumes a defensive pose, demanding, "Who are you?"

Quickman starts talking REALLY fast. "Allowmetointroducemyself,mynameisQuickman,nicetomeetyou!"

Ran blinks. "Come again?"

Quickman slows his role and tries again. "Sorry…ehem…Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Quickman, nice to meet you."

"Ooookay…what do you want?"

"I've come here to take you with me to my master's base!"

"Is that so…? Well, sorry to disappoint you buster…but I don't think so, so if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

Quickman quickly gets in Ran's way. "I guess you didn't understand me. You WILL come with me, whether you like it or not."

"And what if I say no?"

Quickman flashes a wicked smile, "Then we'll do this the hard way, so you better be ready!"

"Oh, I'm ready. Are you?"

"In that case…here I come! Hehehe, don't blink!"

Then he runs REALLY fast toward Ran, almost disappearing from sight… Ran blinks. "_What? He_ _runs fast! Where is he?_"-…Ran thinks while looking everywhere for him. A fast punch from out of nowhere hits her, followed by a kick in her back. Quickman laughs at Ran while running circles around her. "Hahaha…what do you think of me now? You can't touch me, you can't touch me, because I'm too damn fast for you!"

"Oh yeah? Well, if you think that you can beat me, then think again!"

Quickman was too fast for Ran, she couldn't land a single punch on him. She's getting desperate. Quickman's taunting her all the while. "Hahahaaaa…getting tired girl getting tired girl! I told you, I'm too fast for you…!"

"This isn't over yet, you hear me?"

"But it will be soon…here! Let's see if you can dodge this…KYAAAA!" Then Quickman releases two of his Quick Boomerangs at Ran at a very fast speed. Ran tries to evade them, but one of them hits her in her leg, stopping her in her tracks:

Quickman cheers, "BOOYA, right on the money! You ain't gonna anywhere now girl!"

Ran, hurt, thinks, "_Damn…that hurt…there's gotta be a way to stop this wacko, but he's just too fast! How to stop him_?"

Then Ran sees near her some water pipes. This gives her an idea. "_That's it…I know what to do!_"

Quickman asks, "Ready to give up now, girl?"

"Not on your life buster!"

"Okay girl, have it your way then…here I come!"

Quickman runs toward Ran. Ran begins to charge her Ki, and then she launches a Heat Trigger toward the pipes. The pipes explode, spilling all the water to the ground:

Quickman blinks, thinking, "_Now why did she do that…? Maybe cause I'm to fast for her slow eyes! Hahaha!" _

But unaware to him, when he's running at top speed, he slips off and falls down hard on the floor…

**WHAMMMM!!**

"_Ow…! What happened? How did I slip_? _No matter, I'll try again!_" Quickman rises up and charges again toward Ran, only to once again slip and fall down…

**WHAMMMM!!**

Now Quickman's annoyed. "What's going on here? Why am I falling?" Quickman's asking himself.

Ran giggles, "Problems, Quickboy?"

Quickman snaps at Ran, "Shut up girl…!!" Then, to himself, he asks, "Why am I slipping?"

Ran explains, "Simple, look around you, the ground's all wet."

"Huh!"?

"Since the floor is wet, it's slippery, so you can't run freely without slipping down."

"NO WAY…!!" Quickman runs again, only to fall down yep, again. "…OUCH…!!" he yelps in pain. "Damn it, that girl's right!"

"Too bad for you that "I" have good balance…so…KYAAAA!"

Ran jumps toward Quickman, striking him with many fast punches. Quickman then tries to run away, but he slips. Ran's punishing him badly. Quickman launches a pair of Quick Boomerangs at Ran. Ran sees them coming and jumps up, then she slides across the wet floor as if she's skating, she's moving very well on the wet floor; with good balance, she evades the boomerangs. Quickman sees Ran coming toward her:

Quickman blinks at Ran's actions, thinking, "_Now why is she coming toward me_?" Aloud, he taunts, "Hey girl, are you trying to hit me…? Hahaha, you should know better than that!"

Ran smirks, "And who said that 'I' was gonna hit you?"

Quickman's confused. "Huh!?"

Ran jumps up and Quickman sees his Quick Boomerangs coming toward him!

"OH NOOOO!!" Quickman screams.

**CRASH!!**

Quickman gets hit by his own Quick Boomerangs. Ran walks over to Quickman, who's lying on the floor. "So, give up, or you want some more?"

Quickman yells, "Hey, a little help here, if you don't mind?"

Ran blinks. "Huh! Whom is he talking to?"

Ran couldn't finish her sentence, for a blast hits her from behind. When Ran recovers from it, she looks back and sees another robot standing with Quickman…Geminiman:

Ran's mad. "Hey, who are you, and why did you attack me from behind?"

Geminiman smiles. "The name's Geminiman, nice to meet you…" Then, right before Ran's eyes, ANOTHER Geminiman appears from behind Genminiman and glares at Quickman. "Get up slowpoke! We have a mission to accomplish!"

Quickman says as he's getting up, "I'm up, I'm up…now let's get her!"

Geminiman 1 says, "Right!"

Ran objects, "Hey, no fair, three against one…cowards!"

Quickman laughs, "So sue us…get ready girl, 'cause this time…"

Geminiman 2 smiles wickedly, "…you're out numbered!"

Then they dash toward Ran. Ran tries to fight back, but three robots were attacking her at the same time. She gets hit by Quickman's Quick Boomerangs, then by the Geminimen's Gemini Laser. Yet, still she fights them. But she falls down to the floor, due to the fact that she's tired and hurt from their relentless attacks. Geminiman and Quickman walk toward Ran. They've got her right where they want her.

Quickman sneers, "Ha, guess that's the end of it, isn't it Geminiman?"

The two Geminimen merge into one, nods in agreement with his partner, and then laughs, "Yep, now there's nothing or no one who will help you."

Ran thinks, "_Man, if only Ranma was here, he would have beaten these jerks!_"

"Hey Geminiman, why don't you knock her out with your laser, the Doc didn't mention that we had to bring her to the base…all healthy, if you know what I mean?"

Geminiman nods, with an evil smile, "You're right…and she DID hurt us…" He points his gun at Ran. "…say good night girl, Hahaha!"

Geminiman fires his blaster at Ran. Ran closes her eyes for the impact, thinking sadly, "_Ranma, I'm so sorry…guess I wasn't prepared."_

Suddenly…another blast appears and deflects Geminiman's blast. Quickman and Geminiman are shocked and begin to look everywhere:

Quickman gasps, "What the…what happened?"

Mad over what just happened, Geminiman replies, "Don't know…someone else fired that blast…but who?"

"Me!" a boy's voice yells.

Ran, as well as the robots look back and see a boy wearing a blue armor, with a matching blue helmet, and a blaster on his right hand…for it's none other than…

"MEGAMAN!" Quickman & Geminiman both freak out.

The Blue Bomber says, "The one and only, with my faithful canine companion Rush!"

Rush barks, "Ruff ruff! (That's right!)"

Ran, though weakened from being ganged up on by those robots, thinks, "_Man…he looks cool, hope he's on my side?"_

Megaman scolds the two naughty bots, "Attacking an innocent girl guys? That's low!"

Quickman's mad. "I don't know how you got here, but this time we'll eliminate you!"

"Yeah!" Geminiman says.

Megaman:" Ha…like I've haven't heard THAT phrase before…let's do it Rush!"

Rush nods, barking, "Bark bark bark! (Yeah, let's do it Megaman!)"

Then the fight starts. Megaman's fighting them by using his Mega Buster and firing charged shots at them. Rush transforms itself into Rush Jet and lifts to the sky. In the heat of the battle, Megaman is about to dodge one of Geminiman's attacks, when Quickman appears from behind ready to strike him. Mega sees this coming and isn't able to move in time, when Ran jumps in and hits Quickman with a flying kick to his face! OUCH!

Megaman, grateful for the save, says to Ran, "Thanks!"

Ran smiles back. "No problem…!" Then, to Quickman), she says, "Attacking in the back! how cowardly can you be?"

Quickman's mad now. "Why you…! That's it! You're going down girl…THE HARD WAY!"

Ran turns to Megaman and says, "Listen…why don't you take on that robot," while pointing to Geminiman; she then points to Quickman, "…and I'll take care of this one, okay?"

Megaman's confused. "But…this could be dangerous…and are you sure you can do it?"

Ran winks. "Hey, don't worry about me, it will take more than that to stop me…let's do it!"

"Okay…if you say so!"

Ran takes care of Quickman, while Megaman took care of Geminiman. Ran uses her agility to dodge Quickman's attacks. Then, using a Saotome Secret Technique…Ran uses her speed and punches Quickman with an assault of punches, Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken-style. Poor Quickman didn't even have time to yell for he was knocked out.

Megaman and Geminiman are launching blasters at one another, but Megaman takes the upper hand and blasts Geminiman away with a fully-charged Buster Shot. When it's over, Megaman, concerned for Ran, asks, "Are you alright?"

Ran nods, "Yes…thanks for helping me back there with those two robots."

"You're welcome…Hey listen, I was very impressed with you. You fought awesome against those two!"

"Thanks…my name's Ran, what's yours?"

"The name's Megaman, and this is my canine friend Rush."

* * *

_**R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT….**_

Bubbleman is in his room, thinking about some stuff. He'd just come from Dr. Wily's lab after asking Wily for a vacation. THAT went over well. The last thing Bubbleman could clearly recall was Wily yelling at him, calling him stupid, and ridiculing the notion that he had rights and feelings. Now that Bubbleman thought about it, it hadn't gone well at all. Anyway, since the Doc wasn't going to let him have a vacation, what could Bubbleman do now? He needed a plan.

"Boy, Dr. Wily was really mad when I asked him directly for a vacation. Maybe the petition wasn't a good idea. Still…. there's got to be a way I can get me some vacation time. But how? C'mon Bubbleman, think! Think of a plan! Think hard!"

And Bubbleman starts thinking. (Uh oh, Bubbleman's ACTUALLY thinking? That's not good!) He's thinking so hard that steam is coming out his ears! (Or where his ears would be if he had ears, but anyway…) Hours pass, and as he's thinking, suddenly the last time he'd met the Cat Ghost King begins to run through his mind…

-( BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Bubbleman corrects, "Uhh…no you're not. You're a statue. Statues don't talk." Bubbleman notices that the statue's getting angry! Uh oh! "Err..um…well, at least I don't think they do…."

"Oh yeah? Can a statue do THIS?" The statue's eyes glow brightly, dark clouds of energy appear overhead, and they hear the sounds of thunder, then a huge bolt of lightning strikes Bubbleman down!

"ACK!" Electrocuted, Bubbleman falls over!

-( END FLASHBACK)-

"What? No, wait...!"

Bubbleman thinks even harder. More steam comes out his ears; he looks like he's going to blow his CPU! Serious thinking indeed! Then, he remembers something else…. something the Cat Ghost King told Bass….

-( BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

"Now, to more important matters meow," the statue says. "Bass, it will now be your duty to retrieve the Phoenix Stone. Dr. Wily has informed me of this plan and we believe that you will succeed. My loyal followers, the RED CATS, are at your service and will help you carry out this mission."

-( END FLASHBACK)-

And then, the light bulb finally went off in Bubbleman's head. "Holy moly, THAT'S IT! I know what to do now!" He makes the cliché "oh yeah" action (i.e., slapping his right fist into the palm of his left hand)

"I've got to get that Phoenix Stone! If I can do this, then Dr. Wily and that scary cat statue will HAVE to give me a vacation! Oh boy! I can just see it now….

"OK, cue the dream sequence!" the author says.

-(Dream-Sequence)-

We see Bubbleman entering the Cat Ghost King's shrine. He kneels before the statue and presents the Phoenix Stone to the Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily….

"Oh, great and terrible Cat Ghost King! I, Bubbleman, have brought you the Phoenix Stone!"

The Cat Statue purrs approvingly, "Meow! Well done, Bubbleman. You are indeed one of my faithful servants meow."

"Oh, you're too kind, oh great one."

Dr. Wily grudgingly says, "So you managed to get the Phoenix Stone, huh? At last, you've finally done something right, instead of failing all the time!"

Bubbleman blushes. "Aw, gee, thanks, Doc…..HEY!"

"Now, Bubbleman, give me the Phoenix Stone!" the Cat Statue commands.

Bubbleman then places the Phoenix Stone on an altar in front of the Cat Ghost King's statue. It begins to glow, radiating waves of powerful mystical energy. Then, the statue starts to glow with a light of its own…

It purrs with delight, "Yes. YES! I can feel my power returning! MRROWW! HA HA HA HA!!" Then calming down, it says to Bubbleman, "Err…ahem, meow…anyway, Bubbleman, you've done well, and for that you will be rewarded meow! Ask meow, and you shall receive! What do you want?"

"Well…. I'd like to have a vacation."

"A vacation meow? Is that all you want meow? Very well, just close your eyes and think of a place you want to go, and I'll use my fantastic powers to do the rest meow!"

Bubbleman happily replies, "Yes, yes I will, and thanks!"

"OK, here it comes meow!" The statue's eyes glow brightly; dark clouds of energy appear overhead, the sounds of thunder are heard, then a huge bolt of lightning strikes Bubbleman! Gee, this is familiar….

"ACK! No fair! You tricked me!" Electrocuted, Bubbleman falls over - again!

When Bubbleman wakes up this time, he finds out that's he on a tropical island! He's sitting in a lounge chair by the beachside, surrounded by beautiful island girls! One girl hands him a coconut to drink from with a little umbrella in it while some of the other girls are flapping some feathers to cool him. Bubbleman's truly happy…

"Aaaaah, this is the life! It's like a dream come true! HA HA HA HA!"

-(End of Dream)-

Bubbleman laughs, "HA HA HA HA!" Then, he realizes something… "Hey, what am I standing around here for? I'd better go find that stone!"

And with that, Bubbleman leaves his room. Unfortunately, he didn't know he was being watched – by Erick Genryusai, High Priest of the RED CAT GANG!

Erick thinks, "_So…Bubbleman thinks he's going to get the Phoenix Stone before anyone else does, eh? I'm DEFINITELY going to have to keep an eye on him now!"_

* * *

_**AT THE TENDO DOJO….**_

The next morning, Ran Hayami wakes up early. After getting dressed, she goes downstairs to the kitchen to start making breakfast and prepare today's lunches. As she's cooking, she hears the sounds of fighting outside. _Must be Ranma and Mr. Saotome doing their morning sparring match_, she thinks to herself.

Normally, Ran would be out there practicing with them, but today she wanted to do something different. Ever since she came to the Tendo household, Ran wanted to repay the family for their kindness and hospitality. Hence, the reason she got up and cooked breakfast for everyone.

A few minutes later, Kasumi enters the kitchen and sees Ran cooking. Yawning, she says, "Oh my…Ran, what are you doing up so early?"

Ran cheerfully says, "Oh, good morning, Kasumi. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"Oh, Ran, you didn't have to do that. Preparing our lunches is more than enough."

Ran looks down, blushing. "I…I just wanted to make breakfast for everyone, that's all, as my way of saying thank you for everything you've done for me."

Kasumi is genuinely touched. "That's very sweet of you, Ran." Then, smiling, she says, "Why don't you go tell Ranma and Mr. Saotome that breakfast is ready? I can finish cooking and you can help me make the lunches afterwards."

"Sure, and don't worry about the lunches; I just finished making them before you came in. Well, see ya at breakfast!" Ran happily runs out the kitchen to go get Ranma and Genma.

Later on, a soaking wet Ranma (now female) and Genma (now panda) enter the house, after their sparring ended with an unexpected dunk into the pond. As they dry off, they smell the aroma of hot food coming from the kitchen….

Ranma-chan smells the air. "Oh man, whatever it is, it smells great!"

"Growf!" Genma-panda then holds up a sign saying [You said it, boy! Let's eat!]

Soon, everyone gathers around at the breakfast table. Breakfast went on as usual with both Genma and Ranma noisily eating everything in sight. The Tendo sisters conversed with everyone as usual. Then the Old Pervert shows up and tries to glomp Ran but then gets flattened by Ranma and Akane. In short, it's a usual morning at the Tendos.

After breakfast is over…

Soun, delighted, laughs, "Ha ha! This time you've outdone yourself, Kasumi!"

Happosai agrees, "A feast fit for a king!"

"You can thank Ran for that. She's the one who made breakfast this morning," Kasumi tells everyone.

Ranma blinks. "Ran made this?"

Ran shyly nods, blushing, "Well…yeah…

To Ran's surprise, the whole family gives her a round of applause.

"Huh? You…all liked it?"

Ranma-chan: Oh man, that was the best!

Genma-panda holds up another sign saying [Yeah, what he said!] Holding out his bowl, he flips the sign over to say [More, please!]

"Mmm… Good down to the last bite," Nabiki says as she wipes her mouth with a napkin.

"You'll have to show me some of your recipes sometime, Ran," Kasumi says.

Soun cries tears of joy, "Oh….Oh, I'm so blessed to have two girls who can cook such delicious food! WAAAAAAHH!!"

Akane's insulted. "Hey! What about me, Dad?"

Soun stops his waterworks, correcting his error, " Oh! Um…well, Akane, your cooking has improved some, but…"

Akane gets upset, like she's about to pull out her mallet. "But what….?!"

"Oh, don't growl at me like that!" Now sad, Soun starts his usual crying again, "Boo hoo hoo….!!"

Kasumi tries to console her sobbing dad. "There, there, father." To Akane, she says, "Now, Akane, please don't overreact like that. Father enjoys your cooking, too.

Happosai, on the other hand, is extremely happy. Teary-eyed, he exclaims, "Oh, oh this is heaven! Heaven served on a platter! Oh, Ran, my kitchen angel! Let me leap into your bosom and show you my gratitude!" And Happosai leaps toward Ran, about to glomp on Ran's chest.

Ran, annoyed, says under her breath, "Geez, not THIS again….!"

But before Happosai can express his appreciation for the meal Ran prepared, Ran grabs him out of mid-air, charges him up with flame, and then blasts him through the roof! Ouch! "Honestly! Doesn't he ever quit?"

Ranma replies, "Him? Not a chance, Ran."

Later, Ranma, Ran, Akane, and Nabiki are about to leave for school. But before that, Ran hands out the lunches she's made for everyone. (Yes, that includes the Old Pervert too, though he doesn't deserve it. Anyway… Genma (now human) notices something on the table. "Hey, there's an extra lunch here. Mmmm….I'll take it!"

Seeing this, Ran quickly grabs the lunch and snatches it away from Genma.

"Huh? HEY!" a briefly surprised Genma objects.

Ran respectfully apologizes, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Saotome, but I made this for someone else."

Genma looks like he's about to cry. "But…but I'm hungry!"

Ranma snorts, "Geez, Pop, you just had breakfast! How can you be hungry again?"

Nabiki teases, "So, Ran, you made an extra lunch for someone…someone special…Who's the lucky guy?"

Ran blushes. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that…"

Akane playfully says, "C'mon, tell us!"

Ran: Promise you won't laugh?

Everybody nods yes.

"Well…it's R."

Needless to say, everybody is shocked! "WHAT?!"

Akane can't believe this. "R? No way…!"

Nabiki raises an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're…joking, right?"

Soun looks in Ranma's direction, asking, "Ranma, isn't he that boy who's been trying to kill you at school every day?

"R?" Upset, Ranma complains, "Aw, why did you hafta go make lunch for him, Ran?"

Hearing Ranma say that to her, Ran felt something in her heart sink. She'd never seen Ranma like this before… He wasn't so much angry with her but he was hurt by what she'd just said.

She didn't want to hurt him, no, not in any way possible…

She'd better explain it to him…

Or she might lose him…

The best friend she'd ever had…

"Because…. I thought he might know something about me, about my past. Ever since I saw R at school, I've been getting this weird feeling about him, like I know him from somewhere. It always happens whenever he's around."

Ranma considers that. "That explains why you blanked out the last time Carl…uh… R attacked me at school."

Ran nods her head. "And that's another thing. I've been wondering why he's been trying to kill you. So…I had to find out for myself. I talked to him at lunch that day."

Nabiki says, "Amazing. You ACTUALLY got to talk to R. He pretty much keeps to himself, that is, when he's not trying to kill Ranma."

"So what happened then?" Akane asks.

Ran replies, "We didn't hit it off at first. But I found out he'd forgotten to bring his lunch. I shared some of mine with him, and well, he seemed to like my cooking. And I'm hoping I'll get to see R again at lunch today, so I can give this to him. I figure this time he might be willing to open up a little, y'know, after he's had a chance to eat something."

Everyone thinks about this, especially Ranma. He knows that this is important to Ran, but he's concerned for her safety. R's the kind of guy who'd beat up someone just as soon as look at them. And with R, that's no joke. But Ranma thinks about the time R saved Kodachi and how he acted all noble and gentleman-like towards her. Still…

Ranma finally says, "OK, Ran, if you say so. But if R goes crazy on you, well…just be careful, OK?"

Ran notices this, and breathes a sigh of relief. She hears the concern in his voice. She thinks, _He still cares about me. He's willing to protect me if something goes wrong between me and R. He's still my friend. Whew! What a relief; I'd thought he'd be upset with me._

These thoughts comfort Ran. She smiles back at Ranma. "OK, I'll be careful. Thanks, Ranma."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE….**_

M. Bison's airship lands on the runway. The hatch opens and Bison steps out, followed by Ryoga Hibiki and a Shadowloo soldier. Before they even returned to the base, Bison had found out firsthand about Ryoga's extremely poor sense of direction….

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

After Bison explained his little deal to Ryoga, and Ryoga accepts, they get ready to leave.

"Let's go. We'll take you to out to our secret base and….HUH?" Bison notices that Ryoga has walked off in the wrong direction! "HEY! I'm over here! Where are you going, fool?"

"OK, OK, I'm coming! This way you say?" Ryoga turns around and starts walking off in the opposite direction, still going away from the airship! Bison's getting annoyed; he has no patience for Ryoga's navigationally challenged antics. He yells, "GUARDS! Get that boy and let's go!"

Two Shadowloo soldiers get out and run to Ryoga. They grab him and take him to the airship.

Ryoga says as he's struggling with the soldiers, "Hey, let go! I was going the way you said...!"

Shadowloo Soldier 1 says, irritated, "No, you weren't! Now come along nice and peaceful-like and we won't have to hurt you!"

"I wasn't? Oh, sorry."

One of the soldiers pokes a loaded gun in Ryoga's back.

"OW! Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing!"

"Oh, shut up! Now, get moving!" Shadowloo Soldier 2 orders.

The soldiers bring Ryoga to Bison.

Ryoga realizes, "Oh, so THIS is the airship? Right, right. That's where I meant to go... honest!"

M. Bison sweatdrops, groaning, "Just get in, will you?" He points to the hatch.

The soldiers forcefully escort Ryoga into the airship, and then Bison goes inside. After the hatch closes, the airship lifts off into the sky heading for Shadowloo's secret base.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

From that point on, Bison decided that until Ryoga became a member of Shadowloo, guards should accompany him at all times to prevent him from getting lost.

As they walk toward the entrance to the base, Bison is surprised to see Erick (!) waiting for him.

Erick greets him, "Ah! Hello, Bison. I see you've found the "Eternal Lost Boy", Ryoga Hibiki. Did you have any trouble?"

M. Bison is upset. "TROUBLE?" He calms down. "You didn't tell me the boy had a terrible sense of direction."

"Oh? I'm sorry; it must have slipped my mind. Silly me."

"Why, you….!!"

Erick shoots Bison a glance that could freeze hell over, causing him to think twice before lashing out. "Temper, temper, Bison." Erick then, points to himself. "This isn't one of your underlings you're dealing with, you know."

Bison gives up, sighing, "Fine, whatever." Then… "But what are you doing here?"

"Why, I'm here to properly "educate" Ryoga and prepare him for service as one of your warriors, Bison."

Unaware to Ryoga, M. Bison knows what Erick means when he says, "educate".

"I see, very well then. You will bring him to me, when you've finished his "education", I presume?"

"Of course. When I'm finished, I'll contact you. Better yet, I'll bring him with me when we have our next meeting at the Cat Ghost King's shrine. There's something I want to show you that I think you'll be interested in, Bison."

"Really? What is it?"

"Ah, but….," Erick says, doing his Xelloss shtick again. "That is a secret." Then, to Ryoga, he says, "Well, come along, Ryoga. We have much work to do…"

Ryoga hesitates. "Wait a minute, who are you anyway?"

"I'll explain later. We have to go now."

M. Bison commands, "Go with him, Ryoga. You are on my path. Come back to me, when you are ready."

"Uhh…okay."

For some strange reason, Ryoga thinks he's going to regret accepting Bison's offer. He doesn't know how right he is…

Leaving Bison, Erick takes Ryoga by the hand (so he won't get lost again) and then vanishes from sight.

* * *

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:**_

As Ranma, Akane, and Ran are about to reach the school gates, Kuno appears, charging toward them in his usual idiom:

"WHERE ARE YOU, FOUL SORCERER?!"

All three sweatdrop at this. Ran's surprised. "Kuno? But he's supposed to be our friend now, right?"

Akane sighs, "Looks like he's back to his old self again…"

Ranma's annoyed. "So much for that "change of heart". Feh." He cracks his knuckles. "Guess I'll have to beat him senseless again, not that he had much sense anyway to begin with…."

Akane & Ran both interrupt him. "RANMA!"

Ranma says innocently, "What?"

At the very moment Kuno gets close enough to strike, Ranma kicks him in the head, right in the face! A direct hit! Kuno falls over, unconscious.

Ranma picks up the now-unconscious Kuno. "OK, Kuno, what's gotten into that thick head of yours."

Kuno snaps back to consciousness. "Why did you strike me, Saotome? I thought that we were friends!" He notices Akane and Ran. "Ah, good morning to you Akane Tendo and the Pig-Tailed Girl."

Ran groans, "It's Ran, Kuno, not Pig-Tailed Girl."

Ranma wants to know, "And why are YOU calling me "foul sorcerer" again? I thought you promised to stop that nonsense."

Kuno is serious. "I was not referring to you, Saotome! The villain I speak of is…," he says, pointing his bokken in the direction of the person he's talking about. "….that man!"

Wouldn't you know it, R happened to drive up on school grounds in his S2000. He gets out of the car, using his remote keychain to lock his doors and set the alarm. R pauses for a moment before walking to class. Once again, he has that calm, expressionless look from Chapter 17 (Oh, you know, the one where you can't tell what he's feeling or thinking!)

R's presence causes Ran to get that weird feeling again. Deep in her heart, she feels that something's wrong with R, as if she can feel his pain. And that sensation almost makes her cry for him. _R...What is this pain you're feeling...?_

Ranma asks, "And just when did R suddenly become a "foul sorcerer"?"

Kuno reveals, "Since he began dating my twisted sister."

Needless to say, Ranma, Akane, and Ran are totally shocked!

Ranma starts to say, "R…?"

Akane follows up with, "And Kodachi…?

Ran finishes, "Are dating…?" _Why?_

Kuno dramatically laments, "Ah, yes, that scoundrel, that lothario, with his witchcraft of wit, with his traitorous gifts - Oh wicked wit and gifts that have the power so to seduce! - Won to his shameful lust the affections of my little sister!"

Uhh…did Kuno just quote Shakespeare's _Hamlet_ back there? Yep, he did.

Akane says, "That's great, Kuno!"

Kuno blinks, surprised. "It is? What do you mean, Akane Tendo?"

Ran explains, "She means, Kuno, that your sister's finally realized there's life and love after her "darling Ranma". You should be happy for her!"

Ranma says, greatly relieved, "I know **I** am; at least she'll stop chasing me for a change."

Kuno couldn't believe it. His friends were actually HAPPY that Kodachi was dating that…that handsome rogue, that Casanova! Being Kuno, of course (No surprise there folks!), he therefore concluded….

"So…he has worked his foul magic over you, as well? The fiend! He must be stopped! Normally, I would not care what my twisted sister does, but she…with HIM! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT! I, Tatewaki Kuno, the "Blue Thunder of Furinkan High", will slay this foul sorcerer and break the hold he has over her!"

With bokken in hand, Kuno charges off in R's direction! "HALT, VILLIAN!"

R turns around to see Kuno charging toward him. He thinks, _Oh no, not this loser again! I've got no time for this, especially not today!_ Aloud, he wants to know, "What do you want now, Kuno?"

"I DEMAND THAT YOU RELEASE MY SISTER FROM YOUR ENCHANTMENTS!

R's angry now. "WHAT? Are you still going on about that? Damn, you're stupid! You still don't get it do you? Looks like I'm gonna have to remind you again…"

R begins to concentrate, shining with a purple-white aura around him.

"GLACIER WHITE PEARL!"

Then R unleashes a blast of ice-cold chi at Kuno at full speed. It hits Kuno dead center, but instead of knocking him down, it freezes him in place, his whole body covered head to toe in ice! "So why don't you "chill out" for a while, OK?"

A frozen Kuno barely says, "C-c-curse you, f-foul s-sorcerer….!!"

R gets up in Kuno's face. "Listen up and listen good, Kuno. I'll continue dating your sister. Deal with it. Later."

And R walks off to his class.

Ranma, Akane, Ran, as well as everyone else at school saw what R just did to Kuno.

Hiroshi exclaims, "Wow, did you see that!?"

Daisuke nods. "Yeah. R just made Kuno into a Popsicle."

Ranma's thinking, _Whoa…that move was kinda like my Mokou Takabisha, except R somehow was able to do it using only 100% pure cold chi. How can he do that?_

Akane reminds him, "Ranma! We've gotta get to class!

"I know! C'mon, Ran!

Once again, Ran is just standing there, like she's in a trance or something. Ranma has to gently shake her to snap her out of it.

Ran comes to her senses. "Oh! Ranma! Did I blank out again?

"Yeah, you did. I'll tell you what happened later. Let's go!

"Right!"

And the three of them dash off to class. As for Kuno, who's still frozen, by the way…

"Um…hello? Hello? A little help here, p-please? S-somebody? Anyb-body?"

The wind picks up. A tumbleweed appears out of nowhere and passes by him.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	25. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts

CHAPTER 25

_**-"HE WANTED TO BE ALONE WITH HIS THOUGHTS…; R VS. BASS! CAN'T THOSE TWO JUST GET ALONG?"-**_

At lunchtime, we see R sitting under a tree outside the school, looking like he's meditating. He has a LOT on his mind. He's frustrated because he hasn't killed Ranma yet, nervous about dating with Kodachi, and curious about that pig-tailed girl, Ran. But one thing seems to bother him more so than anything else – why Dr. Wily didn't want R to see Ran again….

R remembers Dr. Wily warning him, "_R. Listen to me carefully. You must NEVER see that girl again. NEVER, you hear?"_

"_Hi!"_ Ran cheerfully says as R remembers the first day they met, around lunchtime.

Dr. Wily;s voice warns, "_Because if you do, bad things will happen. Trust me on this, my boy."_

R thinks, _That girl…she's not so bad, really. I still don't know why Wily got so upset when I told him about her. There's something he's not telling me. But, I kinda feel sorry for her, though…_

Then he hears Ran's voice again, sadly saying, _"__Folks…parents…a mother and a father.... I never had either. I've been all alone."_

R continues thinking, _'Cause like me, she's got no parents. Hearing her say that, something inside me wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, tell her it's going to be okay, to make her smile again. That smile…Her smile…" _Aloud, he asks himself, " HUH? Hey, what am I thinking here? I'm a warrior, not some caring older brother type! Geez! It's this kind of nonsense that's getting in the way of me killing Ranma Saotome! ARGH! It's not like I care about her or anything, 'cause I don't! She means NOTHING to me!" R stands up, now angry! "NOTHING, YOU HEAR!!"

R didn't know that some of his classmates had seen him during his little outburst. They look at him like he's crazy.

"Hey, who's he talking to?" one student asks.

"Dunno. Let's leave him alone," another student replies.

It was then that R notices them. "HEY! What are YOU looking at, huh?"

Fearful, the students reply, "OH! Uhh…. nothing! Nothing at all! Really!"

"What, you've never seen a man thinking out loud before? Get outta here, or I'll REALLY get angry!!" R then fires up his raging battle aura!

The students flee in terror! "AAAHHH!! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"

R laughs as the poor students run away, afraid to face him lest they get beat up! "Heh, I still got it! For a moment there, I thought I was getting soft. Now then…"

R sits back down under the tree. He's reassuring himself, "Yep, she means nothing to me. That's right, nothing! Yeah… Besides, I've got a mission to carry out; I can't let my feelings get in the way. Warriors have no need of such things."

Poor R. No matter how much he tries to convince himself that Ran doesn't mean anything to him, deep down he feels otherwise. _And yet… I can't seem to get her out of my head… Just who is she, anyway?_

R leans back against the tree. As he closes his eyes, a strange vision takes over his mind….

-(BEGIN DREAM SEQUENCE)-

_Mountains. Heavy are the mountains,_

_Something that changes through ages._

_Sky. Blue sky. Something visible, something invisible._

_Sun. Something unique._

_Water. Something agreeable. That girl._

_Flowers. Many of them alike, many of them useless. And yet, so beautiful…_

_Sky. Red, red sky. Red color. A color that I like._

_Water flow. Blood. The smell of blood._

_Made from the red soil are humans._

_Made by man and woman are humans._

_Town. Something that humans made._

_Machines. Something that humans made._

_Humans are what? Something that God made._

_Humans are things that humans made._

_The things I possess are my life and my mind._

_The vessel of a mind. The heart, the very throne of the soul._

_Who is this? This is me. Who am I? What am I? What am I? What am I? What am I?_

_I am myself. This object is me, the figure which forms me._

_This is the me that is visible, though it feels as if this is not me._

_Hmm… a strange feeling._

_My body seems as if it is melting._

_I cannot see myself. My figure is fading away._

_I am aware of someone else._

_Who is there before me?_

_My enemy, Saotome._

_I know this person. Kodachi, my girlfriend._

_That weird priest, Erick._

_Bass._

_People, my classmates._

_That girl again._

_Doctor Wily._

_Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?_

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

R wakes up. "ACK! Huh? What…? Ah, geez…"

And here comes the object of R's curiosity…

Ran happily calls him, "R! R!"

R sees Ran coming toward him….again. In his current frame of mind, he's in NO mood for her cheerful, perky personality. So he just decides to retreat within himself, turning cold and antisocial. In other words, his usual self. Sarcastically, he replies, "Well, well, if it isn't "Little Miss Sunshine". You've come to annoy me again, I presume?"

Ran blinks. "R…?" She sighs,"You're in a foul mood today, aren't you? Oh, well…" She's sad, but apologizes anyway, "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone. I was kinda hoping we'd have lunch together again. Maybe next time, huh?"

Looking at her, something breaks down within R's heart. How can he act like a jerk around someone so innocent, honest, and pretty?

R's thinking, _Pretty? Her? Well…she is, in a perky, cute, sort of way. But I've already got a girlfriend – Kodachi. Huh? Since when did Kodachi become my girlfriend? I'm just using her so I can learn her secrets, yet I'm attracted to her at the same time. Man, relationships are just too complicated! Fighting's my thing, not trying to express my feelings to a girl. It's too much to deal with right now! And I still haven't killed Ranma yet! ARGH!_

As Ran's about to leave…

"Hey, wait!"

Ran turns back in R's direction. "Yes?"

R gives up, sighing, "You…don't have to leave. You're here anyway, so go ahead. Do whatever you want."

Yet, in his heart, R really wanted to say, _Please, stay with me. I…I enjoy your company…I don't mean to be rude, but it's just that I've got some stuff on my mind and it's really bothering me. And I don't know if I can or even if I want to talk to you about it._

Ran comes back and sits down beside R. R sees that she has two lunches with her. "Two lunches? Must be really hungry, aren't you?"

Ran laughs, "Oh no, silly!" She takes her lunch out and gives R his. "I made this one for you."

R's surprised. "For me?"

"Well, yes…"

_Ah geez… Here I am wrestling with this stuff, and she's being extra nice to me today. Why me?_ R sighs aloud, then says, "Thanks, kid, but…I'm not hungry."

Concerned, Ran asks, "Are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I noticed earlier that you looked sort of depressed about something, so I didn't want to bother you at first. But I was just wondering…. R, is something wrong? Maybe I could help. I don't know if I'd be of much help solving a guy's problems, but I'm told it helps to talk things out, so …is there something you want to talk about?"

"Ah geez… Let's NOT talk about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Kid, I'd REALLY rather not talk about this…"

"Does it have to do with Ranma?"

R explodes, "LOOK, DROP IT, OK?! My grudge against Ranma Saotome is NONE of your business! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, WILL YA!"

Both R and Ran are shocked. Ran, because she'd never seen R like this before and she doesn't know how to react. R, because he just blew up on her and she looks like she's going to cry now. "Kid, look, I'm…I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just…"

Ran's teary-eyed. "It's me, isn't it? It's about me, and you can't tell me what it is, and now you're angry with me, and…" OK, here come the tears…

R thinks, _Actually, it is you, but…_ Out loud, he says, exasperated, "Ah, geez! Look, stop crying, will ya?"

What R fails to realize is that Ran has a girl's heart and a girl's feelings. And now he has hurt those feelings. What should R do now? How should he react?

R doesn't say anything else. He just hands Ran his handkerchief, and lets her dry her tears. As she calms down, R takes the lunch she made for him and puts it in his briefcase, perhaps saving it for later. Once he sees she's not crying anymore, he gets up, as if he's about to leave.

With his back turned to her, R finally says, "So you want to know why I've got a grudge against Ranma, eh?"

Ran, her eyes red from crying earlier, replies, "Well, yes, I did. But…"

"OK. Meet me Sunday at the park. Wear something nice."

With that, R walks off to his next class.

* * *

After school, Ranma, Akane, and Ran are walking home. As they're walking Ranma notices that Ran looks sad, so he decides to talk to her.

"Hey Ran, you okay?"

Ranma's voice gets Ran's attention, taking her mind off what happened today with R. "Hm? Oh, fine. I'm fine. Really…"

Akane asks her, "So how did things go between you and R today?"

Ran looks away from them sadly, not wanting to tell them what happened. "……………"

Ranma's worried now. "He hurt you didn't he?" He gets upset. "Ah, I knew it! I knew I couldn't leave you with that guy! I'm gonna…!"

"No! R…. he wants me to meet him…," Ran confesses.

Ranma & Akane both shout, "WHAT!?"

"Sunday, at the park. He said he'd tell me why he's after you."

Ranma's a little relived. "OK, well then, what's the problem?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, I'm going to see R. Part of me wants to go, to find out my past. The other part is scared, afraid of what might happen…. What should I do? What do you think I should say to him?"

Akane assures, "Don't worry about it. After all, Sunday's only a couple of days away."

Ranma adds, "Akane's right, Ran. You shouldn't worry about it. Once you get there, you'll know what to do."

Ran is touched by the support her friends are lending her. "Thanks, guys…. I knew I could count on you."

* * *

_**TENDO DOJO, SATURDAY NIGHT…**_

The whole family (Ran included) is having dinner. Everyone enjoys the meal, of course, but what did not escape any of them was that Ran doesn't eat that much, and Ranma isn't noisily wolfing down his food, but rather munching quietly. He doesn't even fight with Genma over dinner tonight, either.

Akane turns to Ran, whispering, "Are you OK?"

"Uhh…yeah, why?"

"Well, because you're not eating like you usually do."

"Oh…I didn't realize that. Maybe I'm not hungry as I thought." Out loud Ran says to everyone, "May I be excused?" She gets up, bows, and then leaves the dinner table.

Kasumi says sadly, "Oh my, poor Ran."

Soun observes, "Hmm… Ran seems very depressed today."

Nabiki tells her father, "It's because of tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Now, Soun remembers. "Ah yes…. tomorrow…."

Later that night, Ran is in her room, lying on her bed. She's unable to sleep, wondering why R wanted to meet her. Then, she hears a knock at the door.

It's Kasumi's voice Ran hears outside. "Ran, I'm coming in." She then opens the door.

Obviously concerned for her, Kasumi asks, "Ran, are you all right?"

Ran weakly replies, "Y-yes, I'm fine Kasumi…" But then, she truthfully admits, "No, that's not true. Right now I… I really don't know how I feel."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Thanks Kasumi, but I'm not sure if I want to talk about this."

"But Ran, I know that something's bothering you." Kasumi grasps Ran's shoulders gently. "Are you afraid of what might happen if you go with R? You must step forward. Otherwise nothing will change."

"I know, Kasumi, but…"

"Anyhow, I think you should go there with your chin up tomorrow, since you'll be dealing with your past." Kasumi beams her signature gentle smile and walks toward the door. "Well, good night, Ran. I hope you find what you're looking for. Just remember, if you ever decide you do want to talk about it, I'll be there for you. We'll all here for you." She leaves, closing the door behind her.

Now alone, Ran softly whispers, "Thank you, Kasumi. Thank you, everyone."

* * *

_**SUNDAY, AT A PARK IN NERIMA ….**_

Ran waits patiently for R at the park, wearing a simple white dress with a matching hat and shoes. Then, she hears someone's footsteps …

"Hey. You look good."

Ran gasps and turns around to see R! He's wearing a dark gray suit, white shirt, black tie, and dark sunglasses. Ran can see that he's carrying two long black boxes under his left arm.

"Here, take this." R gives one of the boxes to Ran. "Don't open it till I tell you, OK?"

"R…what is this? What's going on?"

"Let's go." R points to his S2000 parked outside. "Get in."

They walk over to R's car. Being a gentleman, R opens the passenger-side door for Ran and lets her get in first. Then he gets behind the wheel, and starts the engine. They ride through the city in silence. Ran tries talking to R, but he doesn't say anything to her. She begins to worry.

After driving for a good while, R's S2000 pulls up to the front entrance of the cemetery from Chapter 17, the one where R's parents are supposedly laid to rest. "A cemetery? R, what are we doing here?"

Mildly irritated, R just calmly says, "Do you want to know or not? If you're scared, then give me your box and stay in the car. I'll go alone."

"R, wait! Wait for me!" Ran gets out of the car and walks with R into the cemetery. We see them walking through the graveyard, carrying their long black boxes. All those tombstones and stuff there make Ran a little scared but it doesn't seem to bother R at all. They walk until they reach another tombstone, the gravesite of R's parents. _In memory of the parents who I never had the honor and privilege to know_, it reads. R stands there, hands folded, head lowered, and draws his coat closer around him as a chill breeze cuts through him.

R speaks to the graves. "Hello, mother, father. I've brought someone with me…."

Ran thinks, _These must be his parents!_ Aloud, she breathes sadly, "Oh, R…."

R didn't turn to look at Ran one bit. She moves closer to him, putting her arm around his elbow. "R…you must miss them so much."

"Yeah…." is all R says.

They stand there for a short time, and then R tugs gently on her arm, indicating with a nod of his head that they could open their boxes. Each box has two long-stemmed white roses, just like before in Chapter 17. They each lay one rose on each grave. R turns around and notices the tears coming down Ran's cheeks. "Hey. What are you crying for?"

"…………………" Finally Ran says, "You're very lucky, R."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"At least you had parents. I can't even remember who mine are, or even if I have any. But if I lost my parents like you did, I know that'd I'd feel sad. You…you're not even crying?"

Seeing her like this almost makes R lose his composure. He feels his own eyes starting to get misty. Good thing he's wearing those dark sunglasses; they do a pretty good job of hiding his eyes.

R's surprised. "What?" He holds back his own tears by talking briskly. "No, no, never! Besides, I… I have no need for such things. A true warrior fights on, in spite of whatever he might be feeling."

"Okay, so you're not crying, but you're still sad…." Ran then changes the subject. "So, your parents…. What were they like?"

"I have no idea."

"No idea?"

"They died when I was little. I know that my father was a great martial artist and that my mother was very beautiful and kind. Other than that, I don't really remember anything about them. I don't feel like they sleep here, you know?"

"Don't you have a photo of them or something?"

"Nothing is left." R then points to the gravesite. "See this grave? It's nothing but a decoration. There were no remains."

"Surely you have something that they left you to remember them by?"

"Everything I have left of them, I keep in my heart. I am satisfied with that now. Nevertheless, they left me something that I must not forget to do. To confirm that, I come here."

"What was it? What did they leave you?" Ran asks R, wanting to know more.

R explains, "Not too long ago, I came here by myself. On that day, I made a vow to my parents. I swore that I would kill Ranma Saotome and become the new master of Anything-Goes Martial Arts." He turns back to the gravesite. "His death will bring us some much-needed closure."

Ran is shocked. "What? But why, R? Ranma's never done anything to you. Why…do you hate him so much?"

"I have my reasons. I've just given you one of them. That's all you'll get."

Ran's not satisfied with that explanation. "No, really! Please, just tell me the real reason you hate Ranma."

"Because…. well, because I just do, OK!"

"But…that doesn't make any sense!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"To hate someone for no reason at all, that's…. that's just stupid!"

"Stupid?" R then turns to face Ran and assumes a fighting stance, murderous intent in his voice. "Them's fighting words, kid." But he stops, and drops his stance, calming down. "No…not here…" R turns to look again at his parents' graves. "Not in front of them."

Ran pities R at this point. "R…"

R hmph's, "So, you think what I'm doing is stupid, eh? I'll tell you something that's REALLY stupid – liking somebody for no reason at all! Now, THAT's stupid."

Ran objects, "No it isn't! I…I like you."

R's like, "You WHAT? You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not. I like you, R."

"But, how can you do that? I mean, you don't know me at all. We've never met before!"

Ran tries to explain, " I don't know how, but I keep getting this weird feeling whenever you're around. I feel like I know you, and yet I don't. So that's why I came to see you. I was wondering if you knew anything about me. And even if you didn't… well, I was hoping we could at least be friends."

" Friends?" R bitterly laughs, "Kid, you don't want ME for a friend, trust me."

"But…R, don't you get ever get lonely sometimes? How can you stand it?"

"There ARE some people who prefer being alone, you know. Anyway, let's go. We're done here." R then bows respectfully to his parents' graves. "Goodbye mother, goodbye father. It was good to see you again. I will not forget. I will keep my vow to you."

Ran sadly whispers, "R…."

They leave the cemetery and get in R's car. They ride back to the park in silence, neither one speaking to the other. When they arrive at the park, R drops Ran off in front of the park entrance. But before he leaves…

"About what you said earlier about us being friends? I'll…. I'll think about it. But…"

Ran brightens up, hope evident in her voice when she asks, "But what?"

"I'm still going to fight Ranma. I WILL kill him. You can do whatever you want, but please don't try to stop me, unless…. you want to share his fate."

And with that, R drives off, leaving Ran standing at the gate. She now knew the reason for R's hatred of Ranma Saotome, but she feels like she's failed somehow. After all that, R still wants to kill Ranma, her best friend. She'd hoped to learn something more about her past from him, but instead found only more questions. Questions like, why did she shed tears over R's parents? Who really is R? And for that matter, who was she, really? And yet strangely enough, she feels happy. The fact that R might consider being friends with her gives her some hope.

She smiles at that, turns and walks back home, back to the Tendo Dojo, to the people she cares about – especially Ranma.

* * *

**_RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…_**

We're inside the control room from Chapter 20, the one where Erick first tested his DVL Cells. He is standing in front of the control panel, and we can still see the large one-sided panoramic window. On the other side of that window is yet another room, different from the one Erick used before when he tested the prototype version of his Cells. In THIS room, we see Ryoga Hibiki lying flat on his back, and strapped to a table. All sorts of equipment either lie around him, or come down from the ceiling.

"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW!?"

At the control panel, Erick pushes the intercom button and picks up the microphone. "I knew you were going to say that. Welcome, Ryoga Hibiki."

"PLEASE! WHOEVER YOU ARE, JUST LET ME GO!"

"Let you go? You wouldn't be trying to back out of the deal you just made with Bison now, are you? As for who I am…let's just say that I'm a close associate of Bison's. My name is Erick."

"But what do you want with me?"

Erick says genuinely, "Why…to help you."

Ryoga's confused. "To help me? How? Why?"

"Why not…? You want to destroy Ranma Saotome, because he stole your beloved away from you and it's his fault you are cursed …am I right?"

Surprised, Ryoga replies, "Well…yes! But…how, how can you help me?"

"Easy… My job is to oversee your initiation into Shadowloo and to "reassure" you that you've made the right choice in joining Bison. You'll have a great job and, the means to get your revenge on Ranma! With my guidance, you will NEVER get lost or have to worry about changing into a pig again! So …what do you say? Are you in, or are you out?"

Ryoga thinks for a moment. Something inside him said not to trust Erick. But the part of him that longed for Akane Tendo and hated Ranma Saotome still prevailed, clouding his judgment. He makes his choice. He finally says, "Alright, Erick, I'm in. What do I have to do?"

"Nothing. Just relax, and I'll handle the rest." Erick then presses a glowing red button on the control panel. In the room, vents on the walls open up. A thick red mist pours out of the vents. Ryoga's room is being flooded with Erick's DVL Cells!

Ryoga panics, "Wh-What's that?"

Erick then speaks in a low, hypnotic voice, "Relax, Ryoga. Pay no attention to what's happening in this room. Focus on the sound of my voice…Focus on who your enemy is…you are a warrior for Shadowloo…you will obey Bison's orders…"

As Ryoga begins to fall under Erick's spell, the Cells continue to pour out from the vents. "Ranma….!"

And all the while, Erick's voice commands, _Focus on who your enemy is…_

"You have made my life a living hell. You took away my happiness, my love…"

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

"It was you who cursed me at Jusenkyo…"

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

"You who took Akane away from me…"

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

"You…You are my enemy! You…must die! No…YOU WILL DIE! RANMA! PREPARE TO DIE!! I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!!"

The Cells, as if sensing the pent-up rage within Ryoga, quickly made their way towards him. Erick notices this. He thinks, _Hmm…it would seem my Cells are attracted to your hatred of Ranma Saotome, Ryoga. Interesting. Let's continue this experiment, shall we?_

And so Erick continues to brainwash Ryoga by infecting him with the Cells! He turns a dial on the control panel, increasing the flow of Cells pouring out the vents! They swarm over Ryoga like angry bees, feeding off his hatred, his fear, his depression. Ryoga's body shakes and twitches like he's having a seizure as the Cells take over his mind. He hears Erick's voice again.

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

As the Cells do their thing, Ryoga begins to hallucinate. He sees another person in his vision – Akane! "Akane? What's she doing here?"

Akane says, "_Ryoga, I do love you…but only as a friend, nothing more…"_

Ryoga's beginning to cry, "No…. No, Akane…!"

Akane sadly says, "_I'm so sorry Ryoga, but, it's for the best, I don't want to give you any false hopes, my heart belongs to Ranma, but… we can still be friends, what do you say Ryoga?"_

"That's right. Akane rejected me. She…loves Ranma more than me!"

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

"Wait a minute! Akane…she's not an enemy! True, I was hurt by what she said, but…."

_She is the enemy, too. Focus, Ryoga! Focus! You must focus!_

"She should have been mine, not Ranma's! He doesn't deserve to have her!"

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

"Akane…why do you even love a jerk like Ranma? He's worthless, dishonorable, and a coward!"

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

"And she knows…knows that I'm her pet P-Chan….she'll never love me again….It's all Ranma's fault! If I can't have you, Akane, then NO ONE will! You…are also my enemy!"

Erick is pleased. Ryoga's slowly succumbing to the Cells' influence. It won't be long now. "Soon… soon, Ryoga you will be a warrior for Shadowloo….and the first of my mind-controlled slaves! Heh heh heh!"

The brainwashing continues. Ryoga sees yet another face in his visions….yes, that girl…the one who looks like his hated foe Ranma! Ran!

He remembers Ran defending Ranma. "_Hey Ryoga, please stop this! You don't want to do this; Ranma hasn't done anything to you!"_

"Nothing…NOTHING? THAT MISERABLE BASTARD STOLE AKANE FROM ME! HE GOT ME CURSED! HE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL…HE WILL DIE!!"

"_Ryoga, you don't have that right to take away a life! If you're an honorable man, you know this is wrong!"_

"WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO A STUPID CLONE OF THAT JERK…"

"Yeah…why should I listen to you, you stupid clone! Now I remember! You tried to stop me from killing Ranma before!"

_Focus on who your enemy is…_

"And you were there when Akane found out I was P-Chan! I don't know who or what you really are, but to side with Ranma is to choose death! You too, are my enemy!"

As the brainwashing continued, Ryoga's body shakes violently from the Cells' power.

_Heh heh heh, Ryoga, it's time… _Erick's voice finally intones.

At this point, Ryoga's now totally under Erick's dark influence. "Is it time already? Yes…"

_The time is coming...._

"Maybe it is time…"

_Yes. Now is the time...._

"Yes. It is time...."

By now the Cells have covered Ryoga almost completely.

"Time....."

They wrap around his head, now completely covering Ryoga Hibiki's body.

"It's time... to kill them all...!!"

But something goes wrong…Erick checks his monitoring equipment. There's an irregularity in Ryoga's brainwave readings as if he were… "Is he trying to resist now? No matter, the Cells are just about done devouring him. He'll be my servant anyway."

But for one brief moment, Ryoga finds himself thinking about Akane again. Her soft features fill his mind, the few close times they shared making him feel less afraid of what is about to happen. A cold sensation courses through his body, the final effects of the Cells beginning to show. His vision blurrs, a dull throb beating at his temples, but Ryoga continues to think about Akane.

_Ryoga, I love you._

He wished he could hear Akane say that to him. It was too late for him to tell her how much he loved her now, regretting never having told her the truth all those many chances before. As the Cells begin to take hold, Ryoga makes one final defiant gesture before finally going all the way under.

"Akane, I love you!!"

With that, Ryoga loses consciousness. And then everything went black, or rather a deep shade of red….

The Ryoga Hibiki they all knew was gone.

Now, there was only Ryoga Hibiki, warrior of Shadowloo, and servant of the RED CAT GANG.

* * *

_**BACK AT R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT….**_

R has just come home from visiting his parents. He walks with a heavier step as he sets foot into his estate. He stands there in the main hallway, wondering, thinking about everything that's happened today. But his thoughts wander back towards that girl, Ran. _That girl again…_

He thinks back to when they were at his parents' grave…

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

R speaks to the graves. "Hello, mother, father. I've brought someone with me. It's the girl I told you about. " He points to Ran. "She's here because she wants to know why I'm after Ranma. Is that okay with you? " He waits for a moment. "Good."

Ran breathes sadly, "Oh, R…."

R doesn't turn to look at Ran one bit. So focused is he on chatting with his late parents that he doesn't notice her coming toward him. The next thing he knows, she's right beside him, holding him closely, tenderly.

_Huh?_ This catches R totally by surprise. He's never been this close to a girl before, not even with Kodachi. At this range, R gets a faint whiff of Ran's scent. He wonders if she's wearing perfume or if that's the way she naturally smelled. Either way, she smells nice. For a moment, R couldn't move, couldn't speak, his mind too shocked at their current position to consider his reaction.

"R…you must miss them so much."

Still shaken by how close she is to him at this very moment, the sound of her voice snaps R back to reality. All he can say is…

"Yeah…"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Still standing there, R is lost in thought.

_She has a nice smell…like flowers in springtime, spring water, and sweet honey all rolled up in one. And she's not bad looking, either. But it's more than that. She's more than that. Somehow, when I was with her at my parents' grave, I felt a little relieved. The weight of everything I was dealing with in my mind and heart seemed lighter._

In a brief flashback R remembers Ran asking him, "But…R, don't you get ever get lonely sometimes? How can you stand it?"

_Lonely? Am I lonely? I've never even thought about that. I mean, for a while after my parents' death, I was alone, yeah, but I don't remember feeling lonely at all. Perhaps it's because I've devoted myself to the warrior's path, training to defeat Ranma. Still, this path I walk is a hard one, and a lonely one. And besides, Dr. Wily was there. He took me in, raised me as if I were his own son. Funny, I remember him, but I don't remember anything about my parents, except what he told me about them._

R then remembers something else Ran said to him, "I was hoping we could at least be friends."

_Friends? Just what is a friend, really? The opposite of an enemy, of course. But I've seen that girl hanging around Ranma, and he's my enemy, which would also make her my enemy too. And she wants to be friends with me? It could be a trick, but something tells me otherwise._

And at that moment, Dr. Wily's words come back to R's mind. _R. Listen to me carefully. You must NEVER see that girl again. NEVER, you hear?_ _Because if you do, bad things will happen. Trust me on this, my boy._

_Feh, Wily got all worried for nothing. Besides, I saw her again today, and nothing bad happened. But I wonder. I'm starting to get the feeling that I know her, too. Just who is she?_

He is interrupted from his musing by sounds coming from the living room. R figured it was the TV, but he didn't recall leaving it on when he left earlier today. Someone was inside the house. But who could it be? Nobody knows the location of the estate, except R, Dr. Wily and the RED CATS. Nevertheless, there was an intruder on the mansion grounds, and R was about to make that person pay!

R clenches his fists and quickly makes his way to the living room, ready to beat the crap out of whoever dared to break into his home. He didn't find an intruder, but he found something worse – Bass! Bass was sitting on the sofa, watching the TV. His wolf companion, Treble, was curled up on the rug.

Bass says with fake cheerfulness in his voice, "Hey, Dog-Boy, where were you? You left without telling anybody. Me, I could care less what you do, but the Doc was really worried about you…"

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Early this morning, around 7:00 AM….

At the RED CATS's hideout, Bass is in his room sleeping. Then, he hears Dr. Wily shouting…

"HE'S GONE! R! OH, WHERE ARE YOU, BOY? WAAAHH!!"

Bass wakes up, upset. Gritting his teeth, he angrily hisses, "If he doesn't shut up, I'm gonna….!"

Then Wily bursts into Bass's room. "BASS! BASS!!"

"Doc, would you mind not making so much noise? There are people trying to sleep, namely ME!"

Treble growls, "GRRRR!!"

Dr. Wily wails, "HE'S GONE, BASS! HE'S GONE, I TELL YOU!"

Bass asks, wanting to know why the loony geezer's making so much noise, "WHO'S GONE?"

"MY BOY! R! OH, MY SON, MY SON!!" Dr. Wily starts his Soun Tendo impression, bursting into a flood of tears, "WWAAAAAHHHH!!"

"What, Dog-Boy?"

"WILL YOU STOP CALLING HIM THAT? THIS IS SERIOUS! NOW GET OUT THERE AND FIND HIM!!

"Doc, get a grip! Besides, you know Dog-Boy; he's always making lame excuses. I'll bet you he's got a good one for leaving like he did. He was probably trying to get away from YOU."

Dr. Wily gasps, "YOU MEAN HE'S RUN AWAY?" Now he REALLY gets emotional! "OH NO! HE'S RUN AWAY FROM HOME! HE'S PROBABLY OUT THERE ALL ALONE, BY HIMSELF, LOST AND SCARED!! WWAAAAAHHHH!! OH BASS, BASS, I'M A TERRIBLE FATHER! WHERE DID I GO WRONG? WWAAAAAHHHH!!"

Bass replies sarcastically, "Well, let's see, Doc… You've failed to take over the world so many times it's not even funny, you keep getting beat by Megaman every single time, you're obsessed with trying to kill Ranma, you've got a "daughter" (Ran) who's turned traitor, and a "son" (R, a.k.a, Dog-Boy) who's a total loser! OH! And let's not forget that you're a rotten, no-good, useless, blundering, idiotic, dumb-as-fungus, mean, ugly, psychotic, and downright evil old man! I'd think that pretty much sums it up. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep. Good night."

And Bass goes right back to sleep!

The next thing he knows, he's being tossed out into the yard of R's mansion! "AAAAHHH!!"

**SPLAT!!**

Bass lands flat on his face. Dr. Wily stomps outside, upset that Bass has insulted him. This time, Bass went a little too far. Wily yells, "YOU LAZY ROBOT! NOW GET OUT THERE AND FIND MY BOY!!"

Before Bass can even get up, something else lands on top of him!

**BONK! SPLAT!!**

It's Bubbleman! He's out cold, with little dizzy swirls in his eyes. (No surprise there, folks!)

"AND TAKE BUBBLEMAN WITH YOU!" Dr. Wily then goes back inside, leaving the two unconscious robots.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Bass finishes his story. "…And so he sent us to look for you. Eventually, Bubbles and I got tired from all that searching, so we decided to crash at your place until the Doc calms down. Hope you don't mind."

R straight up tells Bass, "Bass, take your mutt and get out of my house!"

Treble gets up, and growls at R. "RRRRRGH!!"

But R's not afraid. He simply fires up his dark purple battle aura, and growls back at Treble!

"RRF? YIPE!" Treble cowers in fear, covering his face with his paws!

R snorts, "Feh. Looks like your pal's all bark and no bite, huh, Bass?"

"Hmph. Don't push him, Dog-Boy. When Treble's serious, you're dog chow, and that's WITHOUT my help. You seem to forget that YOUR fancy house is on OUR property. Now, I'll ask you again. Where were you?"

"That's none of your business. You just tell Wily that I had something "personal" to attend to. He'll know what it is."

What R DOESN'T know is that Bass now knows what that something "personal" is, thanks to that talk he had with Wily a while back in Chapter 20!

"Personal, huh? OK, Dog-Boy, I understand…" Bass's thinking, _Fool, he doesn't know the Doc's playing him for a sap! If I tell him the truth about his parents, he'll be crushed! But it's not enough for me to just crush his spirit, no! I want to crush him body and soul! Sigh…I guess I should be patient –I'll get my chance to waste him eventually. As Erick would say, "In order to attack your enemies, you must wait for the right time. When they come for you, that's when you can attack." Or something like that._

And that's when Bass hears Erick's voice – even though Erick's nowhere in sight! _Very good, Bass. I see someone's been taking my advice._

Bass gasps, thinking, _Huh? Erick? Did he just read my thoughts?_

_No, I'm an imaginary voice inside your head. Of course, I read your thoughts!_

"ACK!"

"So, Bass, are you gonna leave now, or am I gonna have to make you leave?" R threatens, igniting a purple flame in his right hand.

At that point, Bass decides to keep what he knows a secret for now and instead play with his prey. "Heh. You think you're so tough, don't you? But I'll bet that deep down you're just soft."

"What?"

Bass taunts, "You heard me! My, my, Dog-Boy, I didn't know you were such a mama's boy!"

R's angry now! "WHY YOU…! TAKE THAT BACK!" He swings a fist at Bass, but Bass dodges the incoming blow.

"Ooh, guess I touched a nerve there, didn't I? What's the matter Dog-Boy? You missing your mommy? You REALLY miss her, don't you? Heh, you must have one of those complexes…what was it called? Oh yeah, an Oedipus! Tell me, how do you REALLY feel about your mother?" Bass REALLY knows how to get under R's skin with his sarcastic remarks, doesn't he?

"GRRR….THAT DOES IT! YOU'RE SCRAP METAL, BASS! LIGHTNING YELLOW PEARL!!" R shoots a blast of electricity at Bass. Bass dodges out of the way.

"OH YEAH? TAKE THIS! BUSTER SHOT!!" Bass shoots a charged blast of purple-white energy back at R. R jumps over it, charging up a sphere of blue energy around him, and counters with an air attack!

"DIAMOND BLUE PEARL!!" R dives down from the sky toward Bass with a large blast of energy! The force of the blow knocks Bass down! He gets up, furious, and leaps at R for another attack!

As R and Bass fight, Bubbleman enters the living room, holding a large triple-decker sandwich filled with every edible thing possible and a can of cherry cola. The two fighters are so busy trying to beat each other senseless they don't even notice him! "Hey, Bass! What's going on? I heard a lot of noise from the kitchen, and…." Bubbleman then freaks out when he sees R. "ACK, R'S HERE! OH NO! WHEN DID HE GET HOME?"

At that moment Bass fires another Buster Shot at R, who leaps out of the way. The blast hits Bubbleman instead, burning up his sandwich, and blows up the can, spilling soda all over Bubbleman, shorting out his circuits! "ACK! MY SANDWICH! WAAAHHH!!" He falls over, defeated!

Bass finally notices the slain Bubbleman. "BUBBLES!!" Then, he yells at R, "WHY YOU, DODGING LIKE THAT! YOU KILLED BUBBLEMAN! YOU BASTARD!!"

Bubbleman wakes up, groaning, "Uhh…I'm not quite dead, Bass!"

Bass is a bit deflated upon finding out that Bubbleman is not yet dead. "Err..well, uh…" He yells at R again, "YOU MORTALLY WOUNDED BUBBLEMAN! YOU BASTARD!!"

"No, really, I'm OK!" Bubbleman insists.

"Oh, I see." _Damn it!_

As he's getting up, Bubbleman says, "Actually, I think I'm all right to come help you…"

Just then, a piece of the ceiling weakened by the battle cracks apart and falls on Bubbleman, clocking him in the head!

**CRACK!** **WHUNK!**

"OW!… Ugh….!" Bubbleman falls over unconscious, little dizzy swirls in his eyes again.

R sweatdrops. "OK, that was pointless. So, Bass, shall we get back to fighting?"

Bass replies, "For once, I agree. I think we left off with me about to rip you apart…limb…from…limb!"

"YOU WISH!"

And so they continue fighting, throwing and blocking punches and kicks at each other instead of blowing themselves up with energy blasts. It's an intense struggle; neither opponent is letting up or holding back. Then R and Bass leap into the air, about to unleash aerial raves on each other. Time seems to move in slow motion as the scenery rotates around them MATRIX-style. But before they can even hit each other, an invisible force knocks them out of the air and down to the floor! OUCH!

When they come to, they see Erick standing before them. "Are you two done now? Good." He sees R. "Ah, there you are, Lord R. I'm sure that Dr. Wily will be relieved when I tell him you're here. He was very distraught over your apparent disappearance."

This makes R pause for a moment. He could have just told Wily where he went today instead of going off on his own, and none of this mess would have happened. And the way Bass and Erick were putting it, it sounded like Wily was actually worried about him, like a real parent would if his or her child was missing. And Wily was a friend of his father, so… Disrespecting Wily would be like disrespecting his own father. And R had too much respect for the memory of his father's supposed martial arts legacy to do a thing like that. He feels he should apologize to Wily as soon as possible. "Uh, look, I can explain…"

Bass, on the other hand, is furious! Highly upset, he yells, HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, ERICK! I WAS ABOUT TO GIVE DOG-BOY A LESSON IN RESPECT!"

R snorts, "As if, Bass! One hit from me and there wouldn't have been enough of you left to sweep up with a broom!"

Ooh, Bass's really angry now! "WHAT?! WHY YOU…!!"

Erick has had it! Putting a stop to Bass and R's arguing, he shouts, "ENOUGH! Your childish bickering is NOT helping our cause right now. We need to step up our efforts to get the Phoenix Stone. Now, I've called a meeting at the Cat Ghost King's shrine tonight. Everyone is to be there." Looking in R's direction, Erick says, "R, I'll see you at tonight's meeting. You and Wily can make up then." Then, to Bass, "Let's go, Bass. I don't need to tell you what you should do next?"

Bass grumbles, "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Bass goes over to pick up the unconscious Bubbleman, slings him over his shoulder, and whistles for Treble to come to him. Then they join Erick and leave the room. But before Bass leaves, he turns around and looks back at R angrily. "Dog-Boy, don't think for a moment this is over between you and me! One day, you and I are gonna finish this! Count on it!"

"BASS!!" Erick yells from outside.

"OK, OK! I'M COMING ALREADY! GEEZ!"

With Erick and Bass finally gone, R is by himself, alone again. He looks around the living room to see if any damage was done. Surprisingly, everything was mostly intact, aside from some damaged furniture and that piece of ceiling that fell on Bubbleman. He'd worry about fixing all that stuff later. R had a few hours to rest before tonight's meeting, so he sits down on the sofa to relax. As he's sitting there, R hears his stomach rumbling. _Man, I'm hungry! I must have worked up an appetite fighting that hotheaded tin can Bass! What's his beef with me, anyway? Ah, well… If he gets in my way again, I'll crush him, just like I'll do to Ranma! HA! Now, let's eat!_

He gets up and goes to the kitchen to get a snack. Opening the refrigerator, he sees lots of food inside, but nothing that he really wants. Then his eyes spotted a lunch that was sitting on a shelf by itself in the fridge. _This is the lunch that girl made for me._

It was sitting in the fridge for a couple of days, untouched, unopened. R takes it out and goes over to a table. He sits down, opens the lunch, and prepares to eat it. When he takes his first bite, though…

Surprised, R gasps, "It's…. still good. No, this…this is delicious!!"

But with the delicious taste of Ran's cooking comes the memories of everything that happened before, from the time R met Ran at school up to today. It kinda sours R's excitement rendering the whole experience rather bittersweet. This mellows his thoughts, and he begins to think about her. R knows that Wily doesn't want him to see Ran again, and yet every time he did see her, his curiosity about her grew.

Then, R gets an idea…

"That girl…I must find out more about her. Since she hangs around Ranma, I might be able to use her to get to him! The prospect of me being "friends" with her sounds even more interesting to me now, especially if it means I can destroy Ranma in the process! Oh yeah, this is gonna be good… Hm hm hm hm, heh heh heh heh, HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!"

As he's plotting and scheming, R's thoughts wander back to Ran. _And yet, there's something else… I feel something, a strong positive emotion, towards her. Could it be…?_ He shrugs it off. _Naaah! No way! It can't be that. A warrior especially has no need for THAT!_

But R changes his mind. An evil smile appears on his lips. _Then again, I could use that too. The very thing that people write songs, poems, and stories about is no more than a means to achieve my goal – to see Ranma Saotome die by my hands! Even if I have to use "her" to do it! Heh heh heh!_

He takes another bite of Ran's lunch. "WOW! This is good! Oh man, what kind of seasonings does she use? I tell you, that girl might be a lot of things, but she's DEFINITELY a good cook! Mmmm….!!"

R sits alone, eating, enjoying every bite.

* * *

_**BACK AT R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT….**_

Bass, Treble and Erick are on their way back to the secret hideout. As they're walking Bass confronts Erick about the fight he had earlier with R. "Hey, Erick! You know a lot of wise sayings! Isn't there one that says it's bad form to interrupt a battle between men?"

Erick turns around and gives Bass an icy stare that makes Bass's blood run cold.

Bass steps back in fear. "ACK!"

Erick, though he's upset, calmly says, "There is one, Bass. And YOU would call your little quarrel with R a "battle between men"? Seems more like a schoolyard fight between two unruly kids to me. I'm disappointed in you. And here I thought you'd started to use that unused space between your head called a BRAIN, for once, and yet you still do not understand. Have you learned NOTHING from me at all?"

"HEY! You WERE reading my thoughts back there at Dog-Boy's!

"As the popular expression goes, "Well, DUH!" I'm beginning to wonder if I shouldn't have offered to be your royal advisor in the first place…."

Bass panics, and starts begging, "ACK! OH NO! Oh, c'mon, Erick! Don't cut me off now, man! You said so yourself! I'm strong, but I lack the skill and the smarts! I've got the firepower, but you got the brains! You're even smarter than Doc Wily! Without you I won't get my kingdom! I need your help! So help me!" He gets on his hands and knees, bowing, "Please, I'm begging you! Tell me what I got to do to be king and get rid of Dog-Boy for good! Please!"

Erick watches with amusement at Bass' attempts at begging. Treble is embarrassed by his master's actions, and covers his face with his paws. Bubbleman, well…is still unconscious.

Erick's amused. "Why, Bass, I didn't know you knew how to perform the "Crouch of the Wild Tiger"."

"HUH?"

"Never mind. As a wise man once said, _"Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer"."_

Bass is confused. "But what does that mean?

Erick thinks, "_Ugh…still as dense as ever! Dense, but trainable."_ Aloud, he says, "Let me spell it out for you so you can understand. You don't like R, and neither do I. But we're stuck with him because the Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily need him for their master plan." _And I need him for mine, as well!_ "Had I not stopped you from fighting R today, you most certainly would have killed him. He's useless to us if he's dead." _Then again...._ "And do you REALLY want to be the one to tell Wily you killed the only thing close to a son he ever had?"

Bass doesn't like where this is going. "WHAT? Hey, now…"

"To conclude, my advice to you Bass is to put aside your jealousy for now and stay focused on your mission, which is to get the Phoenix Stone back for us. Furthermore, do NOT pick any more fights with R. So don't worry; you'll get your chance to fight him, but not here, not now. And by the time that happens, R will have outlived his usefulness to us, and you can have him."

"Yeah, yeah, I think I understand now!" But then, Bass realizes, "HEY! What do you mean by "jealousy"?"

"Exactly what I mean. Your intense jealousy of R borders on insanity."

Bass scoffs at that idea. "ME? Jealous of Dog-Boy? BAH! Nonsense!"

"Deny it all you want, Bass, but it's true. Before R started working for us, you were the greatest of Dr. Wily's creations. So now he shows up on the scene, and you feel threatened. You're afraid that he'll replace you as Wily's top warrior. You get upset every time Wily refers to R as his "son" and shows him attention. You see? Jealousy!"

Obviously, Bass thinks that what Erick just said now is a bunch of baloney.

Erick says in response to Bass's thoughts, "Baloney, eh? Think whatever you want, but you know I'm right about this. Now then, regarding tonight's meeting. I'm going to publicly reveal my creation to the Cat Ghost King, Dr. Wily, and M. Bison."

"You mean your "DVL Cells"? But you said you needed to do more tests before you could mass-produce them!"

"I've already conducted the tests, and production has already begun. In fact, you'll get to meet one of the test subjects tonight. He'll be at the meeting, too."

Of course, Erick's referring to Shadowloo's newest recruit, Ryoga Hibiki!

Bass's like, "He? Well, who is it?"

"Ah, but….," Erick does his Xelloss schtick again. "That is a secret. Well, I'll see you later at the meeting, Bass. Don't be late!"

Erick then vanishes from sight.

Bass says to himself, "Y'know, I gotta figure out how he does that disappearing trick of his sometime." He looks down at Treble. "Well, Treble, let's drop old Bubblehead off at the Doc's lab and head on over to the shrine for that meeting. Things just keep on getting interesting around here, don't they?"

Treble barks in agreement, "RRF! GRRRR….! (Yeah! Tell me about it!)"

And so Bass (still carrying the unconscious Bubbleman) and Treble head for Dr. Wily's lab.

Things ARE getting interesting indeed! Stay tuned!!

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	26. Bitter Memories

CHAPTER 26

_**-"BITTER MEMORIES... MICHAEL ANGELUS REFLECTS ON THE PAST"-**_

Michael Angelus (currently in his Jusenkyo-cursed human form as the MCD) is in a VERY good mood when he enters his home. He's finally found his old love, namely the Goddess First Class, goddess of the present…Belldandy.

Happily, Angelus is thinking, _Today was the most joyful day of my entire life…after all those centuries of loneliness, I've found her. I found the girl who I thought I could never see again…Belldandy, my fiancée._"

Then he sits in his chair and grabs the medallion that Belldandy gave him. Aloud, he says to himself, "This medallion was the only thing that reminds me of her during all this years…" He then sighs, "How I remember that 'day'. The day I was made General in my Lord's Heaven…"

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Many angels are gathered in the Royal Palace of Heaven. An angel dressed in the clothes of combat, with a golden sword walks toward the Throne Room. There, he stands in front of God –(Kami)-, the Heaven King. Next to him was The Goddess of Justice and Peace Athena –(Saint Seiya)-, the Goddess Tsunami –(Tenchi Muyo)- beside her were the Nordic Goddesses and daughters of God…Belldandy, Skuld and Urd. When Angelus approaches them, he kneels before them:

"Michael, you proven yourself to be one of my most loyal, wise and bravest angels in My realm…," God says.

Angelus humbly replies, "Thank you, my Lord."

"You have been a great leader, a caring warrior, who never lifts your sword for hate, only to protect life." Athena says.

Angelus, pleased, bows respectfully. "I only do what I do, ma'am."

Tsunami adds, "Also, you're a wise warrior, who never gives up, and helps those who can't fight."

God concludes, "Therefore, Michael Angelus, from this point on, I'm appointing you… General of all the Armies in Heaven, and, my Confidant and right hand man."

Angelus is honored. "Sir, it is an extreme honor from you, my Lord. I thank you."

God:" Not at all, you've earned it…Now…Arise, Michael Angelus…"

Michael Angelus gets up, and then Kami-sama touches his shoulder with His arm. Then, Angelus is covered in a beautiful light. When the light fades away, Angelus looks at himself. He's gained a new suit of armor. It is a golden armor, which shines as brightly as the sun, with a helmet that has rubies on the sides, and a white cape that cover all his body; his wings are now bigger and more powerful. The Goddess Athena gives Angelus a new sword, it was a bright as the light and hard as a diamond, for it is Excalibur, and Tsunami gives her blessing to him … Angelus is pleased. Bowing to God, he says, "Thank you, my Lord…I promise you all that I will indeed protect all life in this Universe with my life."

"Now congratulations, Michael Angelus. May your fighting spirit lead you to victory and peace, for Heaven and Earth," Athena says.

"And be a good Guardian and protector, forever and ever." Tsunami says.

Then, all the angels cheer and applaud for Michael. Belldandy walks toward Michael and hugs him. "Congratulations, Michael, I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks a lot Belldandy. I'm also happy for this."

"Michael, I want you to have this…" Belldandy gives Michael a cool Medallion.

Angelus is in awe of Bell's gift. "Bell-chan…it's beautiful."

"Michael, this is my Medallion, consider this a gift from me to you for your great promotion of being named General by my Father."

Angelus blushes. "Geez…I'll treasure this medallion with love and care, like you Bell-chan."

Belldandy likewise blushes. "That's so sweet, Michael."

Her sisters Urd and Skuld also approach Angelus. Urd congratulates him. "Way to go Michael, I know you'll make an excellent General."

Skuld nods. "Yeah, congratulations, Michael-oneesan…I'm proud for you."

Angelus gracefully accepts their congratulations. "Thanks for your confidence girls, I mean it."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

Angelus' voiceover continues, "That was one of the happiest moments in my life…my promotion to General, but most of all…being declared Belldandy's Fiancé, I felt like my Lord…Heaven was indeed the joy of the Universe…Then, there was the ball in the royal hall of Heaven. Oh, how I remember that like it was only yesterday…"

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

We see a dance going on inside of the Hall…many people are dancing in the floor; classical music is being played.

Michael Angelus has asked Belldandy to dance. She accepts and he takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor. She hugs him and he hugs her and they began to dance. They were both happy. Later that evening, Michael takes Belldandy to the Balcony, there; they see the stars and the planet Earth:

Belldandy's looking at the sky. "Such a lovely night, isn't it Michael?"

Angelus agrees, "Yes, look at the stars Bell-chan. So peaceful and calm, so nice."

"Michael…?"

"Yes Bell-chan?"

"So how do you feel about your new position as General of my Father's army?"

Angelus is serious when he tells her, "The truth…it's an honor for me, though it is a great privilege, it's also a great responsibility. My powers will be greater, but so are my duties…because "With great power, comes great responsibility"."

"But I'm sure you'll do fine Michael…You're a good warrior, and noble, that's why Father chose you."

"I know…and I'm not gonna disappoint the trust he placed in me. I will not."

"I know you wont…Michael, I love you."

"I love you too, Belldandy."

Then, the two of them share a big kiss under the moonlight.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

_**SOMEWHERE IN TOKYO:**_

We now switch to the streets of the city. The MCD is now walking in the street, in his civilian clothes. As he's walking through the crowds of people, he continues to reminisce, thinking, _That night, was the first time I kissed Belldandy, it was cool…_ He frowns, knowing what happened after that. _But then…3 days later, it happened, something that shattered my life…_

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Angelus continues his narration, "All was peaceful in Heaven…until God informed me about a great danger that was happening on Earth…A group of demon cat soldiers known as –"The Red Cat Gang"- were making disaster on Earth…they worked for a demon Cat known as the Cat Ghost King…

They were destroying villages, kidnapping young girls for their master, and creating chaos on Earth…Kami summoned me to go there and stop them. So I did. I gathered a squad 20 of our best and most loyal Angels –(male and female)- to go with me, but before I went, I spent one night with Belldandy and informed her about my mission…"

We see Angelus and Belldandy in the Garden of Eden. …birds are singing, all was peaceful. He then explains to Belldandy about his mission. "So that's the mission that God gave me. I have to go there Belldandy."

Belldandy nods. "I see."

"I know you don't like it, and neither do I. But I must do it; I have to save the mortals from that Cat Demon."

"I understand, Michael. After all, it is your job and duty as protector of Heaven and Earth."

Angelus's a little bit worried. "So, you're not…mad?"

Belldandy smiles, replying, "Not at all Michael." Then, serious, she says, "So go and stop that Demon Cat and free the mortals!"

"I will…and thanks Bell-chan!"

"Before you go Michael, take this with you." Belldandy takes a ring from her finger and gives it to Angelus.

"What's this Bell-chan?"

"I want you to take my ring, so you can remember me when you're out there, fighting, knowing that I'll always be with you."

Angelus is touched by her little gift. "Thanks, Belldandy. With this ring, I'll be more powerful."

* * *

**CHINA – BAYANKALA MOUNTAINS, QINGHAI PROVINCE:**

"The next day, my squad and I went to Earth to fight against the Demon Cat Kamusaru and his followers. When we arrived, a battle was unleashed. Even though they outnumbered us, we proved the power of our light against them. When I went head to head against the Cat Ghost King, our battle lasted for almost two days, even though he was strong, I managed to defeat him…"

The battle between Michael Angelus and the Cat Ghost King is a sight never seen before… Angelus is facing down Kamusaru; the evil Ghost Cat is hurt and weak…both of them are floating in mid-air:

Kamusaru, the Cat Ghost King, angrily declares, "Myaooo...you haven't won yet you miserable bird…I will win!"

Angelus points his sword at the fiend. "You will never win evil cat! Light will always triumph over evil, and you're done for!"

The Cat Ghost King screams, "MYAAAAAAAAAAAA! NEVEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!"

The Cat Ghost King charges against Michael with his giant paws. But Angelus dodges Kamusaru's attacks and with his golden sword he strikes the Cat Ghost in his chest with one powerful slash. The Cat Ghost King screams in pain… unable to fight anymore.

Michael Angelus solemnly intones, carrying out Heaven's sentence. "Cat Ghost King, for all the crimes that you have committed against humanity, how do you plead?

"I'LL KILL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"Wrong answer! Cat Ghost King, it's time for you to pay for your crimes!"

Then, Angelus reaches into a secret compartment in his armor and pulls out five paper talismans. He quickly places four of them in front of him; one at the top, one on his left, one on his right, and one below him. As the four talismans float in mid-air, energy forms between them, so that the four points make a cross! Then, he takes the fifth and final talisman out. This one is different from the other four, for it has a Japanese kanji written on it, which translated, means "SEAL" or "BANISH".

"And now…. HEAVEN'S SECRET TECHNIQUE! BANISHING OF THE EVIL SPIRIT!!"

Angelus places the fifth talisman in the center of the cross, and a beam of light shoots out and hits the Cat Ghost King squarely in the chest, blowing a hole right through him! Ghostly fluids (ectoplasm, perhaps?) pour out the fiendish feline's wound. Suddenly, a star appears behind the Cat Ghost King, and opens a portal; next, it began to pull him towards it…

Shocked, the Cat Ghost King cries out, "WHAT…WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"

Angelus reveals the fate of his enemy. "THAT's a portal Evil Cat! For your crimes, I'm sending you to the streams of time…where you'll be trapped in there for all eternity!"

"NOOOOO, YOU CANT DO THIS TO MEEEE! MYAAAA!"

"But I can, Cat Ghost! You'll never harm any living soul; never again you'll see this world, for I sentence you to oblivion…" Angelus finishes his technique. "EVIL, BE GONEEEEE!!

Then the Cat Ghost King begins to fade away into the hole, but before he's sucked away:

"IF I'M GONNA GO DOWN…THEN YOU'LL GO DOWN WITH MEEE…MYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

"Huh!?"

Then, the Cat Ghost King launches one blast toward Angelus before disappearing. The blast strikes Angelus hard and explodes on contact, like a small atomic blast. He falls toward the ground, unconscious, splash-landing in one of many VERY familiar pools –(Jusenkyo)-. He wakes up and sees that he's underwater. He swims to the surface and notices that he's in a training ground, with many bamboo poles and many ponds.

When he gets out, he tries to fly, but ends up falling flat on his face. He tries to stretch his wings, but he can't…then something happens, something that Angelus sees upon himself… He has no wings… He is shocked beyond belief. "NO…MY WINGS, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY WINGS…?" He looks closer at himself. "WAIT A MINUTE…MY POWERS, I FEEL THAT THEY ARE REDUCED…! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO MEEEEE!?"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Angelus sadly thinks, _Next thing I knew, I was turned into a human, for I landed in those damned Springs of Jusenkyo, specifically, in the –"Spring of Drowned Man"-. I don't know what happened, but those magical waters somehow reduced my powers, but at the same time, gave my cursed form immortality._

* * *

The MCD is now walking alone on a beach. His thoughts turn to an old friend…

"Erick…I don't know what happened to him. He used to be a good man, almost as good as an angel. He helped those people who were sick and injure, I admired him a lot, and he always had this way of looking at life with joy, so full of joy, full of laughter. And now…he's evil… How can some people change, even good people? His path to destruction began when he saw those ancient scrolls. Back then, before my accident, I warned him…"

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

When Erick finds those scrolls –(See Chapter 5 –"Two New Players Make Their Appearance!"-)- he begins to read them…later Michael Angelus appears and warns him:

"Erick, I know that you want to increase your powers to help people, but those scrolls are way too dangerous for you to control."

"Oh, come on, Michael, these scrolls will help me a lot! With them, I can do lots of wonders. Think of all the good things I will do!"

"I know, but still, it is not wise for you to have so much power Erick, cause "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"."

"But still…"

"Look Erick, it's not worth it to sacrifice your life. Think about your loved one Cassandra, think about yourself, all the power you'll need lies in here…" Angelus says, touching Erick's heart, and then points to the scrolls. "…not there."

Erick's unsure. "Really?"

"Yes…as your Guardian Angel, no, as your friend, don't take the easy way…because the easy way always turns out to be the hard way."

"Okay…if you say so, Michael."

"Well, I must be going now Erick…take care, okay?"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

"But then, he'd had an accident of his own. I found out that he was killed by some cowardly prince, and worse, by his loved one Cassandra. I never thought that woman could turn out like that…they even incinerated the house where Erick was left for dead…but, that was the beginning of the end of the goodness of Erick…something happened in there. When Erick survived, however…" Angelus's tone of voice becomes very serious at this point. "He was no longer the honorable man of justice I once knew…for he had used those forbidden scrolls, and now he is a completely different man…Now his dark side has taken him over, no surprise there, after being betrayed by his loved one…After that, I tried to talk it over with him, but he wouldn't listen to me…how I remember when I talked to him that 'time'…"

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_**ROMANIA -(EUROPE)- 150 B.C.**_

Michael Angelus is with Erick outside a castle; it is night, with cold winds and fog. Erick is dressed in a black cape, with a purple scar around his neck, dark pants, and a white shirt.

Angelus implores his friend, "Erick, please, listen to me. You don't want to follow this road; let me help you."

Erick actually laughs, "Ha, help me? Help me in what? I'm doing just fine."

"Erick, what you're doing is wrong. You're using magic from those forbidden scrolls; you are walking deep down the path of self-destruction! Let me help you!"

Erick bitterly remarks, "It is too late for me, 'my' friend."

"No it's not Erick…it's not too late to change, you gotta have faith in me and in my Lord…"

Erick's mad now. "FAITH? Ha! Faith in what, Michael, huh? You are asking me to have faith, after what happened to me?"

"Erick, you can't mean that…Look, you can't throw away your faith just because of that!"

Erick snorts, "Please, I dedicated my life to help those who couldn't help themselves, I devoted my life to help humanity…" Angry, he reveals, "…and what did humanity do to me? …BETRAYED…THEY BETRAYED ME!…THE VERY SAME PEOPLE I HELPED BETRAYED MEEEE!!"

Angelus is trying to calm him down. "Erick, please…!"

Sadly, Erick continues, "And Cassandra… She was my life…" The anger within him rises up again. "AND SHE BETRAYED ME! LOVE BETRAYED ME, HUMANITY BETRAYED MEEEEEE! SO TELL ME, MICHAEL, HOW CAN YOU SAY TO ME TO NOT LOSE MY FAITH…? SO WITH THESE POWERS, I'LL CHANGE THE WORLD!"

Angelus gasps at Erick's decision. "Erick, don't, don't do it…the Lord…"

"THE LORD? HA! YOU THINK THAT GOD CARES?"

Angelus is shocked! "How can you say that Erick, of course He cares! He cares for everyone and…"

Erick explodes, "LIES, ALL LIES! IF THAT'S TRUE, MICHAEL, ANSWER ME THIS THEN! WHERE WAS YOUR GOD WHEN ALL THOSE PEOPLE I HELPED WERE SICK, WHERE WAS YOUR GOD WHEN THERE WAS SUFFERING…?" Though he's mad, tears are rolling down Erick's face. "WHERE WAS YOUR GOD WHEN I WAS DYING…WHEN I WAS DYING IN THAT FIREY PLACE, ALONE AND HELPLESS, I CALLED UPON HIS NAME! I CRIED OUT FOR HIS HELP! DID HE COME TO MY AID? DID HE SAVE ME FROM DYING IN THE FIRE? NOOOOOOO…!! HE LEFT ME THERE TO DIE, MICHAEL! **THERE**'S YOUR GOD! HE DOESN'T CARE FOR ANYONE!!"

"You cannot mean that, Erick! Look, if you allow me to help you I can…"

"I have no time for this stupid chat, 'my' friend…We will meet again, good bye."

"Erick, wait!"

But Erick vanishes from sight.

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

* * *

"That was only the beginning of his evil ways…" Angelus sadly continues. "50 years after my 'accident' in Jusenkyo, I've met with him again. I thought that he could change. I thought that it was only temporary, his hatred… Unfortunately, it was even more dangerous than I thought…"

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_**CHINA -(ASIA)- 200 B.C**_

Michael Angelus, now in his Jusenkyo-cursed human form, is face to face with Erick in the place where the Great Wall of China will be in the future…Erick is still wearing his same clothes. Angelus found out that Erick has now become an evil person. With the spells learned from those forbidden scrolls, Erick wrought chaos on many lands:

Angelus angrily asks, "Erick, why are you doing this? Why are you using those spells to hurt people, instead of helping them? Have you lost all sense of humanity in you?"

Erick snorts, "Oh please, Michael, don't give me that lecture…have 'I' lost my humanity? I don't think so, it is Humanity that has lost its Humanity… you think very little of them Michael!"

"What you're saying is rubbish, Erick! What has happened to you? You used to be a noble man, and now, you're a dishonorable one."

"Maybe I woke up. You should do that too Michael."

Angelus is confused. "What do you mean?"

Erick explains for his former friend, "What I mean is…you should realize that this world we live in isn't a fantasy, it ain't no Heaven. Maybe if you try to think more with your head, with more conscience, maybe then you'll realize that God isn't such a nice person after all."  
Oooh, Angelus is mad now. "Don't you DARE insult my Lord, Erick! I won't allow you to!"

Erick gives Angelus the no-no finger gesture. "Michael, Michael, how pathetic of you…You're like a dog, protecting its master, obeying every command its master gives, You're like a slave to Him."

Angered by this, Angelus declares, "ENOUGH! Listen, Erick, I don't want to be your enemy, but if you continue to behave like this, and do all those nasty things…then I'm afraid that I'll have to stop you, do you understand?"

Erick laughs, "My, my, aren't WE in a foul mood?" Then, seriously, he says while charging a fireball, "I don't think so, Michael. If you want to be my enemy, so be it."

Erick then launches his fireball at Angelus, who evades it and the fireball explodes. When the smoke clears, Erick is gone…all Angelus finds is a note to him saying…

_-"There is no worst Blind, then the one who doesn't want to see…Erick"-_

Angelus snarls while holding the paper, "Erick…!!"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Angelus finally says, "That was the last time I saw Erick…and now, he's back, now working with that miserable fur ball, that Cat Ghost King… Well, this time, I'll make them pay, that Cat Ghost…and my –"Ex-Friend"- Erick! I won't let them win, as God as my witness, I shall defeat them…I WILL DEFEAT THEM! CAT GHOST KING! ERICK! BE PREPARED, FOR I SHALL DELIVER JUSTICE UPON YOU!!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

**_RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…_**

Erick is meditating, along with his beloved Delia…when he sneezes. "AH-CHOOO!!"

"Bless you, Erick."

"Thanks De-chan…" _Hmmm, someone must be talking about me. It must be him_, Erick thinks, remembering his old friend, Michael Angelus.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	27. Ranma VS Ryoga, Part I

CHAPTER 27

**_-"SHOWDOWN! THE RIVALS' FINAL CLASH! RANMA VS. RYOGA!"-_**

**_(PART I – THE RAMPAGE OF VIOLENT RYOGA!)_**

_**RED CAT GANG'S SECRET HIDEOUT**_

After the experiment with Ryoga, Erick is pleased that his DVL Cells worked on the boy…and now he is ready for the field test. Delia walks toward him. "So Erick-san, how did it go?"

Pleased, Erick replies, "Very well, I must say. The boy is now under my control, thanks to my Cells."

"That's good."

"It is…now we must take the boy to Bison, so he can send him to eliminate Ranma Saotome."

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO, JAPAN:**_

Ranma. Ran and Akane are visiting Ranma's mother Nodoka at her house. When they enter, they see Nodoka sitting on the patio. Ranma waves at her. "MOM!"

Nodoka happily receives her son and his companions. "My son! I'm glad you came for a visit. How are you guys?"

"We're fine mom."

Akane replies, "Yeah, thanks for asking."

"Ditto." Ran says likewise.

Nodoka notices, "So sweetie, I see that you and Akane are having a great time with each other?"

Ranma blushes, "Yeah, you might say that, but yes."

Akane tells her, "Our relationship has never been better Auntie Nodoka."

Nodoka smiles. "I'm very happy to hear that children…I thought that I had to dissolve the marriage, but now I'm happy that I didn't and I have you to thank for that Ran…thanks again."

Ran humbly says, " It was nothing, Nodoka-san."

"So my son, is there a reason for your visit? I don't mind it, of course."

"Well, mom, it's about Ryoga…"

"What about him Ranma?"

"Well, it's like this…"

Ranma then begins to tell his mom all about what happened to Ryoga…especially, about his curse being revealed and everything…that he feels he was responsible for his curse:

After he's finished his recounting of events, Nodoka asks him, "So that boy Ryoga was Akane's pet piglet P-chan, right Ranma?"

"Yes."

"And you say that he slept with your fiancée, as a piglet of course."

Akane replies, "Yes"

Nodoka's a little mad. "The nerve of that boy…and you didn't do anything to stop him Ranma?"

Ashamed, Ranma admits, "I tried, but I couldn't."

Nodoka's confused. "What do you mean you couldn't?"

"I made a promise to Ryoga to never reveal his secret, cause it was my fault that he got cursed, but somehow, he used that promise against me…"

Now Nodoka's mad. "By sleeping with your fiancée, how low…!" Then, she asks Akane, "…and you didn't find out Akane?"

Akane, embarrassed, tells her, "No auntie, back then I was stubborn, and I didn't see that he and P-chan were the same person…if it wasn't for Ranma and Ran…he'd still be doing the same thing…I'm sorry, all of you."

"But you said that his curse was found out."

"Yep…and it was hell back there…poor Ryoga, he was devastated when Akane told him to go away," Ranma says, still remembering the look on Ryoga's face that fateful night.

"Poor Ryoga…? Why do you say that Ranma?"

"It's just that…well, I feel that it was MY fault that he got all those problems and…"

Nodoka's reassuring him, "Listen my son, it was not your fault that your friend went through all those problems."

"You're sure?"

"Your mom's right Ranma," a young woman's voice says. When they turned around, they see Kima entering the patio with some glasses filled with lemonade. She's dressed in a pink kimono.

Ranma greets her. "Hey Kima, how's it going?"

"Fine, Ranma."

Akane notices, "I see that you're now living with Ranma's mom."

Kima nods. "Yes…I was very fortunate that she allowed me to stay with her, even after I told her what happened at Mount Phoenix. She's indeed a kind woman."

Ranma agrees. "Yep, mom's an Angel…" He then notices the glasses of lemonade Kima's brought. "Hey, lemonade! Thanks Kima!" he says, taking a glass from her.

Kima smiles. "You're welcome Ranma…and, what your mother says is true. You have no reason to feel guilty about what happened to Ryoga."

Ranma's not convinced. "I don't know…maybe Ryoga's right about me ruining his life."

Nodoka corrects, "No my son, 'he' ruined his life on his own. You didn't force him to go to Jusenkyo; it was his choice. And, it isn't your fault that he has a terrible sense of direction. That boy's problem is that he's too stubborn to admit his faults."

Kima continues for Nodoka, "And, he calls you dishonorable, knowing that he always used your promise for his own advantage. THAT is very low; his actions make him a dishonorable man. Ranma, you are a very noble and pure man, a man who keeps his word. But sometimes, it's allowed to break some promises IF that promise can be used to hurt you, or others…do you understand Ranma?"

"Yes."

Nodoka agrees with Kima on this. "She's right dear, sometimes, honor is like a double-edged sword. You must swing it very carefully, because you may hurt someone else, and yourself as well."

"Thanks mom, Kima…I needed that."

"No problem Ranma," Kima says.

Satisfied, Nodoka says, "Now that's taken care off…how's about some nice, good, Dim Sum everyone?"

"Yeah!" everyone cheers.

* * *

_**AT SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE**_:

The Red Cat Gang's Airship arrives in the landing bay…when the doors open, some RED CAT Soldiers come out and form a two-line division…then…Erick walks out, accompanied by Delia, who walks next to him…and behind them is the now-brainwashed Ryoga Hibiki.

They enter M. Bison's chamber. There, M. Bison and Tron Bonne, along with Vega, Balrog, Sagat, Rolento, Birdie, Adon, Zangief, etc, receive him.

"Greetings, Erick."

"Hey to you too Bison."

"So, how did the 'education' with the boy go?"

"Fine…here he is…Come here, Ryoga." Ryoga enters the chamber…his eyes were almost red, with a serious, almost deadly look on his face.

Erick proudly says, "Ryoga here is now at your disposal, Bison."

Bison is pleased. "Good…so, how good is he, is he good enough like you told me Erick?"

"Ah, curious aren't we Bison…? Very well, why don't I give you a little demonstration of his abilities."

"Yes, I would love that."

"Okay…Have Zangief fight that boy."

"Very well…" Bison then commands, "Zangief, I want you to fight that boy."

Zangief, unsure, asks his boss, "You want ME to fight that boy Bison? …Are you sure?"

Bison's eyes glow with anger – he wants his orders followed without questions. As in right now. "Do as I say Zangief…NOW!"

Zangief then walks toward Ryoga and prepares himself. The two fighters face each other:

Erick acts as referee. "Alright…" He raises his arm up. "Fighters ready…set…" He swings his arm down. "HASHIMEEE!!"

Zangief then charges against Ryoga… The Red Cyclone laughs to himself, thinking, _Ha, this will be a piece of cake!_ When he gets close enough, Zangief launches his huge fist at Ryoga, but, just inches away from his face, Ryoga moves away fast, jumping straight up, and when Zangief passes under him, Ryoga kicks Zangief in the back of his head with a jumping spin kick. Zangief goes flying toward the floor, crashing hard.

"Impressive," M. Bison comments.

Erick smiles. "It is, isn't it?"

Zangief gets up, rubbing the back of his head, and glares at Ryoga. Angrily, he thinks, _Troshta…I don't know how that brat hit_ _me, but I will not be defeated by a punk in front of Bison…I will kill him!_ Then once again he charges toward Ryoga. When close, he starts throwing lots of punches at him, but Ryoga keeps dodging them all (mainly 'cause they're so slow!). When Zangief is about to hit Ryoga's face with his fist, Ryoga grabs the incoming blow with ONE hand. Then Ryoga starts to apply his strength on Zangief. Zangief begins to feel the bones in his hand cracking, as Ryoga begins to crush his fist. Ryoga's almost about to break Zangief's arm off, when Zangief then drops to the floor on his knees; he can't take it anymore, crying, "No more, no more!! I surrender! Gyaaaaaaa!!" Then Ryoga releases him from his grip. Zangief massages his aching hand…Bison however:

"Excellent…that was marvelous!" There's a hint of malicious amusement in Bison's voice as he applauds Ryoga's performance.

Erick complements his puppet, "Good match, Ryoga my boy. Well done."

With an evil laugh M. Bison says, "He is indeed very strong. All he needs is a small amount of my Psycho Power to further enhance his abilities, and he will indeed defeat Ranma Saotome. Then I'll make him into my own personal bodyguard!"

Erick frowns at this – he's told Bison before that Ranma could never be persuaded to join Shadowloo; apparently Bison STILL doesn't get it. "Well…about that Bison…I need to talk to you. Can we talk in private?"

Then Erick and Bison go inside Bison's own room…they talk for a couple of minutes. Then they come out. Still, one has to wonder what exactly was said in there; maybe we'll never know. What we do know is what happened afterwards….

A frustrated M. Bison finally says, "So that's it, isn't it Erick?"

Erick nods. "Yes, I'm afraid so Bison. That's why you must take my advice."

"Is there no other way…? So be it."

"I'm afraid so… What's this?" Erick then spots a chessboard on Bison's table. He chuckles, "My, my…" Turning to M. Bison, he asks, "Does the ruler of Shadowloo know how to play –"_**The Game of the Kings**_"?

M. Bison replies, "Chess! Why yes, it is one of my favorite games!"

"You don't say…Say Bison, why don't we play a game. I'm a chess fan myself."

"YOU want to play against ME…?" Bison chuckles at the very idea. He accepts Erick's challenge. "Very well, let's do it. I must warn you, I am a champion at this game."

Then they sit down and play. Erick is proving to be quite amazing…

"Checkmate, Bison."

"Why…you're quite good, Erick."

"Thanks… Let's play some more."

After two wins, Bison was getting curious. Four wins, Bison's getting impatient. After eight wins, Bison calls it quits.

A frustrated M. Bison wonders aloud, "I don't believe it…how is it that you're so good at this game Erick?"

Erick tells him, "Ah, experience, Bison my friend, experience. I've played this game for a long time. It is a very wise, educational game, in which you can learn many things."

"You don't say… How's that?"

Erick flashes a knowing grin. "You'll find out later on…"

Meanwhile…

* * *

_**IN THE MAKAI REALM, AT CASTLE MAXIMOV...**_

The vampire Demitri Maximov is with Morrigan and Bishamon in his throne room, preparing for his revenge on Bison from his last encounter. "Bison…he will regret ever defeating me. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, beats me!"

Morrigan tries to turn away Demitri's wrath. "Come on Demitri…! As the mortals would say, "Chill Out!" So you lost. But you know, that Erick fellow was right about one thing though…"

Demitri yells, "WHAT!?"

Morrigan covers her ears from Demitri's shouting, then admits, "I guess that not all the mortals aren't weak as we are thought, and, humanity sure has changed in over 2000 years."

"No matter! I'll go there, find that Bison, and I'll skin him alive, make him scream in terror, before I feast upon his soul!"

Morrigan's chuckles, "My…quite confident, aren't we Demitri…you do forget that he's a General…and that would mean that he probably has an army with him?"

Demitri's still unfazed. "No problem…for I have these! Behold!"

Then Dimitri turns some lights on…and, Morrigan and Bishamon see a handful of weird-looking robots in front of them…they knew what these machines are… Huitzils!

Morrigan remarks, "Well, well, what do you know…the Huitzils…I thought they were all destroyed by the other Darkstalkers."

Demitri grins evilly. "Not all of them…I've snatched seven of them and hid them away…now they're under my control! Hahahahaha!"

"Um…impressive." Bishamon says.

Demitri laughs his evil laugh. "It is…and, I have the help of THIS person, who will help me crush Bison!"

"Oh! Who?" Morrigan wanted to know.

Demitri points to the answer to Morrigan's question. "HER!"

When they turn around, they see a little girl walking towards them…the little girl is dressed just like Red Riding Hood, with a picnic basket in her hand, and a little dog beside her…for it is…

Morrigan gasps, "B.B. Hood!"

Bishamon asks disbelievingly, "Her?"

Dimitri firmly declares, "Yes!"

Morrigan's like, "Are you out of your mind Demitri? Why her?"

"Hehehe…why not?"

Morrigan sarcastically replies, smiling sweetly, "Oh I don't know… In case you haven't noticed, she's a Hunter…" Then, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket, she yells in his face, "A DARKSTALKER HUNTER!!"

"Demitri…that girl will try to kill us!" Bishamon objects.

Demitri assures them, "Not to worry…I have made a deal with her… She will help us in crushing Bison!"

Morrigan groans. What could Demitri possibly be thinking, bringing this girl here? But she asks anyway, "Alright…exactly how and WHY will she help you?"

"I offered her fair payment for her assistance…and she agreed."

Morrigan blinks. "Err… Really?"

B., in her perky-cute cheerful way, reminds Dimitri, "Listen, Bat-boy…don't forget our deal okay? You'll pay me what you offered me!"

"Understood… Now, with her and the Huitzils by my side…we will destroy Bison and his armies! Hahahahaha!"

Morrigan's not so sure. Silently, she thinks, _I don't know Dimitri…something tells me that it's not gonna be THAT easy..._

* * *

_**AT THE TENDO DOJO…**_

It's been two days since Ranma talked to his mother about the incident with Ryoga. Ranma, Ran and the rest of the family are having a wonderful breakfast:

Ranma says while eating his food, "Man, this is good…can I have some more please?"

"Sure Ranma" Kasumi sweetly says, fixing him another bowl.

Soun looks up from reading his newspaper. "So Ranma, how did go it with your mother?"

"Pretty good. Kima lives happily with her. She helps her with the chores around the house."

"Well, that's good. Now your mom won't have all that hard work to do herself! Hahaha!" Genma laughs.

Ranma glares at his lazy father. "Then why don't YOU go there and help her with all those chores Pop!"

After hearing that, Genma splashes himself with cold water, turning into a panda…and lifts up a sign that says, [I'm just a cute little panda!]

Ranma groans, "Why am I not surprised that you'd do that Pop?"

Later in the afternoon, when the mail arrives, Kasumi calls for Ranma…later in the living room:

"Say Kasumi, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Ranma asks her.

"Ranma, you have mail."

"For me…? What could it be?"

Then Ranma opens it up and begins to read it. After he's finished… "Well, what do you know…"

Akane comes by at that moment. "What is it, Ranma?"

"It's a letter from Ryoga."

Ran blinks, surprised. "From Ryoga! What's it say?"

"Says here that Ryoga wants to meet me tomorrow afternoon outside the school for a duel."

Now worried, Akane says, "Tomorrow! What are you gonna do Ranma?"

Are you gonna fight him Ranma?" Ran wanted to know.

Ranma:" Well…Ryoga wants me to fight him…and fight him I will."

Ran tells Ranma, "Well, you'd better train for tomorrow's duel."

Ranma laughs, "Come on Ran. Tomorrow? This is RYOGA we're talking about. He'll probably show up in like, two weeks!"

Akane giggles, "You're right!"

* * *

_**AT A TRAIN STATION IN THE NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

A woman steps out of the train. She is very beautiful, with long purple hair, wearing a red dress, and a yellow scarf around her neck. After she picks up her luggage she begins walking to grab a taxi…

_This is the place I sensed that chaos energy. I hope that I can find its source, _the purple-haired woman thought. When she is near the gates…

"I see that you too were drawn here, right Rose?" Rose turns around and sees a bald man, with some strange paintings on his face, his thin and skinny appearance concealing his strength. His eyes are all white with no iris, and around his neck is a necklace of small skulls…

Rose replies, "Yes, I see that you also sensed it, didn't you Dhalsim?"

Dhalsim nods, "I did."

Then, together they went to pick up the taxi. As they ride through the city, Rose asks, "So how did you sense this weird energy, Dhalsim?"

"I don't know…when I was meditating in my temple in India, I sensed an evil energy flowing here. An energy full of chaos…I don't know, but, I have a bad feeling that something evil will be unleashed here."

"You're right. In my cards, it was told about an evil being that will cover the world in darkness and despair."

Dhalsim ponders this. "This will be one battle that I do not think we could handle alone…have you tried to locate the other Street Fighters, Rose?"

"Some of them, but we'll need all of them for this mission."

Dhalsim agrees, "Indeed…for I have the feeling that not only will the world will be in danger…but the very universe as well."

* * *

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL – THE NEXT DAY:**_

Ranma, Akane and Ran are going home after the end of classes. They are heading for the school gate:

Ranma says, "Now that class's ended, how's about if we go to the movies. I want to see this peculiar movie that they're showing, I think it's called…-"The Last Samurai"-, and they say that it's cool."

Akane thinks it over. "Hmm…that's not a bad idea, Ranma. I heard that it got good reviews."

Ran remembers hearing about that movie too. "Yes, and that Gaijin was cool too, I think he's an American by the name of…what was it…oh yeah, Tom Cruise."

Seeing that the girls are interested, Ranma decides, "So be it, let's all go to see it, alright?"

Akane and Ran both agree, "Oh yeah!"

Just then they were about to reach the gate…someone is standing there…waiting for them…for it is…

Ranma's surprised. "Hey guys, look who it is!"

Akane gasps, "It's…it's Ryoga!"

"What's he's doing here?" Ran wonders aloud.

When they approach him:

"What do you want Ryoga?" Ranma asks his rival.

In an icy voice, Ryoga says, "I've come here for our fight, Saotome…Or have you forgotten? Did you read the mail you received?"

"Mail…oh yeah…" Shocked, Ranma then realizes, "Wait a minute…that was yesterday! But how could you…? I mean…?"

Akane's surprised as well. "Ryoga managed to come here on time…but, since when did Ryoga come to the right place without getting lost?"

Ran reaction is pretty much the same as Ranma and Akane's "Good question!"

"Hey Ryoga…how did you do it? How did you get here on time, without getting yourself lost?"

Ryoga, with evil intent in his eyes, clearly says, "Listen Ranma…I came here to put you away, permanently, so be prepared…to die!"

Ranma hmph's. "That so? Well, let's get started!"

Then they switch into their fighting stances…preparing for battle.

* * *

_**AT SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE…**_

M. Bison is watching the fight on his jumbo wide-screen TV. Alongside him is Tron Bonne. Below him are his fighters and servants. Admittedly, Bison's looking forward to this fight. "Now it's time to see how good this Ryoga boy really is."

Tron Bonne's already started a betting pool on this battle. Cheerfully, she announces, "Place your bets everyone!"

Balrog asks Sagat, "Who do you think will win?"

As Sagat watches events about to unfold on the big screen, he uses his keen sense of judgment forged from years of battle experience to size up the two warriors. Now granted this Ryoga boy is strong, with some good moves, but he's yet another mind-controlled fighter of the same ilk that Bison liked to employ in previous schemes. Sagat knows Erick was somehow involved in persuading the boy to join Shadowloo; he did not know what methods the strange priest used to do that nor did he care. He DID know that once Ryoga was released into Bison's service that Bison had the lost boy imbued with a sizable portion of Psycho Power before sending him into battle. Ranma, on the other hand… Sagat notices that this boy seems to have great potential for his age, almost as much as Ryu. He silently thinks how he'd like to fight with him after he settles the score with Ryu. Oddly enough, Ranma reminds Sagat of a boy who had the guts to challenge him several months ago back in his native Thailand. He was a little bit taller than Ranma, had long white hair, put up a good fight, too… And if Ranma's anything like THAT young man, this match could be… amusing to watch. Hmm, what was that kid's name…?

Anyway, keeping his observations to himself, Sagat simply replies, "I don't know…but I'm betting on that Ranma kid!"

* * *

_**BACK AT FURINKAN HIGH…**_

Ranma and Ryoga were about to start their fight:

Ryoga declares, "Ranma, today will be your last day here on Nerima, for today I will kill you."

Ranma's thinking, _Man…there's something very fishy with Ryoga._ Aloud, he says, "Listen Ryoga, I don't want to fight you! Aren't you tired of fighting with me? Can't you get on with your life? I'm tired of this."

Ryoga snarls back, "Ranma…this time will be different, cause today…this fight will be the definite one."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that…in this fight, only one of us will live…and that someone will be ME!"

Ranma gasps, "WHAT?!"

Ryoga flashes a cruel smile. "That's right, Ranma…you will die, and after I'm done killing you Ranma…" He turns around and glares at Akane. "…you will be next Akane!"

Akane's horrified! This isn't like Ryoga at all! "WHAT?!"

Ranma's mad now! "Ryoga…just what in the hell has gotten into you?"

"Shut up and fight Ranma…NOW!"

Then the fight begins. Ryoga charges toward Ranma at a very fast speed using a technique used by Shadowloo's Doll units (think Juli and Juni), the Mach Slide. Once he's in range, he strikes Ranma with a powerful punch. Ranma goes crashing into the wall. He is surprised at this – where did Ryoga get those kind of abilities? _Damn, Ryoga sure has_ _improved a lot. I didn't see him coming!_ Ranma thinks while getting up. "Okay, Ryoga…I see that you've trained more then usual, but so have I…so let's fight now, come on!"

"Ranma…today will be the day that I kill you…I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!!"

Then they resume their fight. Akane and Ran are watching them go at it; Akane had a worried look on her face after hearing from Ryoga. "What's wrong with Ryoga? Why is he like this?"

Ran guesses, "Don't know, Akane…probably he's still mad about the other day."

"But he's never said that to me ever…I wonder why he is like this?"

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – WITHIN ERICK'S INNER SANCTUM OF DARKNESS…**_

Erick is watching the fight with his beloved Delia on his wide-screen TV. He smirks, "Oh, you'll never believe it Akane, but Ryoga… Let's just say that he's not himself."

* * *

**_BACK TO THE FIGHT!_**

Ryoga is launching many punches and kicks at Ranma, without stopping, putting Ranma on the defensive. Ranma can't believe it; Ryoga is faster and stronger than usual.

Ranma says while dodging, "Man, how did Ryoga get to be this good!? I don't understand!"

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…**_

With an evil laugh Erick says, "It's because of my DVL Cells, Ranma, and you're gonna get a real surprise outta them."

Delia comments, "Things will get more interesting from here."

* * *

_**AND THE BATTLE CONTINUES…**_

Ranma punches Ryoga in the gut, but it seems that Ryoga didn't feel it at all, and counter-punches Ranma back. Ryoga then uses a new version of one of his signature moves…

"BAKUSAI TENMETSUUUUUU!" (Blasting Point Destruction)

Only this time, it is even more powerful than his original technique. A giant wave of rocks is unleashed upon Ranma like a tidal wave. It strikes him hard and buries him underneath it.

Akane and Ran both cry out, "RANMA, NOOOOOO!!"

Ryoga laughs cruelly, "Hahahaha…how does that feel, Ranma? Looks like I'm the winner! HA HA HA HA!!"

But then, the pile of rocks explodes, and Ranma emerges! Ryoga's furious while Akane and Ran are relieved:

Akane happily exclaims, "Ranma, you're alright!"

Ran is equally relieved. "Ranma!"

Ryoga gnashes his teeth in frustration. "Grrrrr..!!"

Then Ranma addresses Ryoga. "Ryoga, this fight isn't over yet! You hear me, pig?"

Ryoga charges toward Ranma! "DIEEEEEEEEE!!"

Ranma is thinking how to beat Ryoga now, seeing that ol' P-chan was stronger than usual… He's thinking, _There has to be a way to beat him! Ryoga now has a hard body and…wait, that's it! Maybe there could be a way to beat him!_ Ranma then waits for Ryoga to come and attack him.

Ryoga sees that Ranma is just standing there, without moving…

The Psycho-Powered Lost Boy smirks, thinking, _Now why's Ranma just standing there…? Heh, it must be because he's paralyzed by my superior skills!!_

Akane gasps, "Wha…what's Ranma doing? Why doesn't he move?"

A worried Ran replies, "I don't know…but he'd better move fast, or Ryoga will nail him hard!"

When Ryoga was close to Ranma, he launches his fist at him…-" THIS IS IT RANMA! YOU'RE DONE FOR!"-…but, Ranma moves away, and grabs his hand and throws him away, he lands hard into the wall…after that:

"GYAAAA!! WHAT HAPPENED?! HOW COULD I MISS HIM?" Ryoga says disbelievingly.

Ranma spells it out for him. ":Ryoga, you may have more power and a stronger body, but you lack speed and brains!"

"SAY WHAT?"

"You heard me, you can't control your power!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU, YOU JERK! I'LL TEAR YOU APART LIMB FROM LIMB!!"

Ranma motions to Ryoga in a "bring it" gesture. "Well, come on bacon breath!"

Ranma plan is to taunt Ryoga, so he'll lose his focus and fight blindly. It works, for Ryoga is blinded by his hate, and therefore he's fighting without focusing on his target. Ranma then proceeds to attack Ryoga with his move…

"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Ranma strikes Ryoga with about 768 punches. Ryoga receives them, and begins to get tired and hurt from Ranma's relentless counterattack.

A tired Ryoga yells, "DAMN YOU, RANMA…! I WON'T LET YOU WIN! I'LL KILL YOUUUUU!!"

"THIS FIGHT'S OVER, RYOGA!…" Ranma powers up, an aura of Ki expanding around him, then cuts loose with a…

"MOUKOOO TAKABISHAAA!!"

Ranma releases his golden ball on Ryoga, which explodes on contact! When the smoke clears, Ryoga is down on the pavement:

Hurt, Ryoga curses, "Damn you, Ranma…you cheater…you…you…ugn!" He passes out from his injuries.

On the sidelines, Akane and Ran are glad that Ranma won:

Akane breathes a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that the fight's over."

Ran likewise says, "Tell me about it!"

Ranma is looking at the fallen Ryoga. He sighs, "Well, guess it's over."

* * *

_**BUT, UNFORTUNATELY…**_

An evil smile appears on Erick's lips. "Aha…that's what YOU think Ranma my boy. This fight is NOT over…it's just beginning. Now you shall witness the power of the "Devil"! HAHAHA!"

Then Erick eyes began to shine white, and he begins to chant…

* * *

_**AT SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE…**_

Bison and his crew are watching the fight:

Sagat confirms, "That Ranma boy won, just like I said he would."

"Me too…," Vega says. He then turns to Rolento and Birdie, gesturing with his slender hand for them to fork over the cash. "Okay dudes, pay up."

M. Bison interrupts, "Don't assume anything…the fight is not over yet."

Tron Bonne asks, "What are you talking about, sir? That Ryoga boy lost."

"Not quite, Tron…the REAL fight will begin now."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Take a look."

And they watch the screen.

* * *

_**BACK IN NERIMA…**_

Ranma is with Akane and Ran, ready to leave. "Now that the fight's over, let's go. I'm hungry!"

"Sure, Ranma," Akane says.

When they're about to leave, they hear some chuckling…and someone calls him…-"Stop right there, Ranma!" They turn around and see that Ryoga is up, but his face was down, looking at the floor.

Ranma groans, irritated by Ryoga's persistence, "What now, Ryoga?"

Ryoga says while looking down, "Ranma, this fight isn't over, it's just beginning! Hahahaha!"

When Ryoga looks at them, Ranma, Akane and Ran gasp. Ryoga's face looked as if he were possessed, his eyes were red, his teeth were pointed sharp, like a wolf's, but the worst part was his voice. It sounded so evil, almost demonic. And it's as if another voice was heard from him, like someone 'else' was talking through him…and that person is…Erick.

Ryoga, in that eerie combined voice of Erick's and his own, says, **"****Ranma, prepare yourself, cause now, the real fight will begin! Hahahaha…HAHAHAHAAAA!****"**

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	28. Ranma VS Ryoga, Part II

CHAPTER 28

_**-"SHOWDOWN! THE RIVALS' FINAL CLASH! RANMA VS. RYOGA!"-**_

_**(PART II – ENEMIES NO MORE!)**_

Last time, Ryoga gets up, and Ranma and his friends see that Ryoga is acting as if he's possessed by a demon…then when he talks, it was as if two people were talking at the same time…for the other person is…Erick. Now Ranma is about to witness the power of the DVL Cells.

* * *

Ranma hears that Ryoga's talking strange, like if there's another voice talking at the same time! _What the heck is wrong with Ryoga? Why is he talking like that?"_

Akane, a little fearful, wonders, "What's with Ryoga, Ran? He's talking weird?"

Ran, taking note of Ryoga's odd behavior, confirms, "You're right Akane, he looks like he's been possessed or something. It's creepy."

In the battlefield, Ryoga looks directly at Ranma, with a deadly look in his eyes.

Erick-Ryoga declares, "**Ranma, now you will witness true power, so be prepared! Hahahaha!**"

Ranma's ready for another round. "Bring it on Ryoga! I'm ready!"

"**So be it…now behold this…GRYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!**"

Then Ryoga begins to change. His muscles grow bigger, more than his average size; his clothes are almost ripped off. He grows a little taller than Ranma. His eyes are glowing red, and his teeth are like a wolf's!

Ranma's shocked at his transformation, as well as Akane and Ran. He gasps, "What the…how did he do that?"

Erick-Ryoga roars, "**Ranma, now you will feel my wrath!** In his mind, Erick speaks to Ryoga, *("_Ryoga, it's time to eliminate Ranma Saotome! GO!_")*

Ranma immediately goes on the offensive, punching Ryoga in the gut. But, Ranma's shocked to see that Ryoga didn't feel it! Then Ryoga hits Ranma back, and the blow is so powerful that Ranma goes flying, crashes through a wall, and still going and lands 4 meters away. Akane and Ran are shocked at the violent scene.

Akane gasps, "Did you…did you see that Ran? Ryoga struck Ranma, and sent him flying away!"

Ran nods, though she afraid for Ranma's safety. "Wow! How did he do it? I didn't know that he was THIS strong!"

* * *

_**AT THE BATTLEFIELD…**_

Ranma's getting up, slowly, still shocked. Hurt he thinks, _Man…ugn…just how did Ryoga get to be this strong…? Ugn…could it be that he's using that –"Mark of the Battle God"- tattoo on himself again_?"

Ryoga lands before him, mocking, "**What's the problem Ranma? Feeling a little down? Well… ALLOW ME TO SINK YOU EVEN MORE!! KYAAAA!!**"

Ryoga launches a fist at Ranma only to have Ranma jump away, and Ryoga punches the ground, creating an explosion. Ranma then kicks Ryoga in his face, but again Ryoga doesn't feel it, and grabs Ranma's leg and slams him hard to the ground and launch him away. Ranma hits the floor hard, and begins to feel tiredness creeping in. _What's going on…Ryoga's never this strong…and I don't see any tattoo on him…so, how is it that he's so strong…? How?"_

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…**_

With his trademark evil smile, Erick laughs, "It's all because of my lovely DVL Cells Ranma hahaha…and you haven't yet seen what those Cells will do with Ryoga!"

* * *

_**BACK AT THE BATTLE…**_

Ryoga takes out some of his yellow bandanas and tosses them at Ranma. Ranma jumps up and evades them. But, in the middle of the air Ryoga appears in front of him, Ranma gasps. Ryoga hits Ranma with a two-fisted hammer blow over his head, and Ranma falls to the ground fast and crashes hard, like a falling meteor. When the smoke clears, Ranma is deep down in the crater.

Akane, horrified, cries out, "RANMAAAAAA!!" She starts to run to him, but Ran stops her. "…RAN, LET ME GOOO! I HAVE TO CHECK ON RANMA…!!" She whispers sadly, "I…I hope he's not dead…"

Ran reassures her, "Wait Akane, I'm sure Ranma's okay…but you have to wait."

Akane's crying, "Ranma…!"

Ryoga looks at Ranma, who's getting up, he was hurt:

Erick-Ryoga laughs, "**How does it feel Ranma? To be on the ground, like the worm you are? Now I'll make you feel like I felt! I'll make you suffer, you hear me…? I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!**"

Ranma, weak from the vicious beating he's taken, coughs a little blood. "Ryoga…cough cough…how can you say that I…cough…made you suffer?"

"**Cause it was you who took away my happiness, took away my honor, **-(eyes starting to glow red)-** TOOK AWAY MY LOVE! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM MEEEE!!**"

NOW, Ranma's mad. "Ryoga…how dare you say that? I didn't do such a thing, the problem with you…cough…is that, you do not want to admit your problems."

"**WHAT!?**"

"You call me dishonorable, but answer me this Ryoga…Did I ever tell anyone about your curse? Did anyone know about your curse…especially Akane…?"

"**What**** are you talking about?**"

"Remember the promise that I made you…the promise that I would not tell anyone about your curse…well, I kept it, I kept it from anyone, especially from Akane…and you used that same promise against me…by sleeping with Akane!"

Inside Ryoga's mind, his consciousness begins to wake up, and begins to remember it all:

Ryoga's thinking, _I…I…the promise…Ranma kept his promise._

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…**_

Erick then notices something that catches his eye…He sees that his Cells are beginning to grow weak:

_Hmmm__… __What's this? The DVL Cells are starting to lose their powers? It means that boy Ryoga is rejecting them…I can't let that happen__…!_ Erick then, concentrates and mentally persuades Ryoga, *("…_Ryoga, don't listen to Ranma, he's trying to fool you with his lies! Remember my words…Focus on who your enemy is… Ranma!_")*

* * *

_**ON THE BATTLEFIELD:**_

Ryoga hears Erick's voice in his mind. _That's right…Ranma is my enemy, and I will kill him!_

Ranma weakly coughs, "Ryoga, please…cough cough…let's end this rivalry, there is no point in fighting!"

And that's when Erick-Ryoga wakes up. "**That's where you're wrong Ranma…it will end…BY KILLING YOU!!**"

Ryoga then tries to kick Ranma on the ground, Ranma barely evades it, then Ranma manage to strike Ryoga with a sweep kick, Ryoga falls down, but gets up fast. –"**Hey Ranma, get a load of this move I've made just for you! Gryaaaaaaaa! RESSHIN HA!! **(Disastrous Earthquake Wave)"- Ryoga screams and slams his fist into the ground, releasing a wave of green energy at Ranma. It's fast; when it hits Ranma, it explodes like a big grenade and Ranma goes flying, landing hard on the ground.

Ranma's getting annoyed at this… _Man…cough cough…I better think of something fast on how to beat Ryoga…cough cough…but, it seems that he grew strong after our last encounter, but how…?_

Ryoga advances on Ranma, ready for the kill. "**Ranma…this is it…time to end your pathetic life by my hands…and after I kill you, I'll kill that stupid clone of yours…then I'll kill Akane!**"

"Ryoga…why…why would you kill Akane? Have you gone INSANE!? Why her? What has she ever done to you?"

"**Why…WHY? SHE REJECTED ME, THAT'S WHY! AKANE REJECTED ME, SHE CHOSE YOU OVER ME! SHE WILL PAY FOR THAT!**"

Akane couldn't believe what she just heard from Ryoga. She then goes there and stands in front of Ryoga. "RYOGA, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US? WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO KILL ME…BECAUSE I CHOSE RANMA OVER YOU?"

Erick-Ryoga replies, "**THAT'S RIGHT…I GAVE ALL MY LOVE TO YOU, EVEN MY LIFE, AND YOU TOSSED IT AWAY, AND CHOSE THAT WORTHLESS JERK RANMA OVER ME!**"

"Ryoga…are you still mad over that? Don't you get it Ryoga…? My heart belongs to Ranma, why can't you accept it?"

"**AND YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO TELL ME THAT!? YOU COULD'VE HAD ME, BUT YOU DECIDED TO CHOOSE THAT MISERABLE LIAR RANMA…WHO HURTS AND MAKES EVERYONE'S LIVES MISERABLE!**"

"A LIAR you call him, Ryoga? And what about you Ryoga? Are YOU an honorable man? HEH!? TELL ME THAT!"

"**OF COURSE I AM…UNLIKE THAT SCUM THAT I'M GONNA KILL!**"

"If so Ryoga…then why didn't you tell me about your curse…WHY DID YOU KEEP IT A SECRET FROM ME IF YOU LOVED ME…YOU SLEPT WITH ME, AND WORST…EVEN SAW ME NAKED WHEN I WAS CHANGING…SO TELL ME AGAIN, RYOGA…IF YOU ARE AN HONORABLE MAN…WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CURSE?"

Erick-Ryoga sweats. "**I…I…BECAUSE…CAUSE…**"

In his mind, Ryoga's beginning to ask himself about that…the truth which he was too scared to face…-"Why_ didn't I tell her…why…?_-()-_ Because I was scared of losing her…but," _Ryoga sadly thinks, when Erick calls him…-"_Ryoga, don't let her fool you! Remember, 'she' is also your enemy! You must get rid of her!_"-…

Receiving Erick's command, Ryoga immediately obeys. **"I don't have to explain anything to you Akane…!"** He charges toward her. **"PREPARE TO DIEEE!"**

A scared Akane shouts, "RYOGA! NOOOOOO!"

Ryoga was close enough to strike Akane, when Ranma pushes her away and takes the heavy impact of Ryoga's fist. This move hurts Ranma a lot, but he manages to stand up to Ryoga…with a serious face. "Ryoga…how dare you! How can you raise your fist at Akane? She's done nothing to you! Have you lost your mind? Even after all the things she's done for you!"

Ryoga angrily retorts, **"SHUT UP…SHE'S DONE NOTHING MORE THAN HURT ME! SHE'S DONE NOTHING MORE!"**

"That's where you're wrong Ryoga…have you forgotten all the times she helped you? She even defended you when we were always fighting…remember what she used to tell me when I was fighting you, eh…-"_Stop picking on Ryoga!_"-…you heard that phrase from her, and she hits me and helps you…do you remember that?"

Ryoga blinks – for a moment, he seems to return to his senses. "She helped me? Akane…"

Akane cries, "Ryoga please stop this…this fight will solve nothing, why can't you understand it?"

Erick speaks to Ryoga's mind, _Ryoga…don't let her stop you. Remember your mission; they are all your enemies…Enemies which must be destroyed…NOW_!"

Ryoga, fully under Erick's sinister influence, thinks, _He's right…they are my enemies…AND I WILL DESTROY THEM ALL_… Out loud, he roars, "**…I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU OR ANYBODY, I WILL KILL YOU ALL!!"**

Akane cries, not understating what – or who – has changed Ryoga so much. "Ryoga…why?"

"**DIE AKANEEEE!"**

Ryoga's ready to launch his attack at Akane and Ran, but Ranma tackles Ryoga and sends him to the floor. Ryoga gets up and glares at Ranma with a deadly look…Ranma's clothes are almost gone.

Ryoga's voice is ice-cold. "**YOU!**"

Ranma:" Ryoga…cough cough… I don't know what has happened to you…but I WON'T let you hurt Akane, even if I have to give my life for her…I"LL DO IT!"

Akane's touched. "Ranma…"

With an evil laugh Ryoga promises, "**Don't worry, Ranma…soon, you, Akane and all that you care for will perish with you…SO BE PREPARED TO DIE KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"**

Ryoga launches a barrage of punches and kicks at Ranma. Ranma's trying to block them, but Ryoga –(thanks to a combination of Erick's DVL Cells and Psycho Power)- is much faster and stronger. Then, Ryoga hits Ranma with a couple of hard punches and kicks. Ranma's losing blood from the violent assault. Then Ryoga hits Ranma with a hard kick and Ranma hits the ground, not moving at all. Ryoga's pleased; he then charges his heavy green ki, ready to finish Ranma off.

Ryoga laughs, "**HAHAHAHA…THIS IS IT RANMA! FINALLY, I'LL FINISH YOU OFF FOR GOOD… GO TO HELL! PSYCHO HOKODAN!!**"

Akane and Ran are desperate at the situation. Ryoga, now using the Psycho Power boost Bison gave him, releases his attack, launching a projectile that closely resembles M. Bison's own Psycho Shot, well… except for the green color. When it's about to reach Ranma, a shadow jumps in and picks Ranma up and jumps away, and the ball explodes…Ryoga's furious at this… "**WHAT? WHO DARES SAVE HIM? SHOW YOURSELF NOW!**"

When the smoke clears, Ryoga, Akane and Ran see someone carrying Ranma on his shoulder…it was a guy dressed in a blue kendo garb…for it's…

Ryoga's confused. "**KU…KUNO?**"

Akane, surprised, blinks in amazement. "Ku…Kuno? Ran, it's Kuno!"

"Yeah…look, he saved Ranma."

Ryoga's mad now. "**KUNO…JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?**"

Kuno puts down Ranma gently, and addresses Ryoga. "I could ask you the same thing, Ryoga Hibiki."

Ryoga blinks. "**Huh! What do you mean…? AND WHY DID YOU HELP THAT CURSED RANMA, KUNO? ISN'T HE YOUR ENEMY TOO? SO WHY DO YOU HELP HIM?**"

"I did it because he is now my friend."

"**SAY WHAT? FRIEND? HAVE YOU LOST IT KUNO?**"

"No…Ryoga, what are you hoping to gain from this?

"**WHAT?**"

"Do you honestly believe that slaying Ranma Saotome will heal your thirst for vengeance? Give you peace?"

"**YES…FOR HE'S THE REASON FOR MY HELL, HE MUST DIE CAUSE OF THAT!**"

Kuno shakes his head. "Ryoga…even if you kill Ranma…if you don't admit your problems, your quest for vengeance will never stop."

"**SAY WHAT? LISTEN KUNO, STEP ASIDE SO THAT I CAN FINISH OFF RANMA!**"

"I can't let you do that Hibiki…it is a duty of a Samurai to aid his fellow warriors."

Ryoga growls, threatening, "**LISTEN UP KUNO! EITHER YOU STEP ASIDE AND LET ME FINISH RANMA…OR YOU'LL BE CONSIDERED MY ENEMY TOO!**"

Kuno hmph's, disgusted. "I don't think so…and do you intend to attack Ranma while he's down? That's low! Have you no honor?"

"**I DON'T CARE…MOVE OR I'LL MAKE YOU MOVE…IN PIECES!**"

Kuno draws his bokken, assuming a battle stance. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"**THEN YOU TOO ARE MY ENEMY…DIEEEE!**"

Ryoga then proceeds to attack Kuno with all his might. Kuno's blocking some of his strikes, but with little luck. Ryoga nails Kuno in his gut, and he falls

"KUNO!" Akane exclaims.

"**Now stay there Kuno, once I finish them all…you'll be next!**" Ryoga begins to walk away…when…

"Wait!"

Ryoga then turns and sees that Kuno is up - hurt, but up. "**What now, Kuno?**"

Kuno uses his bokken as a crutch. He weakly questions, "Ryoga…what has happened to you? You used to be a good fighter, with honor…now you're filled with hate…this is not the Ryoga Hibiki I used to know."

"**WHAT?**"

Akane adds, "Kuno's right Ryoga…you used to be a good friend, why did you change?"

Ryoga stops her, yelling, "**SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU…WHY DO YOU CARE?**"

"We do because you are our friend Ryoga…"

Ryoga's beyond mad. "**LIES! YOU'RE NOT MY FRIENDS…BUT MY ENEMIES!**"

Kuno objects, "That's a lie Hibiki… Open your eyes and see that you're blinded by your hatred! Don't let it control you!"

"**SHUT UP, AND BESIDES…YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND MY PAIN!**"

Kuno corrects, "Oh but I do Hibiki, more then you could imagine…I used to hate Ranma, because I thought that he was keeping me from my Pig Tailed Girl…I always fought him, every day…but then, he made me realize the error of my ways…I too, was like you Hibiki! Don't waste your life in this pointless vendetta!"

Ryoga refuses to be convinced, shaking his head angrily. "**SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP…!! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE AGAINST RANMA…!**" He charges his Ki. "**I WONT LET ANYTHING STOP ME FROM GETTING MY VENGANCE!!**"

Ryoga is about to use another Psycho Hokodan on Ranma…then Akane goes to Ranma's side and stands in Ryoga's way as a shield for Ranma:

Kuno weakly gasps, "Akane Tendo…what are you doing?"

Ran gasps, "Akane!"

Ryoga sneers, "**SO…YOU'RE GONNA PROTECT THAT WEAKLING RANMA…? THEN YOU TOO WILL DIE!**"

Akane defiantly says, "Ryoga…I will protect Ranma, because I love him, and I will stand by his side no matter what!"

Ryoga screams at her, "**YOU BITCH! THEN THE TWO OF YOU WILL DIE TOGETHER!**"

Akane, now crying, maintains her brave front. "Go ahead Ryoga, kill us…but answer me this…By killing us, will this make you happy? Will it bring you peace?"

"**WHAT DO YOU MEAN?**"

"Ryoga…sniff…if you kill us, your hatred won't stop, it will never stop…. You'll be condemning yourself to a life full of hate! Is that what you want Ryoga…to be a murderer? To be alone and hated by everyone?"

"…**.........**" Inside Ryoga's mind, Ryoga was beginning to realize what he was about to do… He thinks, _Can…can she be right…? Do I want to do this…I…I've never killed anyone…!_

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…**_

Erick is watching as the hold on Ryoga's mind is beginning to weaken…meaning that Ryoga was breaking free of his DVL cells… _This will not do…I'd better 'step' into the situation, before things get loose_…Erick's eyes shine in white, as he uses his mental powers to go…

* * *

_**INSIDE RYOGA'S MIND…**_

Ryoga is in a foggy place, meditating on what he is doing…Ryoga begins to remember bits and pieces of his good times with Ranma, but most of all…Akane…-"_Akane was the first girl who was nice to me and helped me and_…"- Then, Erick appears before him. "Ryoga…just what are you doing? Finish them off now!"

Ryoga is unsure. " I'm…I'm not so sure if I want to do it."

Erick glares at him. "What do you mean…? Ryoga…have you forgotten who your enemies are?"

"I…I know…but…Akane…"

"Ryoga…you will kill them all…That's an order! You will obey."

"But…they're my friends and…"

"NO, Ryoga…! They are NOT your friends…never have been, never will be…I am your friend…for I gave you the power to beat Ranma, right? Do not be fooled by their lies…!" Erick proceeds to hypnotize him. "You will destroy them, Ryoga…destroy them you will."

Then Erick began to fuel Ryoga's depression and anger by showing him all his dark memories, dark pains…some of them in which Erick "modified"… The DVL Cells begin to take hold of Ryoga once again…

Hurt, Ryoga thinks, _He's__ right…they hurt me bad…they ARE' my enemies!_

Erick thinks, satisfied that he's back under his control, _Good, he's started to fall under the command of my DVL cells__. _Aloud he commands, "Now, Ryoga…KILL THEM ALL!!"

* * *

_**BACK AT THE BATTLE:**_

Ranma was waking up and sees Akane, Kuno and Ran with him…Then he sees Ryoga, just standing there, without moving:

Akane brightens up on seeing Ranma. "Ranma…you're awake!"

Ran asks him, "How you're holding?"

Ranma weakly replies, "I'm fine…weak, but okay…" He then spots Kuno. "Hey, Kuno, what are you doing here?"

Kuno honors his new comrade with a smile. "Why, to help you Saotome."

"Really?"

Akane recalls, "Yeah, he saved you when Ryoga released his attack at you."

"He did?" Ranma looks at Kuno. "Thanks Kuno."

Ran gets the others attention, "Hey guys, what's up with Ryoga…why hasn't he moved?"

Ranma manages to get up and sees Ryoga, who's still as a zombie… "Ryoga, you must stop this fight, it's pointless if we continue to fight…… ! You listening to me Ryoga?"

Then, they hear Ryoga chuckling evilly; when he sees them, Ranma and friends see Ryoga's face is full of hate. His eyes were like glowing yellow, his voice is now hollower, and, instead of his green ki, Ryoga is now covered in a dark blue-green ki:

"**You must be confusing me with someone who gives a damn…**" Ryoga's dark ki flares up. "**RANMA, I SAID THAT I WAS GONNA KILL YOU…AND KILL YOU I WILL! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

Ryoga's very angry, then, driven by his hate for Ranma he dashes forward for the kill. Ranma's still weak, so he couldn't move fast enough to evade the incoming attack. When Ryoga was close to Ranma, Ran jumps in and strikes Ryoga with her –"Heat Trigger"- fire-blast technique. It hits him, but only makes him angrier:

Ryoga glares at Ran. "**YOU…YOU MISERABLE RANMA-CLONE! ONCE I FINISH RANMA, I'LL TEAR YOU APART!**"

Ran seriously says, "Ryoga, I won't let you kill Ranma! I love him like a brother, so like Akane, I too will stand by his side!"

"**HA! THEN YOU THREE WILL DIE!**"

Akane's pleading, "Ryoga, please, I'm begging you, stop this fight! It's pointless!"

"**SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP**!"

Then Ryoga does the un-expected…He shoots his Psycho Hokodan at Akane and hits her. Ranma watches, horrified, as his fiancée was struck by Ryoga's attack, she flies away and lands painfully on the ground… From Ranma's perspective, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Ranma's screaming, "AKANEEEE…NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Kuno gaspes loudly, "Akaneeeeeeeee"

Ran cries, "NOOOOOO!"

In his mind, Ryoga sees it and gasps…but the DVL Cells controlling him block that out, making him forget that part…

Ryoga then sees Ranma. Ranma was now up, he was mad, no, FURIOUS with Ryoga! His eyes are on fire:

Ranma, with righteous fury burning in his eyes, says, "Ryoga, what you did was unforgivable…you hurt Akane! You just made the ultimate mistake…YOU HEAR ME, A BIG MISTAKE!"

Ryoga laughs, "**HA, DON'T WORRY, I'LL STILL KILL YOU! THEN I'LL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE AND CARE ABOUT…YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, EVERYONE!!**"

"Ryoga…I don't know what the hell's got into you, or why you're doing this…BUT NO ONE MESSES WITH MY LOVED ONES, RYOGA!! I'LL TEACH YOU THE PRICE FOR MESSING WITH THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT!"

"SHUT UP AND DIEEE!"

Ranma turns Ran and Kuno. "Guys, go and help Akane…leave us!"

Then Ran and Kuno went to see how Akane's doing…Meanwhile, Ryoga and Ranma are ready for the battle… which might be their last.

Ryoga then launches himself fast at Ranma, with his fist covered in dark green fire…-"**THIS IS IT RANMA…DIEEEEE…**"

What happened next, however, shocks Ryoga big-time…

Ranma grabs his fist with his hand and stop it. Ryoga can't believe it. A while ago Ranma was very weak, barely standing up, but now… his strength's increasing, almost crushing his fist, Ryoga's in intense pain…

"**WHATS GOING ON HERE?**" Ryoga then howls in pain, "**GRAAAA…I DON'T BELIEVE IT! GRYAAA…HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?**"

Ranma in an icy voice says, "Ryoga, never have I said this to you…BUT YOU JUST PISSED ME OFF…BIG TIME, AND NOW YOU'LL PAY!"

Ryoga sees that Ranma's telling the truth, for Ranma's battle aura is immense, like he'd just gone Super-Saiyan. Then Ranma unleashes a devastating combo attack on Ryoga. Punches and kicks were striking him hard like lightning …Ryoga then releases another Psycho Houkodan at Ranma…Ranma only swings his arm and deflects the green spark-ball, tossing it another way…Ryoga's beginning to get scared off by this, but it doesn't stop him.

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…**_

Erick coldly comments, "Hmmm…just as I thought would happen…that Ranma boy is really an interesting mortal…I guess Ryoga's vengeance will come to an end."

Delia agrees, "Yes…Ryoga's fame has come to an end."

* * *

_**BACK AT THE BATTLEFIELD:**_

Ranma shouts, "Ryoga…YOU'RE DONE FOR…KYAAAAAA!"-

In awe of Ranma'a reawakened power, Ryoga whimpers, "**…………**"

Ranma then powers up his Ki and yells…-"SHIN-MOUKO TAKABISHAAAAA"-…release his True Pride of the Fierce Tiger…only this one is very powerful…it's like a small energy wave – can we say Kamehameha here? It strikes Ryoga hard and explodes big time.

When the smoke clears, Ryoga's in the center of a deep crater, unable to move…Ranma then rushes to see about Akane. He's relieved that Akane's OK, only a little weak, but OK otherwise…

Happy, Ranma's by her side. "Akane…thank God you're all right!" He grabs her arm. "You're not too hurt aren't you?"

Akane weakly smiles. "Don't worry, Ranma, I'm fine. Just a little dirty, but fine."

Ran clasps Ranma's shoulder. "Hey Ranma, that was a great fight you had"

Kuno nods his approval. "Indeed Saotome, you beat him good."

Ranma sighs, "Yeah…now I just hope that it's finally over."

Then they hear a loud groan of pain and turn around to see the origin of the sound…they see Ryoga crawling on the ground, weak and beaten… and, thankfully, not **talking like this anymore**, using that "Possessed-by-Evil-Power Voice" (trademark-patent pending)!

Ranma's annoyed. "Oh man… Don't tell me that he wants to go at it again!?"

Ran shakes her head, pitying him. "Man…he sure is a stubborn pig."

What they hear is a weakened Ryoga cursing, "Damn you…cough,cough…Ranma…you…cheater!"

Ranma puts his foot down; he's had enough of this. He firmly says, "Ryoga…you lost, okay? Now why don't you leave?"

"How could I lose? Cough cough…I couldn't…"

Then someone appears in the air, floating above…it's Erick!

Looking down on Ryoga, he says, "Well, well, what have we here? It appears that you look quite a mess Hibiki."

Ranma wonders, "Hey, who is that guy?"

Akane replies, "Beats me."

Ryoga crawls up to Erick, pleading with him, "Erick…thank God you're here…please…help me defeat Ranma, would you?"

Erick laughs coldly, "HA! And why would I do that?"

"Because…because we're friends, right? Come on man…lend me a hand here!"

Erick laughs, "Ha ha ha ha haaaa…please, ME, friends with a pathetic being like you? I think you hit your head a little bit harder than usual, boy."

Ryoga's confused. But…I thought that you…wanted to help me…and…"

Erick decides to enlighten him. "Hibiki, here's the truth…I wanted someone to test my creation…someone who could be a fool, someone who would do anything for anything, with nothing to lose…someone who could carry out a mission without losing anything."

Ryoga now has a hurt look in his eyes. "You mean…you were just…using me?"

Erick grins. "That's right, Hibiki boy…just like everyone you know does…or haven't you figured it out yet?"

Ryoga's too stunned to say anything. "……….…"

Something about Erick rubs Ranma the wrong way. "This guy is getting really annoying!"

Erick continues, "Ryoga…you know why you lost, even with the upgrades Bison and I gave you? It's because you are a LOSER. Always have been, always will be …No wonder you always lose against Ranma."

Ryoga stretches his arm out to the man who helped him before – and who's just now turned his back on him. "You can't…you can't mean that…! Come on…you said you'd help me!"

Erick's still laughing. "And you believed that? Then you're more of a fool than I thought."

Kuno grimly remarks, "I don't know who that fellow is…but he's not very friendly."

"Ryoga…why don't you do us a big favor…AND DIE ALREADY WOULD YOU!? Because, it is YOU who makes everyone's lives a living hell, YOU who destroys everyone's happiness! I wouldn't be surprised if your own parents abandoned you… Well, I've got to go." Erick turns to Ranma, offering his personal congratulations. "You fought well, Ranma."

Ranma's never met Erick before. But based on what's he seen, how Erick's treated Ryoga, already he decides he does NOT like him. "Just who the hell are you anyway!?"

Erick smiles, "Don't worry, Ranma…we will meet again soon, good day…" He turns back to Ryoga, finally saying, "…Goodbye Ryoga. I sincerely hope your death isn't as painful as how you lived."

Then Erick vanishes…

Ranma sees Ryoga. Ryoga is crying. "Hey Ryoga, you okay?"

Ryoga sobs miserably, "So…sniff, sniff…I was just used, like always…Used!"

"Hey, Ryoga?"

"I guess he's right…sniff sniff, I am a loser…!" Ryoga then yells, "A LOSER!!"

Ranma tries to cheer his rival up. "Come on Ryoga, cut that out, you're not a loser!"

Ryoga cries, "GGGRAAAAAAAAAAA…WHY…WHY DOES EVERYONE USE MEEEEE…WHY AM I ALWAYS ALONEEEE? GRYAAAAAAA!!"

Then suddenly, Ryoga's depression explodes. Ryoga is covered in a massive pillar of green energy…his depression reached its maximum point…

Akane gasps, "What's happening to Ryoga?"

Ran panics, "I don't know!"

Kuno's the first to realize how bad things have just gotten (for once!). "Oh no…Ryoga's depression has reached the lowest point!"

"What do you mean Kuno?" Akane asks, trying to understand.

Kuno, though worried (he's doing a pretty good job of not showing it!), explains, "It means Akane…that we're all in grave danger."

* * *

**_RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…_**

Erick arrives there, Delia watches him. "Why, Erick, I though that you were going to eliminate that Ryoga boy for his failure?"

"Don't worry De-Chan…Ryoga will eliminate himself…along with Ranma and his friends."

"What do you mean? How?"

"Just watch."

* * *

_**BACK AT THE BATTLEFIELD:**_

Ranma sees that Ryoga's getting more and more depressed. The pillar of green energy surrounding him is getting bigger and bigger; he's crying piteously all the while…

Ranma's worried. "Oh man…if I don't stop Ryoga right now…this could get ugly."

Akane's confused. "Why Ranma?"  
"Cause Ryoga needs to release all that depression outta him…or else."

"Or 'else' what Ranma?" Ran asks, having a feeling she's NOT gonna like what she hears next.

Ranma explains, "If Ryoga doesn't release all that dark depression…the energy in him will expand like a balloon…until…"

Akane hesitates to ask, "What Ranma?"

"Until Ryoga explodes like a small atomic blast."

Needless to say, Akane and Ran are both horrified! "WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

* * *

Ranma's getting nervous at the scene before him…Ryoga's about to kill himself with his strongest depression-Ki-based attack, the Perfect Shishi Hokodan, along with possibly everyone within a 5-mile radius… he needed to act fast.

Desperate Akane asks, "Ranma, what are we gonna do?"

Ranma decides, "We've gotta talk to Ryoga. We must talk him out of doing that."

Ran, unlike Ranma, has no idea how to counter Ryoga's depression-fueled (and now Psycho Power-ed) death-blow. She wonders, "But how?"

Kuno urges, "We must talk to him NOW, like Saotome requests…Let us go at once!"

Ranma and his friends go to Ryoga, who's crying pathetically inside the pillar of green energy… "WHYYY…? WHY DOES EVERYONE USE MEEE…!? IT'S NOT FAIR!!"

Ranma's all business now – it's no laughing matter. Getting serious, he is the first to intervene. "Ryoga, stop this. You're not alone man."

Akane's next to try. "Ryoga…don't believe what that weird guy told you."

Ran adds, "Akane's right man, don't do this."

Kuno, too, lends his efforts to talk Ryoga out of taking his own life. "Listen to US, Ryoga…don't be fooled by his lies."

But unfortunately for them…Ryoga wasn't listening to them, he's too depressed to hear anything at the moment…

Sadly, he thinks, _Maybe Erick's right_, _and maybe I've caused nothing but trouble_… Out loud, he whispers, "Maybe I should kill myself."

Ranma screams, "DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT RYOGA!"

Akane further objects, "THAT'S RIGHT…DON'T DO IT!"

Ran shouts, "ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND…!? THAT'S CRAZY!"

Kuno implores, "RYOGA…DON'T BE A FOOL, DON'T BE A COWARD…DEATH IS NOT THE ANSWER!"

Ryoga fires back, "WHY SHOULD ANY OF YOU CARE…HE WAS RIGHT…WHAT DO I HAVE TO LIVE FOR? WHAT?"

Ranma can't believe this! "RYOGA, YOU STUPID…HOW ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS? HOW ABOUT YOUR LIFE?"

"WHAT LIFE? I HAVE NO LIFE! I'M ALONE, YOU HEAR ME? ALOOONE…!WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT, RANMA!? YOU HAVE IT ALL, A FAMILY, FRIENDS, LOVE! WHAT DO I HAVE…? NOTHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"

Ryoga's depression is getting stronger. He's charging up the heavy Ki like a bomb. A small earthquake's being produced around him. Meaning that time's getting short. Before he self-destructs, Ranma and friends must work fast.

Ranma gives it his all, trying to convince the Suicidal Lost Boy. "Ryoga, you're wrong! You have us, you have a family, and you have...ME!"

Akane urgently pleads, "He's right, and you have me Ryoga…please don't kill yourself!"

Ran persuades, "Ryoga…don't be weak, you're strong! Don't be like that!"

Kuno seriously urges him not to do it. "Ryoga…only cowards choose that way, and you are NO coward…or are you?"

Ryoga, not wanting the much-needed intervention from his enemies (or so Erick's led him to believe – that creep!), cries angrily, "SHUT UP! WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT MY PAIN, ABOUT MY SUFFERING? YOU ALL HAVE SOMEONE YOU LOVE, SOMEONE TO SHARE YOUR LIFE WITH…ME? I HAVE NO ONE, NOBODY LOVES ME AS YOU GUYS HAVE…!" His anger spent, he asks the question, "…so…so what should I live for?"

Ryoga then closes his eyes and concentrates… The energies of depression inside of him, warped and twisted by the combination of DVL Cells and Psycho Power, are ready to explode…he's ready to explode. _This is it…I guess this is it_…, Ryoga thinks, sobbing. _When I die, I'll be at peace!_ Ryoga prepares to unleash his ultimate move…Ranma and friends are horrified at the scene before them, they couldn't do anything to stop it, and now… now it's too late.

Ranma makes one last plea. "WAIT RYOGA, DON'T DO IT!"

Akane screams, "RYOGA, NOOOOOO!!"

Alas, Ryoga didn't hear them…

Ryoga, with the heaviest of hearts, thinks, _Goodbye cruel world, may I find peace in heaven_… Aloud, he begins to call out, "**PERFECT…SHI-SHIIIII…!**"

Just then (right in the nick of time, one would say!), a girl's voice pleads, "Ryoga, please don't die!"

Ranma and friends turn around to see who that voice belongs to…they see a girl riding atop a large pig, a girl who both Ranma and Ryoga know… especially Ryoga…for the girl is… Akari Unryu! Oh, and the pig is Akari's pet, the champion sumo-wrestling pig Katsunishiki.

Ranma gasps, "Hey, its Akari!"

Akane can't believe it! "Akari? What's she's doing here?"

Akari dismounts from Katsunishiki, and walks toward Ryoga. Ryoga himself is surprised to see her. "Aka…Akari, what are you doing here?"

"Ryoga…please don't die."

Ryoga scolds her, "Why do you care? What do I have to live for…? Nobody loves me! I am alone."

Akari pleads, "That's not true Ryoga! There IS someone who loves you!"

Ryoga laughs as he's about to end his life. "LIES! WHO COULD EVER LOVE ME? HUH? WHO?"

Akari whispers, "……Me."

Ryoga gasps, "WHAT…YOU?"

Ranma and friends shout, "HER!"

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…**_

Erick blinks. "Hmm… Well I'll be damned…so there IS someone who loves that boy …Who wouldn't have thought?"

Delia comments, "I guess that everyone can find love."

"So it seems," Erick says, frowning.

* * *

_**THE BATTLEFIELD:**_

Ryoga is taken by surprise at Akari's confession…she ACTUALLY told him that she loves him…!

Confused, startled even, by this, he asks, "W-what did you say, Akari?"

"That I love you, Ryoga."

Ryoga denies that notion, "No…that's a lie! You don't love me Akari, you only love me because I turn into a little pig…and because I beat that Sumo Pig of yours!"

Akari's shaking her head. "No Ryoga, that's not true…at first it was…but as time went by, I began to feel more and more attracted to you…to the point that…I fell in love with you."

"YOU LIE! IF THAT'S TRUE, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT, AKARI? EH? WHY?"

"I… I was afraid."

"Afraid…afraid of what?"

Akari sobs, "Afraid of being rejected by you!"

"By me?"

"Yes…every time you were with me at my home, you always talked about Akane…," Akari sadly admits. "About how great Akane was, how sweet Akane was, 'Akane this, Akane that', I mean, I just thought that I couldn't compete with her, since you always talked about her…"

Akane and Ranma are stunned by Akari's confession. "Geez…I never knew she felt that way about Ryoga."

Ranma nods, "Tell me about it, Akane."

Ryoga himself can't believe it. Akari loved him. Someone loved him. _Akari loves me! Could it be…? No, no it couldn't be!_ Out loud, he vehemently denies it. "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU…I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY, ANYBODY'S PITY!!"

Akari gasps, "BUT IT'S THE TRUTH, RYOGA… ! I **DO** LOVE YOU!!"

"NOOOOOOO…LIES…ALL LIES…WHY DON'T YOU ALL LEAVE ME ALONE, SO THAT I CAN DIE ALONE!?"

Ryoga is now ready to release all his accumulated power and die…then suddenly something happens… Akari runs up to him, jumping INTO (!) the growing column of heavy Ki, and hugs him tight…

Ranma gasps, "WHAT IS SHE DOING?"

"IS SHE CRAZY?" Akane yells.

"I DON'T KNOW…BUT THAT'S SUICIDE!" Kuno shouts, stating the obvious.

Ryoga's power creates a little hurricane…time's almost up…hurry!

Ryoga gasps at Akari's presence INSIDE the swirling vortex of destruction. "AKARI…!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Akari yells, "WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE…I'M STAYING WITH YOU, RYOGA!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY? GET OUT OF HERE!"

Akari tightens her embrace. "NOOO!"

"GET OUT OF HERE, NOW…IF YOU STAY WITH ME…YOU'LL DIE!"

"I DON'T CARE!"

"WHAT?"

"RYOGA, I LOVE YOU, AND I'D RATHER DIE WITH YOU IF IT MEANS THAT I'LL STAY WITH YOU!"

"AKARI…WHY?…I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

"I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART, RYOGA…SO IF YOU GO, I'LL GO WITH YOU!"

"Do…do you really love me? You're not…joking with me, are you?"

Then Akari kisses Ryoga full on the lips…Ryoga's mind is accelerating…then, Ryoga accepts the kiss too, and he hugs her back…then a miracle occurs …Ryoga's powers of depression begin to cool down; even more, somehow Erick's DVL Cells are disintegrated by the Ki along with the Psycho Power boost… Then, when they separate from their kiss…

Ryoga finally says to Akari, "You…you do love me!"

Akari happily says, tears in her eyes, "Yes, Ryoga, I love you."

A small smile on his face, Ryoga whispers, "She loves me! Someone loves me!"

Then Ryoga faints into Akari's chest. The hurricane dissipates and the small earthquake dies down. Ranma and his friends are greatly relieved. Then they go to Akari and Ryoga…

Ranma's relieved. "Phew…glad that NOW it's over…I thought we were goners!"

Akane agrees, "Tell me about it…say, is Ryoga okay?"

Ran replies, "Looks fine…" She looks at Akari. "Say, who's the girl?"

Ranma smiles, and tells Ran, "Oh, that's Akari…she's a VERY special friend of Ryoga's."

Kuno questions Akari, "How is Ryoga…is he alright?"

Akari, still holding the unconscious Ryoga to her bosom, looks up and around at everyone. "Yes, he's okay…he's just fainted. He will be alright."

Ranma says, "In that case, let's take him to our house."

Akane nods, "Right."

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER…**_

Erick is very intrigued regarding what happened to the Cells. Rubbing his chin, he comments, "Well, well, this is very peculiar, yet fascinating."

Delia asks, "Aren't you mad Erick-san?"

Erick smiles. "Nope, De-chan…not at all."

"That's good. I'd thought that you'd be either angry or sad over the failure of your Cells."

"Not quite, De-chan…as I told you before, it was just a 'Test"…a test to see how my Cells would work…even though it failed, it showed me in what parts I need to on work to make them better."

Delia understands. "I see…very clever, Erick my love."

"I know…well, I'd better get to work, for later…I'll show everyone my hard, long work."

"Very well."

* * *

_**NERIMA, JAPAN – TENDO DOJO:**_

Four hours later, Ryoga wakes up slowly, and sees that he's in a bed, inside a room. He weakly asks, "Man! Where am I?"

"Finally awake, eh Ryoga?" When Ryoga looks around, he sees Ranma right beside his bed.

Ryoga's surprised. "Wha…Ranma, what are you doing here?"

Ranma blinks. "Here? I live here, Ryoga…you're in the Tendo Dojo."

"I am?" Ryoga looks around. "I am, am I?"

"So, how are you Ryoga?"

"Um…fine…but, why am I here?"

"Why! Don't you remember Ryoga…a while ago we were fighting outside Furinkan High, and, you went overboard with your attacks and…"

Ryoga whispers, "So, it wasn't a dream…"

Then, the door opens up, and Akane, Ran and Akari step in. Akari's the first to speak. "Ryoga…you're alright."

"Akari…Akane, you're all here."

"How are you feeling Ryoga?" Akane asks.

"Um…I'm fine, thanks…so it wasn't a dream, it really did happen?"

And, after Ryoga gathers his strength, and will, he decides to talk to Ranma. "Ranma…why didn't you kill me back there?"

"I couldn't, man…no matter how bad you were, I could never kill you."

"Even after all the things I did to you?" Ranma nods in reply to Ryoga's question. "You really ARE an honorable man."

Akane admits, "Yeah, that's Ranma for you."

"But tell me Ryoga…" Ranma really wanted to know, "Why do you fight me all the time…why do you always blame me for all your troubles?"

Ryoga sadly confesses, "The truth Ranma…was that…I was jealous of you."

"Jealous of me…? I don't understand."

"I envy you Ranma…you have it all…friends, family, a girl that loves you…I kinda got jealous, for I didn't have all those things you have…I guess that, I was filled with jealousy."

"Is THAT all, Ryoga…?" Ranma actually allows himself a small laugh. "Ryoga, you didn't have to get jealous; if anything, **I** 'was' the one who was really in 'hell'. At least you didn't get sold by your own father when you were a child, you didn't get engaged to many girls by your father, you didn't have to fight all your life against many enemies who wanted to kill you, among them YOU, AND you didn't get blamed for all the troubles that happened around here, even if it wasn't your fault."

Ryoga's actually shocked! "I…I didn't know, Ranma." _Man, and I thought MY life was hell…compared to Ranma's, I had it easy!_ Aloud, he says, "I never thought that you had that kind of life."

"How could you? You were always fighting with me all the time."

Ryoga's ashamed. He now turns to face Akane. "Akane…I know that you'll never forgive me by never telling you that I was P-chan, but, I want to say how sorry I am, and, that you were right, I was taking advantage of that…but, you don't know how sorry I am."

Akane thinks about it for a moment before she says anything. "Well…I guess I could…even though I was mad at you that time, I can't hold a grudge against you forever…" She smiles. "But, okay Ryoga, if you really mean it, I forgive you."

Ryoga brightens up when he hears that. You can just imagine the joy, the look of relief in his eyes. "Really, Akane? Thanks a lot, I mean it…" To Ranma, he apologizes, "And you too Ranma, I hope that you can also forgive me for using our promise to hurt you."

Ranma grins. "Hey, like Akane says, Ryoga…I won't hold it against you either…And, you're not alone Ryoga, you have us, AND you got her now," he says, pointing to Akari.

Akari smiles, embracing him. "Yes dear Ryoga, you also have me."

Ryoga's amazed at – and silently grateful to! - Akari. "I still can't believe that you love me Akari…I thought that I was just dreaming!"

Akari giggles, "No you silly!"

Then they have a good meal. Over the course of the day, Ryoga manages to release all his hidden emotions, secrets, all to Ranma and friends. They were able to talk it over, and Ryoga begins to feel good about himself, for the first time in a LONG time. He even laughs when he was telling about his journeys…

Later, the group is outside the Tendo Dojo. Ryoga's all packed, and Akari is beside him:

"So where are you going now Ryoga?" Ranma asks.

Ryoga tells him, "I'm going with Akari to her home to spend some time with her. Getting to know each other if you know what I mean…" he winks.

Akane's happy for him – and for Akari, too. "That's good Ryoga, and you too Akari."

Akari blushes. "It is."

Ran good-naturedly eggs him on, "Well, you take good care of her, Ryoga."

Ryoga blushes. "I will, you can count on that! Heh heh heh heh!"

Then, Ryoga and Ranma shake hands…

"You take care of yourself, Ryoga."

"You too, Ranma…and, I want you to know that, from this point on, my revenge against you is over. I hope that we could be friends?"

"Friends…yeah, of course, Ryoga! I wouldn't want it any other way."

Akane's happy for both of them. "That's good, Ryoga. I'm so happy for you guys!"

Ran smirks, "Glad that he changed…right Akari?"

Akari nods, "Yes…shall we go, Ryoga?"

"Yes, let's…" Ryoga waves at Ranma and Akane. "See you later Ranma. Take good care of Akane, she's a nice girl, and you Akane, take care of Ranma, he is indeed a very special guy."

"Sure, Ryoga," Ranma says, smiling

"You bet." Akane says.

Then, they watch as Ryoga goes with Akari, riding on Katsunishiki. They've only traveled a short distance from the Tendo house, when Ryoga turns around and yells back at Ranma…

"Hey Ranma…maybe next time, we'll have a battle between you and me, not as enemies…but a friendly battle…whaddya say?"

"You bet Ryoga!"

And so, Ryoga heads off with Akari by his side, to a new life, and a new love. Ryoga is, for the first time in his life, truly happy. Ranma is too, for he's gained a new friend.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	29. Okay, everybody, let's take a deep breat

CHAPTER 29

_**-"OKAY, EVERYBODY, LET'S TAKE A DEEP BREATH…THE STORY THUS FAR"-**_

Hey, everyone! This is your friendly neighborhood narrator! You know, the one who was supposed to have been fired, oh, about ten or so chapters ago? I'm still here! Hee hee!

Well, a LOT has happened since our story began! So let's review some of the events and the major players involved, shall we?

* * *

It all started out as a usual day for _**Ranma Saotome**_, heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, and his fiancée _**Akane Tendo**_:

"Geez Akane," Ranma snaps, "Why do you always have to be so violent?"

Akane counters back with, "Cause you're always being a hentai, and a pervert that's why!"

"Now why do you say that?"

"Don't give me that innocent face you jerk! I saw you flirting with that Chinese bimbo Shampoo!"

"For the 12th time Akane, I wasn't flirting! She came onto me and asked me as usual to take her out. It's nothing to get jealous about."

"Who's jealous! You can go out with whomever you want! I don't care!"

"Riiight. I don't know why you can't control yourself, I mean, you blow up at everything."

Akane glares at him. "What did you say to me?"

The next thing Ranma sees is the terrible mallet that Akane takes out and uses to pound Ranma into the pavement. After that she walks away, leaving Ranma on the pavement:

A hurting Ranma groans, "Ugh… Damn Akane and that mallet… I swear, why do I follow this stupid engagement? Man, I got fiancés who want to marry me, people who want to kill me, a crazy family… Things can't get weirder than this!"

Of course, Ranma doesn't know how right he is….

* * *

The girl apologizes, "Oh I'm sorry! My name is _**Ran Hayami**_, sorry about this…"

Ran Hayami, a girl suffering from amnesia, shows up on the doorstep of the Tendo Dojo one rainy night. Because of her memory loss, Ran has no recollection as to who or what she really was, or where she came from. All she could remember was her name and that she was supposed to find Ranma Saotome for some reason.

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

"WHY YOU... THAT'S IT! TAKE THIS! KYAAAAAAAAA!" Then with pure rage, Akane charges against Ran, but Ran just evades her attacks, Akane couldn't believe the speed this girl has. She's getting very, very, frustrated. "STAND STILL YOU BITCH SO THAT I CAN HIT YOU!"

Ran laughs, "You cannot be serious, girl! Why would I let you hit me? What a joke!"

That only makes Akane even angrier then before. Then with blind rage, she throws punches and kicks, but Ran dodges them all with ease. Ranma was watching the fight; when he sees Ran fighting, he recognizes the moves that she was doing: Ranma thinks, _WOW, Ran's fighting skill looks very much like… like the Saotome Special Techniques, but how? How is it that she knows that fighting style?_

And Ran was getting tired of Akane, then, she decides to end it. She hits Akane with a powerful punch in her stomach. Akane goes down to the floor, twitching in pain.

-( END FLASHBACK)-

To the surprise of everyone, Ran possesses exceptional fighting skills and somehow knows the techniques of the Saotome-ryu Anything Goes Martial Arts. But how does she know how to fight? Why does she look like Ranma's girl form, and why doesn't she have any memories of her past? Nevertheless, Ranma and Ran hit it off and become friends from the start.

Akane Tendo, Ranma's "un-cute" fiancée, of course doesn't like Ran at first, thinking she's yet another fiancée for Ranma. But surprisingly, it is Ran who helps Akane get over a personal trauma from her childhood and in the process saves Ranma and Akane's engagement. From that day onward, Ran and Akane have been friends, almost like sisters.

However, Ran's been having some strange dreams. They frighten her, because they keep telling her to kill Ranma over and over again. In addition, some of them reveal clues to her clouded past. The events that gave her amnesia, and led up to her arrival in Nerima, cause her to wonder who she really is and the identity of her long-lost brother.

* * *

"The name's R. Remember it in hell!"

We meet _**R**_, a young fighter with fists of steel and a king-sized grudge against Ranma.

He's here in Nerima on orders from his boss / foster father, that mad scientist and archenemy of _**Megaman**_, _**Dr. Albert W. Wily**_! His mission is to hunt down and kill Ranma! To accomplish this, he poses as a transfer student and attends Furinkan High. While at school, R meets a familiar-looking girl (Ran Hayami)….

+++(BEGIN SERIES OF FLASHBACKS)+++

The next morning, R got up, got dressed, then he rushes toward Furinkan High School. Being his first day, he tries to study the scene. While on the way he spots Ranma, Ran, and Akane running toward school:

R thinks, There _he is… Ranma Saotome, but wait, who's that girl with him?_ –(Ran)- _She seems very familiar, but from where? Nah, I'll worry about that later._

At lunchtime, we see R sitting under a tree outside the school. He sees Ran coming toward him. R thinks: _That girl is... familiar...Where have I seen her before?_

The next thing he knows, Ran is sitting beside him! "Hi!" she says cheerfully.

R just turns around and glares at this girl. She's got some nerve!

Stung by his response, Ran counters, "Hey! Can't you be a little more friendly?"

Ran gets no response from R. She just looks at him. R looks back at her. Irritated, R asks, "Why are you still looking at me like that! Didn't your folks teach you not to stare?"

Ran's hurt. "I…I don't have any."

"What? Any what?"

"Folks…parents…a mother and a father…. I never had either. I've been all alone." Ran looks like she's about to cry.

"Ah, geez… Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. Don't cry, okay?" R he hands Ran his handkerchief, a red silk one with a golden letter R embroidered in it; Ran dries her tears. "If it'll make you feel any better, I've got no folks either. I've been on my own for pretty much most of my life too. Anyway, let's not talk about such unpleasant things."

Ran breathes sadly, "Oh, R…."

R doesn't turn to look at Ran one bit. So focused is he on chatting with his late parents that he doesn't notice her coming toward him. The next thing he knows, she's right beside him, holding him closely, tenderly.

Huh? This catches R totally by surprise. He's never been this close to a girl before, not even with Kodachi. At this range, R gets a faint whiff of Ran's scent. He wonders if she's wearing perfume or if that's the way she naturally smelled. Either way, she smells nice. For a moment, R couldn't move, couldn't speak, his mind too shocked at their current position to consider his reaction.

"R…you must miss them so much."

Still shaken by how close she is to him at this very moment, the sound of her voice snaps R back to reality. All he can say is…

+++(END SERIES OF FLASHBACKS)+++

As a result of meeting Ran, R becomes curious about her origins as well as his own and begins to question Dr. Wily's motives.

* * *

_**Dr. Wily**_, that loony mad scientist, is back again! He blames Ranma Saotome for foiling his plans one year ago, during a fighting competition called "Anything-Goes Martial Arts 2000".

But prior to that, Wily had joined forces with that fiendish feline, that psychotic pussycat, the _**Cat Ghost King**_ and his followers the _**Red Cat Gang**_! The Cat Ghost King promises Wily the power to defeat Megaman if Wily can gather strong warriors for the RED CATS' army and provide them with technology and weapons.

_**Bass**_, the strongest of Wily's creations, has been given the task of retrieving the Phoenix Stone, a powerful magic stone the RED CATS need in order to resurrect the Cat Ghost King! The Cat Ghost King promises Bass a kingdom if he can get the stone back for him, which was stolen by Ran Hayami!

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

The man sits there for a moment, lost in thought. He then comes to his senses, and asks the Guide, "So what happened to the angel after that?

"Don't know. After Cat Ghost King banished, angel disappear. May have gone back to heaven after all, or still here on Earth. No one know. Why you ask?"

"Because… " The man concentrates, and glows with a soft white light. He changes into an angel right before the Jusenkyo Guide's eyes!

The Guide is totally surprised, shocked even. "AIYA! YOU IS ANGEL! He panics, "AIYAAA! I TOO YOUNG TO DIE NOW!" Then, he realizes something. "Hey…how come you change without getting wet?

The angel facefaults, thinking _Aw, man! Why is it when some people see an angel, they freak out and think they're gonna die? It's like those shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Geez! Sigh… Some things never change._ Out loud, he tries to calm the frightened man. "That's not important. Look, fear not, OK? My name is _**Michael Angelus**_, and I need your help…"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

In chapter 5, we're introduced to the world champion martial arts master _**THE MCD**_, who's really the heavenly warrior _**Michael Angelus**_ and yet another member of Jusenkyo's "Fellowship of the Cursed"! You would think that when splashed with cold water, Angelus turns human! Well, yes, but….so far, he is the ONLY Jusenkyo-cursed individual who can control his transformations at will, without the need for hot or cold water!

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

"…oh before I forget, I want to introduce you all to our new member…say hello to Erick Genryusai…"

From the shadows a man emerges, wearing a dark red cloak, silver iron boots, a purple scar around his neck, black shirt with a skull-shaped necklace, and black pants. Erick bows to the group and introduces himself. "Hello you all, I am Erick Genryusai. Pleased to meet you."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

And in the same chapter we meet the Cat Ghost King's chief henchman, High Priest _**Erick Genryusai**_. Don't be fooled, guys and girls, 'cause underneath that handsome face is the darkest evil! Betrayed by the woman he loved and left for dead, he used magic from a forbidden scroll. He emerged from what would have been his burning tomb, now immortal and wielding terrible power!

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_**CHINA -(ASIA)- 200 B.C**_

Michael Angelus, now in his Jusenkyo-cursed human form, is face to face with Erick in the place where the Great Wall of China will be in the future…Erick is still wearing his same clothes. Angelus found out that Erick has now become an evil person. With the spells learned from those forbidden scrolls, Erick wrought chaos on many lands:

Angelus angrily asks, "Erick, why are you doing this? Why are you using those spells to hurt people, instead of helping them? Have you lost all sense of humanity in you?"

Erick snorts, "Oh please, Michael, don't give me that lecture…have 'I' lost my humanity? I don't think so, it is Humanity that has lost its Humanity… you think very little of them Michael!"

"What you're saying is rubbish, Erick! What has happened to you? You used to be a noble man, and now, you're a dishonorable one."

"Maybe I woke up. You should do that too Michael."

Angelus is confused. "What do you mean?"

Erick explains for his former friend, "What I mean is…you should realize that this world we live in isn't a fantasy, it ain't no Heaven. Maybe if you try to think more with your head, with more conscience, maybe then you'll realize that God isn't such a nice person after all."  
Oooh, Angelus is mad now. "Don't you DARE insult my Lord, Erick! I won't allow you to!"

Erick gives Angelus the no-no finger gesture. "Michael, Michael, how pathetic of you…You're like a dog, protecting its master, obeying every command its master gives, You're like a slave to Him."

Angered by this, Angelus declares, "ENOUGH! Listen, Erick, I don't want to be your enemy, but if you continue to behave like this, and do all those nasty things…then I'm afraid that I'll have to stop you, do you understand?"

Erick laughs, "My, my, aren't WE in a foul mood?" Then, seriously, he says while charging a fireball, "I don't think so, Michael. If you want to be my enemy, so be it."

Erick then launches his fireball at Angelus, who evades it and the fireball explodes. When the smoke clears, Erick is gone…all Angelus finds is a note to him saying…

_-"There is no worst Blind, then the one who doesn't want to see…Erick"-_

Angelus snarls while holding the paper, "Erick…!"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

He and Michael Angelus have a history together going back for centuries. Once great friends, after Erick's fall from grace, the two became bitter enemies.

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

"Well… Every good king needs a royal advisor. Allow me to serve you, Lord Bass." Erick bows to Bass.

This surprises Bass "HUH? Uhh…" Then, "Yeah, right. Serve me? Why would you want to do that?"

"I have my reasons, Bass. For now, let's just say that you're not the only one who's not too keen on the new star of the RED CATS."

Bass knows who Erick's talking about. "Lemme guess…."Dog-Boy"?"

Erick laughs, "Yes, that's a good name for Lord R. I like it! It fits him. He is a dog isn't he? You have a great sense of humor, Bass!" His tone of voice at this point gets serious. "But anyway, with my help, you'll be able to find Lady Ran and the Phoenix Stone a lot quicker."

Bass seems to like Erick's idea. "Hmm…. Sounds interesting. But what do YOU get out of it?"

"Bass, I'm hurt! I guess working for Dr. Wily has made you rather skeptical. Believe me, I'm on YOUR side. I believe we'll make a great team. Besides, seeing Lord R humiliated and broken is more than enough reward for me." _For now, anyway…_

Bass is interested. "Really? Is that so? Hmmm…. Very well, you've got a deal." He then shakes hands with Erick.

Erick seems pleased. "I knew I could count on you, Bass. You won't be disappointed."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Erick Genryusai and Bass find out they have something in common – they don't like R! They decide to team up in order to find Ran and the Phoenix Stone…. and maybe humiliate R in the process.

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Erick states, "As you may already know Bison, we of the Red Cat Gang are asking you for your partnership…a team-up as you may call it."

M. Bison's skeptical at this point. "I don't know. I still don't know much about this. Why do you need my cooperation?"

Erick cheerfully explains, "You're just the right man for it…I mean, Shadowloo has a powerful army at its disposal; you have almost all the necessary equipment to accomplish our ultimate goal."

Bison snickers, "Finding the Phoenix Stone I presume?"

"Yes…I see that Delia told you about it, didn't she?"

"Yes, but only a little…just what is this Phoenix Stone?"

"The Phoenix Stone is a powerful magic stone that is said to have come from the –"Legendary Phoenix Bird"- millions of years ago…legend says that the stone has enough power to destroy an entire world…or conquer it in a flash!."

Power…that word rings so true to M. Bison. He loves that word:

Erick continues, "And…its power is so destructive that it makes a nuclear blast looks like a little firecracker."

Sagat gasps, "Say what?"

Balrog's wide eyed. "No way! You're bluffing!"

Erick points to himself. "Do I LOOK like I'm bluffing…?"

Even Bison is shocked. He gasps, "But, how can a stone have so much power?"

Erick replies, "It's a real mystery…that's why we need your help, to find the stone."

Bison thinks about it for a couple of minutes. He's thinking about the possibilities of obtaining that stone: _Hmm, If I team up with these jokers, I'll be able to find this Phoenix Stone and claim it for myself…then I'll combine its power with my Psycho Power, giving me the powers of a God!"_

Then he addresses Erick. "Very well, I accept. Shadowloo will help you."

Erick smiles. "Good, M. Bison. You have made a wise decision. We are grateful to you."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Thanks to Erick, _**M. Bison**_ and Shadowloo join forces with the RED CAT GANG to get the Phoenix Stone.

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

In the Underworld, within a castle, lies a Vampire called Demitri Maximoff. Once exiled from Makai centuries ago, he has returned from the human world, hungering for even more power to give him once again the title as Ruler of the Night. He sits on his throne, when one of his servants enters the room. "Excuse me, Master Demitri."

"What is it?" Demitri looks down on the servant.

"I have being doing some research on the mortal realm, Master, and found out something very interesting."

Demitri raises an eyebrow, "Oh! What is it?"

"It seems that there's this movement of many peoples who are trying to find this object called…-"The Phoenix Stone".-

"Phoenix Stone! What's that?"

"Well…according to our spies, it is a legendary magic stone that said to have tremendous powers, which come from the legendary Fire Bird itself!"

Demitri's interested. "Really? Tell me more."

The servant begins to explain to his Master Demitri all about the Phoenix Stone and its power, as well as all those who are trying to find it. At the end, Demitri makes a new plan. "Very interesting indeed, oh yes. If I could get a hold of that Stone, my powers will be supreme! It will give me the powers to reclaim my title as the "True Ruler of the Night"! I think I will go to the mortal world and find that stone!"

The servant risks asking, "Is it wise, my Master? What if the other ones who are also trying to find it harm you or…"

Demitri laughs, "Oh please…what could those miserable humans ever do to me? I am the supreme vampire. No mortal could ever hurt me!"

The servant is unsure. "I don't know, Master. I have seen some mortals who are as powerful as a Darkstalker, and some of them are very skilled."

Demitri scoffs at this. Mortals as powerful as Darkstalkers? Ridiculous! "No matter, they wouldn't stand against my powers!"

"If you say so, Master."

"And call Morrigan. I'll need her help."

"Right away, my Master." The servant bows and departs from the throne room.

Not so far away, a man and a little girl were walking. This man is wearing some monk-type garments, has hair that's tied in a long pigtail, and is carrying a huge sword on his back. The little girl accompanying him was around 5 or 6 years old, wearing some fancy clothes, had two little pigtails, and is carrying a small doll. The man's name is Donovan Baine, and the little girl Anita. While they are walking Anita suddenly stops and begins to feel something:

Donovan's concerned. He turns to his young charge and asks, "Anita, what's wrong?"

Anita normally doesn't speak much, and if she does, it's usually important. "I felt something. Something powerful is coming."

"What is it…is it another DarkStalker?"

"No…I sense energy so deep and yet so powerful, Donovan, I have a feeling that this is something that could spell disaster!"

"I see…from where do you sense it?"

"It's coming from the Human world."

"Then to the Human world we'll go to investigate."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Now the _**Darkstalkers**_ are involved in the search for the Phoenix Stone!

* * *

Fast forward to the year 21XX. After _**Megaman X**_ and _**Zero**_ finally defeat Sigma, the world is at peace, and humans and Reploids now share the Earth together.

That is, until a terrible evil mist spreads throughout the world, endangering humans and Reploids alike! It turns Reploids into Mavericks, and has the power to resurrect the Mavericks that X and Zero already defeated in their previous adventures back from the dead! Could this be a new form of the Sigma Virus?

The Maverick Hunters discover that the mist is actually an artificial virus. The only clues they were able to extract from the virus's program were "The cells….Deimos….Japan….20XX."

Of course, you and I know that these "cells" are in fact Erick Genryusai's _**DVL Cells**_!

The Cells are viral nano-machines created by Erick. Not much is known about them yet, but their effects are unpredictable - and terribly powerful. When used on humans, the Cells infiltrate their bodies and then take over their minds, turning them into mere puppets of their evil master. As a test, Erick uses them on Ryoga Hibiki and sends him to kill Ranma!

On machines, the cells take on the traits of their host, giving them unlimited potential for regeneration, reproduction, mutation, and evolution. This ability gets the attention of Bass, who figures Dr. Wily might be interested in this kind of power.

But who is this "Deimos" the Cells refer to? Could he be…

To combat this new threat, Megaman X and Zero undertake a dangerous mission. Using a time machine, they will travel back in time to destroy the Cells and their creator!

* * *

In a conversation between Dr. Wily and Bass, we learn of R and Ran's true origins, and find out that they are indeed brother and sister! But thanks to Ran's amnesia and R getting brainwashed by Dr. Wily, neither one knows it. Bass learns that R's parents never existed, their "deaths" a malicious lie cooked up by Wily to further provoke R to kill Ranma!

Now knowing this, Bass believes he can one day use this knowledge against his hated rival R and that annoying girl Ran, and destroy both siblings in one fell swoop!

* * *

And what about the _**Phoenix**_, who appeared to Ran in a dream? What is the meaning of its message?

-(Dream-Sequence)-

Ran is standing on a cliff… suddenly, the sky turns red, and a huge fire-bird appears before Ran:

Ran blinks at the magnificent creature. "Who…who are you? What are you?"

The Fire-bird speaks telepathically. Its beak doesn't even move, and yet Ran can hear its voice so clearly: (Listen Ran, you must be prepared for the outcome…for the approaching evil.)

"What are you talking about?"

(There is an evil being who wants to take over the world. You must stop him.)

"But, how will I do that?"

(Listen carefully Ran…_When_ _Fire and Lightning become one, evil will fall._)

Ran blinks. "When Fire and Lightning become one? What does that mean?"

(You'll know it, when the time is right.)

-(End of Dream)-

* * *

And, on a lighter note….

+++(BEGIN SERIES OF FLASHBACKS)+++

The statue's eyes light up. "MEOW! HEY! I'm no statue! I'm the Cat Ghost King! The most rotten villain in the universe! You'd better watch your mouth, bubble boy!

Bubbleman corrects, "Uhh…no you're not. You're a statue. Statues don't talk." Bubbleman notices that the statue's getting angry! Uh oh! "Err..um…well, at least I don't think they do…."

"Oh yeah? Can a statue do THIS?" The statue's eyes glow brightly, dark clouds of energy appear overhead, and they hear the sounds of thunder, then a huge bolt of lightning strikes Bubbleman down!

"ACK!" Electrocuted, Bubbleman falls over!

"Well, I sure showed him!" To Dr. Wily and Bass, the status says, "Now, what was I going to say before our good friend, the late Bubbleman, rudely interrupted me…"

Bubbleman gets up and says, "But I'm not dead!

"What?", the statue says, surprised.

Wily tries to cover up what's happened. "Oh no, it's nothing your highness!

"I'm not dead!"

"Hey, Doc! Bubbleman says he's not dead," Bass says, stating the obvious.

"Of course he is!" Wily insists.

"I'm not!"

"He isn't? Err…well, anyway meow, as I was saying before the near-fatal wounding of Bubbleman…."

"Um, I think I'm getting better!

Bass angrily whispers, "Yo, Bubbles! Shut up or you'll REALLY be dead!"

Dr. Wily nods discreetly to Bass, and the two villains step aside, leaving Bubbleman to await whatever horrible fate the Cat Ghost King has for him….

"As I was about to say ... before Bubbleman, when he seemed about to recover, felt the vengeance of heaven upon him...!" The Cat Ghost King charges up another blast, and zaps poor Bubbleman again!

Bubbleman cries out, "ACK! Again!"

Bass says plainly, "Well, now we know – lightning DOES strike twice!"

"…..," Bubbleman groans.

An irritated Bass turns on Bubbleman and says, "Hey, Bubbles! You tryin' to make me look bad in front of the Doc and the Big Cat?"

"Oh no, Bass! I was only trying to help."

"Be quiet."

"I mean, all you had to tell them was that we didn't find the girl and…."

"Shut up!"

"Well, I don't see why you're so mad at me. I was just saying…."

Bass has had it! He grabs Bubbleman by the collar and shakes him. "Shut up, will you, shut up!"

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Wily yells. Bass stops shaking Bubbleman and tosses him to the ground. Bubbleman's out cold, with little dizzy swirls in his eyes.

As R and Bass fight, Bubbleman enters the living room, holding a large triple-decker sandwich filled with every edible thing possible and a can of cherry cola. The two fighters are so busy trying to beat each other senseless they don't even notice him! "Hey, Bass! What's going on? I heard a lot of noise from the kitchen, and…." Bubbleman then freaks out when he sees R. "ACK, R'S HERE! OH NO! WHEN DID HE GET HOME?"

At that moment Bass fires another Buster Shot at R, who leaps out of the way. The blast hits Bubbleman instead, burning up his sandwich, and blows up the can, spilling soda all over Bubbleman, shorting out his circuits! "ACK! MY SANDWICH! WAAAHHH!" He falls over, defeated!

Bass finally notices the slain Bubbleman. "BUBBLES!" Then, he yells at R, "WHY YOU, DODGING LIKE THAT! YOU KILLED BUBBLEMAN! YOU BASTARD!"

Bubbleman wakes up, groaning, "Uhh…I'm not quite dead, Bass!"

Bass is a bit deflated upon finding out that Bubbleman is not yet dead. "Err..well, uh…" He yells at R again, "YOU MORTALLY WOUNDED BUBBLEMAN! YOU BASTARD!"

"No, really, I'm OK!" Bubbleman insists.

"Oh, I see." _Damn it!_

As he's getting up, Bubbleman says, "Actually, I think I'm all right to come help you…"

Just then, a piece of the ceiling weakened by the battle cracks apart and falls on Bubbleman, clocking him in the head!

**CRACK!** **WHUNK!**

"OW!… Ugh….!" Bubbleman falls over unconscious, little dizzy swirls in his eyes again.

+++(END SERIES OF FLASHBACKS)+++

Yes folks, even _**Bubbleman**_ is in the race for the Phoenix Stone! He believes if he can get it for Dr. Wily and the Cat Ghost King, then he will get a much-needed vacation! Of course, this begs the question – Can he do this without injuring himself or something bad happening to him in the process?

* * *

What's going to happen next?

What new enemies will Ranma and Ran face?

What are Erick Genryusai's real intentions, and why does he help the Cat Ghost King? What evil plan does Erick have in store for R?

Will Bass realize his dream of becoming a king?

Will Ran discover the true identity of her long-lost brother?

And will poor Bubbleman survive another chapter without something bad happening to him?

And so, our story continues...

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	30. A Legend Returns! It's Ranma VS Ryu!

CHAPTER 30

_**-"A LEGEND RETURNS! IT'S RANMA VS. RYU!"-**_

_**(AND, BUBBLEMAN FINDS THE PHOENIX STONE! WELL…MAYBE NOT.)**_

The outskirts of Nerima:

A lone man is standing outside the hills of Nerima. He was dressed in a white, sleeveless Karate Gi, wore a red headband on his head, and he was carrying a white duffel bag on his shoulder…-"(Thinking)- _So, I'm finally here. This has to be the place where I sensed that_ _strong energy._"-…the man was thinking. He begins to walk toward Nerima. A young girl was walking behind him…-" _Hey, wait for me!_"-…the girl yells at him as he continues walking toward Nerima.

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG's SECRET BASE – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick was reading a book in his room. Delia was with him, also reading a book, when Bass enters his room… "Hey, Erick! You here…?" He then spots Erick reading a book. "There you are. Um, what're you reading?"

"A good book called –"_**Don Quixote de la Mancha**_"-

Bass is confused. "The WHO?"

"_**Don Quixote de la Mancha**_, by _**Miguel Cervantes Savedra.**_"

Still confused, Bass asks Erick, "Oooookay…what is it?"

"_**Don Quixote de la Mancha**_ is one of the greatest books ever written in the Spanish language."

Bass is STILL confused. "Okay…" Looking over in Delia's direction, he asks, "And what are you reading?"

"–"_**Hamlet**_"-. By _**William**_ _**Shakespeare**_. Also one of the greatest books written in literature."

Erick wants Bass to get to the point. "Bass…is there a reason for your presence here?"

Bass remembers, "Oh right! I came here to tell you that Bison will arrive shortly for the meeting of the demonstration of your Cells"

"Right… I'll be ready then."

Once Bass leaves:

"So, today is the day of your presentation Erick." Delia says.

"Yep…I'm very sure that they'll be in awe at what they will see."

"You're right."

* * *

_**A STREET IN NERIMA:**_

Ranma, Akane and Ran are just out of school and now heading home:

"Oh man…I thought that the teacher wasn't gonna finish that class," Ranma complains.

"Tell me about it Ranma, if it weren't for the bell, we would still be in that class" Akane says.

Ran adds, "Yeah, talk about 'saved by the bell'."

"You're right…hey Ranma, where's Kuno? I didn't see him today."

"Me too." Ran recalls.

Ranma remembers, "Oh, he told me that he was gonna go on a small training trip in the mountains to practice his skills"

Akane blinks. "He did?" She smiles. "Well, good for him."

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG's SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:**_

The ruler of Shadowloo M. Bison arrives, along with his assistant Tron Bonne, and the rest of his followers to the meeting. Once Dr. Wily, Bass and the rest of his robots were there, Erick comes in, with his beloved Delia. The meeting is about to start…

"Gentlemen, I thank you for coming to this meeting on such short notice."

M. Bison says to Erick, "Right. Now that we're here, can you tell us why you called me?"

Dr. Wily adds, "Yes, what is the reason for this meeting, and, it had better be important! I was working on an important project."

The Cat Statue says, "Yes, Erick, it better be important meow."

Erick chuckles, "Oh, and it will be my friends, I assure you all…okay…I have been working on a project that will revolutionize the world, and, create a new age."

M. Bison is curious. "What is it?"

Erick beams up. "THIS!"

And, as before, Erick shows them a test tube containing the DVL Cells inside…the reaction was:

M. Bison's annoyed "A test tube?… is that all you show us?"  
Dr. Wily's mad. "THIS is what you wanted to show us? What a waste of time! I'm outta here!"

The Cat Statue's glowing yellow. "Is this a joke, Erick?"

Erick tells the trio, "Not at all, guys, I think you're not looking deeply. Here, let me show you all what this thing is. Look."

The Erick brings up a wide-screen…then, on that screen, a close-up view appears of the Nano-machines, as before with Bass and Onekomaru:

"What are those things?" M. Bison wants to know.

Erick explains, "These, Bison, are my greatest creation, my Cells know as DVL…they're Nano-Machines, microscopic mechanical organisms… "

Dr. Wily blinks. "Um, DVL!?"

"Yes Wily, as in _Diabolic Variable Life Forms._"

Tron Bonne comments offhand, "DVL! Sounds to me like, Devil or something."

Erick smiles. "Smart as always, Miss. Bonne. That's what I decided to call them."

Dr. Wily's not convinced. "So what! THAT's your greatest discovery? HELLO! Nano-technology's already been done!"

"Maybe, but…" At this point, Erick flashes a wicked smile. "MY Nano-machines are very different from the rest and special from those you've known and heard of."

M. Bison inquires, ":How so? what's so special about them?"

"Well, my Cells are a combination of both '_Science and Sorcery_"

Dr. Wily's confused. "Science and Sorcery? What the heck do you mean?"

Erick's REALLY trying not to smack Wily upside the head at this point. He briefly grits his teeth in frustration, then calmly says, "Instead of telling you, I'll show you all, follow me please and you'll see why."

Then Erick takes the group to the same room where he shows his creation to Bass and Onekomaru –(See chapter 20)-;they were in front of the large control panel…

"Alright guys, I'm about to show you what my Cells are all about…observe…" He grabs the microphone. "Bring it in boys."

Then, some of Wily's bots carry in an old German tank from 1945. The tank is old, rusty, and decayed, a total pile of junk.

Erick begins his presentation "You're seeing an old tank right guys? Do you think that it can be repaired?"

M. Bison laughs, "Ha, that old, worthless tank? I don't think so."

Dr. Wily likewise laughs, "Yes hahaha! It will take a miracle to make it go!"

"Alright…now, observe what will happen when I do this."

Erick then presses the button and releases his mist into the room, in much the same manners as in chapter 20. When the mist touches the tank, the group is in awe. The Cells begin to change the tank…from an old, rusty vehicle, to a shiny, brand new, powerful Tank.

Bison's shocked response is, "NO WAY…IMPOSSIBLE!"

Wide-eyed, Dr. Wily is flabbergasted. "WHA…WHAT HAPPENED? HOW DID IT HAPPEN?"

The Cat Statue exclaims, "MEOW! THAT'S AMAZING!"

Erick smiles, pleased at their awe. "It is, isn't it guys? As you all saw it, my Cells have the ability to infiltrate any machine and make wonders, like repairs, modifications and other stuff. You saw it for yourselves guys…and, best of all, take it over. If you don't believe me, then watch this… "

Erick then clicks some buttons…next thing, the tank explodes…when the smoke clears, only the pieces remain…however, just like with the bike in Erick previous demonstration…it repairs itself to be new again.

"Marvelous, isn't it guys? Think about it, with these babies, war machines that are crushed or destroyed, will be able to put themselves back together, to fix themselves up. They'll be invincible!"

M. Bison and Dr. Wily are very impressed with the demonstration, so much that they began to have ideas of their own for it:

M. Bison, with a wicked smile, thinks, If_ I have these Nano-Machines in my power, my armies will be totally powerful and incredibly strong…I must know their secrets!_

Likewise, Dr. Wily thinks, while giggling crazy mad-scientist style, _Those things are very powerful. If I obtain them, I'll be able to use them in my special robot –(ZERO)- and make him invincible, but most of all…I'll use them in my Special Battle Suit. Oh yes…I'll be unstoppable! Mwahahaha! Megaman won't be a challenge for me_."

Erick continues, "And…the other part of my Cells can do is…control humans."

M. Bison lifts an eyebrow. "Humans! How is that?"

"Simple…when a human is infected, so to speak, by my Cells, the Nano-Machines take over the human mind and make him like a living puppet."

Dr. Wily's intrigued. "Really? Interesting…"

"Here, I'll show you…" Erick grabs the microphone again. "Step into the room now."

Then, the door opens and the captured spy (also, from chapter 20) walks in, like a zombie.

"Who is he?" Dr. Wily asks regarding the man standing before them.

Erick reveals, "That is a spy that I caught during my trip to Hellfire Island…he works for Interpol…"

When M. Bison took a close look at the spy, something came up in his head:

Bison glares at him. "That man, he looks very familiar…" Then, he realizes, "Wait a minute! I think I know that man."

On hearing this, Erick's interest is piqued. "You do, Bison? Do tell."

"Yes, his name is Liu Khai. He used to be partners with Dorai Xiang."

"Really…hmmm, Xiang, sounds familiar?"

"It is…he was the father of that Interpol Agent…Chun-Li Xiang."

The Cat Statue muses, "How interesting meow."

Saving that VERY useful piece of info Bison's given him for later, Erick continues with his presentation. "Well, as you can see, I've 'infected him' with my DVL Cells…now he's under its influence, under my control hahahaha… Observe."

Same as in chapter 20, Erick gave orders to him and he did them all with no questions asked. They were all impressed with the results.

Erick concludes his demonstration. "So how did you find the results?"

M. Bison stands back, impressed. "Amazing…simply amazing."

Dr Wily excitedly admits, "WOW…that's the most incredible thing I have ever seen in my life!"

The Cat Statue is pleased with his High Priest's latest work. "Meowwww…Erick, that is one awesome work you did."

Erick bows. "Thank you all."

With the demonstration over, M. Bison takes the opportunity to ask, "So you say that he'll obey any command you give him?"

Erick replies, "Yes, Bison, like I said before…he's like a living puppet, waiting for an order."

Bison and Dr. Wily are both thinking, _I definitely must have that creation in my hands!_

Erick's quick to add, "However, I still need to make more tests on it, because I want to make them flawless, without any mistake or secondary effects. But, we must focus on our primary mission, and that is to obtain the Phoenix Stone."

The Cat Statue agrees with that. "Very well, Erick, these Cells of yours are one fine creation."

Bison nods, "Indeed it is. I found it most fascinating."

Dr. Wily likewise says, "I agree…I've never seen anything like that."

Erick basks in their appreciation of his genius. "Why thank you all…now let's get back to work all right guys, because time will catch up on us."

All of them nod (yes, the Cat Statue, too – though HOW he can do that…ah, forget it!), "Agreed."

* * *

_**NERIMA, JAPAN:**_

Akane is going to the mall to buy a notebook and some stuff for school; on her way home she is intercepted by a couple of thugs that block her way. "Hey, what's going on?"

The leader of that bunch of thugs says, "Well, well, what have we here, boys?"

Thug 2 says, "Looks to me like we got some fresh meat hahaha!"

Akane's annoyed. "What do you want jerks!"

The Thug Leader explains, "You just happened to cross in our turf little girl, and you must pay us"

Akane's irritated now. "WHAT?"

Thug 2 says, "You heard our leader girly! You must pay us, if you want to cross!"

"Are you insane? Look I don't have time for this, now move it!"

The Thug Leader comes toward her menacingly. "Listen girl, now hand over your money if you know what's good for you."

Akane gets into her battle stance. "I'm warning you jerks…back off or…"

In response to her threat, the Thug Leader bellows an insane laugh. "HAHAHAHA…! Hey guys, the little baby's threatening us…and what you're gonna do to us girl, slap us, grab our hair, scream…!"

"No this…KYAAAAAAAAA!" And with a spin kick to the jaw, Akane knocks the Thug Leader down hard. The other thugs are in awe and surprised.

The leader rises up, angry and hurt. "Arrrgh! YOU LITTLE BITCH!! That's it girly; you just made your last mistake…GET HER BOYS!"

Then, six more thugs surround her; Akane's a little worried if she could take them on. She felt like she wasn't ready and like she was outnumbered. One of the thugs charges against her, but she strikes him with a left hook in his face, another one with a high kick to the face. Okay, two thugs went down. But, a third one grabs her from behind and applies a full nelson hold on her. Unable to move, Akane's in trouble.

With a cocky smile the Thug Leader says, "Now girly, you're gonna pay for what you did to me..!" He raises his fist back. "So be prepared, cause I'm about to put your lights out!"

"Why don't you release that girl and fight fair!" a man's voice says out of nowhere.

When they all turned around, they see a man, dressed in a white Karate Gi, wearing a red headband around his head and carrying a duffel bag:

The Thug Leader angrily demands, "Who the hell are you, and how dare you interfere with us?"

Then, four of the thugs charge against the man. But much to their surprise, the man moves fast and punches two of them with a couple of hard blows, and uses a tornado kick to knock the other two down. The Thug Leader, angry with the stranger pulls out a knife and charges toward him, swinging his knife to cut him, but failing miserably. The stranger moves fast.

Akane, in awe, thinks, _Wow…he moves fast, just like Ranma! Who is he?_"

Then, with a hard hook in the stomach, the Thug Leader goes down. After that he picks Akane up from the ground. "You okay girl?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm okay, thanks to you."

The man smiles. "No problem, glad to be of help"  
"Who are you anyway?"

"Oh sorry…my name is Ryu, Ryu Hoshi."

"AKANEEEE!" a boy's voice cries.

Akane and the man turn around and see Ranma and Ran running toward them.

A concerned Ranma asks, "AKANE! Are you alright, we heard from Sayuri and Yuka that you were bothered by some local thugs!"

Ran wants to know if her friend's okay. "Did they hurt you Akane?"

Akane reassures them, "No, no guys, I'm fine, this man helped me."

Ran politely bows. "Thanks a lot sir."

Akane then introduces her friends, "Oh, by the way sir, this is my friend Ran, and this is Ranma, my fiancé. You guys, this man's name is…"

Ranma blinks, then recognizes Akane's rescuer immediately. "Ryu…Ryu Hoshi!!" He smiles. "Hey man, how are you doing?"

"Ranma Saotome, right?" Ryu laughs. "I'm doing fine; it's nice to see you again."

Akane blinks, surprised. "You KNOW him, Ranma?"

"Ryu, of course I know him, I met him a year ago during…"

"RYUUUUUUU!" a girl's voice echoes.

The gang looks to a street corner, and sees Sakura Kasugano running toward Ryu. When she arrives, she stops in her tracks to catch her breath.

Sakura's panting, mad at Ryu. "Ryu…why did you…huff huff…leave me in the store?"

Ryu nervously laughs, "Sorry Sakura, but I had to help this young girl in trouble."

When Sakura sees Ran, she's delighted; but when she sees Akane… "YOU!"

Akane, nervous, waves, "Um… Hi, Sakura."

Sakura warns, "Ryu, you better watch out for this girl! She's got a wild temper and…"

"Sakura, please listen, I know that I was what you called me, but I've changed."

"You have?"

Ran smiles. "She did Sakura. It took a little while, but she did."

Sakura considers that. "Well…if you say so Ran, I'll trust you."

Akane, relieved, says, "Thanks Sakura, and I'm sorry for my wild temper that time –(chapter 4)-, I hope that we can become friends…what do you say?" She extends a hand to her.

Sakura's unsure, but… "Okay, if you really mean it," she smiles. "I think so." And with that both girls shake hands.

Ranma wants to know, "So Ryu, what brings you to Nerima?"

Ryu tells him, "I was called by a friend of mine to come here and meet with her."

"Really? For what?"

"I don't know, that's why I want to find her."

"Say Ryu, why don't you come to our place? You look like you could use a good rest and a good meal."

Sakura looks at her idol. "Oh Ryu, can we? I am a little tired, and hungry."

Ryu considers the idea. "Hmmm…sure, why not? I am a little tired and hungry from my journey."

Akane says, "Then come on, we'll take you to our place."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE…**_

In a not so far place in Japan, we see Bubbleman walking on the street. Earlier he decided to look for and tries to find the Phoenix Stone, so he can get his dream vacation. He had the will, the ambition; everything…except for one little thing…a map…Bubbleman's lost…

"Oh man…NOW WHERE ON EARTH AM I…?" He whines, "How am I gonna find that Stone, if I don't even know where I am…?" He sighs. "Guess I'll have to ask for directions on how to get to Nerima"

He begins to walk and walk…until he sees a girl. She was wearing a brown school uniform, has long, blonde hair, and, like, two weird metal "ears" on her head or something…-(It's Chii, from CHOBITS)-

Bubbleman lights up. "Hot diggity! I'll ask that girl…maybe she can help me with directions."

He runs to the girl and stops her in her tracks. "Hey girl, I was wondering if you could help me with a little trouble that I'm having?"

The blonde girl just stares at him and says… "Chii?"

"Huh? Ahem…hey girl, do you know how can I get to Nerima?"

"Chii?"

"No…not to China, to Nerima."

"Chii"

"Are you deaf? I said…can you give me directions on how can I get to Nerima?"  
"Chii"

Bubbleman sweatdrops. "Um…do you speak English or something girl?"

Chii happily nods, "Chii"

"Can you say something else?"

"…something else."

"ACK!" Bubbleman facefaults, then gets up. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" He calms down, then asks, "Can you pleeeeease tell me how to get to Nerima?"

"You want Chii help?" Chii smiles. "Okay, Chii help you."

Bubbleman eyes' are glistening and wet with tears. "Y-you will? Oh…*sniff*…thank you! Now…do you know how can I get to Nerima?"

"Nerima…hmmm…Weird Bot take Bus 23, then change to Bus 33, Bus 33 take you to Nerima…about 23 minutes."

"Really? Oh thank you Miss…say, what's your name girly?"

"Chii"

"No, not your nickname, your name?"

"Chii"

"ACK! No, no, no! Tell me your name, name, name!"

Chii, thinking it's a game, happily plays along. "Chii, Chii, Chii!"

"D'OH! Why bother…well, thanks for the info….CHII!"

Chii smiles genuinely, waving, "No problem…Chii is glad that she help Weird Bot."

"My name is Bubbleman."

"Weird Bot Bubbleman."

Then Bubbleman runs off toward his destiny… but not before he trips, falls down, and lands in the garbage…followed by hitting himself running into a large poster… Chii giggles at him, then Hideki walks up to her. "Hey Chii, there you are. Where were you?"  
"Chii help Weird Bot Bubbleman get to Nerima."

"You did? You did good Chii…Nerima?" Hideki gasps, then seriously tells the girl Persocom, "Chii, promise me you'll never go to Nerima."

Chii blinks. "Why, Hideki?"

"I heard tales that Nerima is run by powerful martial artists that cause major destruction…so I don't want you going there okay, Chii?"

"Okay Hideki, Chii promise."

* * *

_**NERIMA, JAPAN – TENDO RESIDENCE:**_

Ranma, Ryu and friends arrive at the house. Akane calls out, "TADAIMA! (We're home!)"

Kasumi's the first to see them. "Akane, Ranma, you're here."

"Yep, sorry if I took a little long."

"Oh, that's okay, Akane…" Kasumi notices Ryu and Sakura. "Oh my! You've brought guests."

Ranma introduces them to Kasumi. "Kasumi, this is Ryu Hoshi, and this girl is Sakura Kasunago"

Ryu and Sakura both bow. "Nice to meet you."

Kasumi bows is response. "The pleasure is all mine, please, why don't you come inside and have lunch with us?"

Ryu politely says, "We thank you for your hospitality."

Sakura does likewise. "Ditto!"

Kasumi smiles. "You're welcome…now follow me."

When they arrive to the living room, they saw Soun and Genma playing their usual game of Shogi, Nabiki reading a Manga, and Nodoka –(she's there visiting)- having Tea…

Ranma greets everyone. "Hey Pops, Mom."

Nodoka looks up. "Ranma, you're here! Where were you?"

"Nothing to worry about, Mom," he tells her.

Akane explains to Nodoka, "He's right, I just had a little problem, but it's all right…Oh! Yes…Dad, I want you to meet Sakura Kasunago…the girl who I fought a while ago…and defeated me. And Dad, don't go into your Oni Head on her, she's one of the persons, next to Ran who helped me to open my eyes and showed me about real fighting."

Soun frowns a bit at what Akane's told him, but seeing that Sakura is partly responsible for the change in his youngest daughter, he decides to welcome her as one of Akane's friends. "Well…glad to meet you Sakura-chan, and thanks for helping my baby girl to fight."

Sakura bows respectfully, "No problem, sir."

Ranma introduces Ryu to everyone else. "And this is Ryu Hoshi, a warrior who I know…"

When Genma, Soun and Nodoka hear that name, they gasp big-time:

Soun is shocked! "Saotome…it's HIM!"

Genma's wide-eyed. "You're right Tendo…I don't believe it!"

Ranma blinks. "Um, Mr. Tendo, Dad, what's going on?"

Nodoka says in awe, "Ranma…do you know '**WHO**' this person is?"

"Well, yeah…Ryu Hoshi," is Ranma's response to his mother's question.

Genma states the obvious, pointing to Ryu for emphasis, "THAT Ranma is Ryu Hoshi. The Living Street Fighter Legend…oh man, I can't believe that RYU is here, Tendo!"

Soun shares Genma's excitement. "Tell me about it Saotome…it's like a dream!"

Nodoka asks, "My son, please tell me…how is it that you know Ryu?"

Ranma easily tells her, "Oh that's easy…I fought against him in the…"

"YOU FOUGHT AGAINST RYU RANMA!?" Genma, Nodoka, and Soun exclaim.

Ranma's covering his ears from the volume of their combined shouting. "Ouch…yeah…it was about some time ago…why all this commotion anyway?"

Nodoka speaks up, "Well my son…Ryu is a great warrior, he's a Street Fighter Legend, one of the best. I was always praying that you would be as good as him."

"You have?"

Nodoka sighs in admiration, "Yes…Ryu is a man-among-men…"

Genma hmph's, saying, "You oughta take lessons from him boy, he's an extraordinary warrior."

Ryu, being modest, humbly tells Genma and Nodoka, "Oh come on…I wouldn't say that. After all, your son is also one great fighter."

Genma blinks in surprise at Ryu's complimenting Ranma. "He is?"

Nodoka asks, "Are you sure Mr. Hoshi?"

"Yes…like he said, we've fought against each other in a tournament."

Soun, with tears in his eyes, asks, "You have?"

Ryu then gives his opinion of Ranma, "All I can say about Ranma is that, he's as good as I am, almost my equal."

When they hear that from Ryu, Genma and Nodoka are filled with joy over their son, and so they both hug him tight:

Nodoka's extremely happy, crying, "Oh my son, you've made me happy!"

Genma bear-hugs Ranma, wailing joyously, "Waaaaaah! I can't believe MY son has fought against Ryu and is as good as him!"

The reaction of the others were different:

Ryu sweatdrops. "Um…are they always like 'that'?"

Kasumi cheerfully says, "Yes."

Sakura's like, "Oooookay…"

Nabiki already knew who Ryu was, and about all his fame, and began to make plans to take some pictures and sell them. _**See the famous Street Fighter Legend Ryu**_ _**Hoshi**_…is the idea that Nabiki's forming when she will sell her pictures.

Once Ranma was able to get free from his parents…

"Hey Ryu, how's about a little sparring in the backyard?"

Ryu replies, "Well…sure, why not? Let's go."

Genma, wide-eyed, is excited. "My son is gonna have a match against THE Ryu…oh man, this I gotta see Tendo!"

Soun agrees. "Tell me about it Saotome!"

Nodoka happily cries, "Oh! My son is going to fight against Ryu! I must see it!"

Akane's like, "WOW, Ranma is gonna go a round against him. Hey Ran, let's go and see it!"

Ran's response is, "You said it, Akane!"

Nabiki's thinking, _I must take some pictures of that match; I'll be able to get lots of_ _money! _Aloud, she says, " Hey, wait for me guys!"

* * *

Somewhere in Japan, a vehicle comes crashing into the woods from out of nowhere. Not just any car…a mean Delorian sports car …it's the car that came from the future…along with its passengers…Megaman X and Zero.

When the car stops, they got out and see the environment:

X looks around. "Hey Zero, you think we made it, I mean to the past?"

"I hope so, otherwise, I don't know where we've landed."

"Luckily for us that no one knows about us or that we've arrived here."

Zero's nodding, "Right, X, we'll have the advantage of the element of surprise over them."

Unfortunately, for them…

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG's SECRET BASE – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick looks at his window to the outside and with an evil chuckle…. "Hm hm hm hmmm…well, well, well, they're here."

Delia asks, "Who, Erick my darling?"

"Who else, De-Chan, but our 'friends' from the future."

Delia's wide-eyed. "You mean…'them'?"

Erick nods. "Yes my love…X and Zero."

"I see."

Erick laughs his evil laugh. "Ha ha hahaaaa…two more pieces have been added to my game, and once 'all' the players are assembled, the game will begin! Hahaha…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

_**TENDO DOJO:**_

The family is gathered in the backyard, for Ryu and Ranma are gonna have a friendly match. Nodoka, Genma and Soun are eager to watch Ranma go up against the Legendary Street Fighter Ryu Hoshi…

Soun's excited. "Oh Saotome, it's like a dream come true. Ranma is gonna fight against 'The' Ryu. Oh, I can't believe it!"

Genma nods, sharing his friend's excitement, "Tell me about it, Tendo. My son against Ryu! This will be a match worth seeing."

Nodoka's happy. "My son, my son not only knows Ryu, but Ryu also knows him, and they're gonna go in a match. I'm so happy!"

Beside them are Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane, Ran and Sakura, also eager to watch the match:

Akane asks, "This fight will be awesome, won't it, Ran?"

Ran nods, "Yep."

Sakura muses, "I wonder who will win…my bets are on Ryu. He always wins the fights against anyone who challenges him."

Akane says, "So does Ranma."

Sakura teases, "Maybe. But Ryu has had many fights and has a lot of experience and…"

Ran stops them. "Okay girls, knock it off. I got it! Why don't you make a bet…If Ryu wins, Akane will buy you a gift Sakura. If Ranma wins, you will buy Akane a gift. Sounds fair, girls?"

Sakura and Akane happily agree, "All right!"

Back on the field. Ryu and Ranma were just finishing their warm ups. Then both assume their fighting stances. The match is about to begin. Ryu offers, "So Ranma…how would you like the fight?"

"All out, Ryu…serious."

Ryu smirks. "My thoughts exactly…so let's begin."

"Let's!"

Nabiki acts as the referee. Fighters ready…set…GOOOOOOOOO!"

Then Ryu and Ranma dash at each other fast, then begin to fight. They're throwing punches and kicks at each other and both of them are blocking them as well. The crowd's astonished with the match:

Sakura's in awe. "Wow, Ryu wasn't kidding when he said that Ranma was almost his equal!"

Akane confidently nods, "Yeah, both of them are fighting at a level that it's almost unbelievable."

Soun's impressed. "Look at them go Saotome! Ranma is actually matching Ryu. I don't believe it!"

Genma shares his friend's sentiment , "I know what you mean Tendo. I never though that Ranma was so good."

Nodoka's beaming. "My son is almost as good as Ryu himself…I've never been so proud of my son!"

Kasumi cheerfully observes, stating the obvious, "Ranma is indeed a good fighter."

Nabiki corrects, "You mean a GREAT fighter Kasumi. He's actually on the same level with Ryu."

In the fight, Ryu and Ranma break apart and get into defensive positions:

Ryu slowly pants, "So Ranma…I noticed that you've been training a lot more then the last time we fought."

Ranma's also panting, "You bet I did. And so did you, if I'm not mistaken."

"You're right…so Ranma, why don't we take this match to the next level, what do you say…shall we use specials?"

Ranma nods, "You're on Ryu!"

Then they resume their fight. Ryu jumps to the air and yells…-TATSUMAKI-SENPUU-KYAKU"-…then he spins around, throwing lots of spinning kicks at Ranma. It strikes Ranma, but it doesn't stop him. Next, Ranma unleashed one of his own techniques at Ryu…-"KATCHU-TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN"-…Throwing a rain of punches at Ryu. Ryu sees it coming and tries to block them all, some of them hit him…after that…

Ranma rubs his chin. "Wow Ryu, that sure was one powerful spinning kick, and you were able to block almost all of my Amagurikens."

Ryu rubs his stomach, repliying, "Thanks, you've got one major move Ranma, but, I've been training with Chun-Li against her –"Lightning Legs"- technique to be able to block it, although some of them hit me hard. Guess I'll have to train harder."

"Okay…let's finish it Ryu!"

"You're on!"

On the side lines:

Soun's in awe. "Wow, Saotome! Ryu is indeed a great fighter! Almost no warrior was able to defend against Ranma's Amaguriken."

Genma agrees, "You're right Tendo. Same with Ranma against Ryu's Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku; all the warriors who had received it were knocked down instantly, but Ranma was able to stand it!"

Nodoka gushes, "Oh oh, I just wish that I had brought a camera to tape this marvelous fight between my son and Ryu, cause it's a fight from heaven!"

Kasumi's caught up in thrill of watching the battle, "Oh my! Ranma is as good as Ryu, just like you said Nabiki."

Nabiki's taking pictures. "You said it Kasumi." _Oh man, with these pictures, I'll be able to get lots of money!_

Akane cheers, "Go Ranma, you can do it!"

Sakura, of course, is cheering for her idol. "Go for it Ryu!"

On the battlefield…

Ranma and Ryu begin to concentrate a lot, gather all their Ki into their bodies. Soun, Genma, Nodoka, Akane, Ran, and Sakura know what they were about to do…

Akane gasps, "Oh wow…Ranma will unleash his Mouko Takabisha"

Sakura, knowing Ryu as well as she does, says, "And Ryu will unleash his Hadouken."

Ran's excited, too. "This is gonna be one Kodak moment!"

Soun wails, "WAAAAAAAAAAAH…!! GENMA, WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN?"

Genma wails back, "I DON'T KNOW TENDO!!"

Both fighters are glowing bright…then, it happens…

"MOUKOOOO…TAKABISHAAAAAAA!!"

"HADOUUUUUKEEEEEEEEEN!!"

Both fighters release their special attacks…both energy balls were released from each one. Ranma's was a big yellow ball, while Ryu was a big blue ball. When the two Ki-blasts crash against each other, they detonate. The explosion is like a small nuclear blast. The wind from the force pushes both fighters back, along with the crew. When the smoke clears, a small hole was in the center of the patio of the Dojo. The public was in awe…

Soun, teary-eyed, summarizes, "Saotome. This fight was one of the most awesome I have ever seen."

Genma nods, "Tell me about it Tendo. My son went a round against Ryu."

Nodoka beams with pride. "I shall never forget this fight…" Then she squeals, "Ooooh, my son fought against Ryu himself…my friends will be sooooo jealous"

Akane's excitedly asking, "That was some match, wasn't it?"

Sakura:" You can say that again Akane…both of them were great."

Ran thoughtfully comments, "Ranma and Ryu fought like masters…but I have a question, girls…who won?"

Sakura and Akane both ask, "Yeah…who won?"

It's Kasumi who makes that judgment. "Well…since neither of them were knocked down, I'd say it's a tie."

On the battle field…

Ryu and Ranma get up, and walk towards each other…and shake hands and congratulate each other for the fight:

Ryu's the first to say, "You put up a great fight, Ranma. You're as good as I am."

Ranma humbly replies, "Thanks Ryu, and let me tell you that you're one of the greatest opponents I have ever fought against."

"Thank you, it was an honor to fight with you again."

"You too, Ryu."

The crew head over to them and congratulates them:

Soun's got tears in his eyes. "Ranma, Ryu, that was an awesome fight!"

Impressed, Genma remarks, "Yes, I still can't believe that I had the privilege of watching my son fight you, Mr. Hoshi."

Nodoka's crying tears of joy. "My son fought against Ryu…Oh, my son, you are a true warrior! You've made your mother proud!"

Ranma sweatdrops, with a nervous laugh. "Um…thanks, mom…I guess…"

* * *

_**AT A BUS STATION IN NERIMA, JAPAN:**_

Bubbleman steps out from the bus…he didn't have anything with him, but his will, and dedication to find the Phoenix Stone. Once he gets out of the Bus Station, he begins his quest in Nerima.

"Nerima! At last, I'm finally here! Now, to find the Phoenix Stone and get my dream vacation! Mwahahahahaaa!"

Bubbleman next takes out a credit card… an American Express Gold. "I'm sure that Doc. Wily won't miss his Credit Card. I mean, I couldn't have paid for the bus and all that other stuff, hee hee!"

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG's SECRET BASE – DR. WILY'S LAB:**_

Bass walks by, when he hears some crying and desperate pleas…when he picks at the door, he sees Dr. Wily searching like a madman in all the drawers… "Doc! What the heck are you looking for?"

Dr. Wily's desperate, crying, "I CANT FIND MY GOLD CREDIT CARD, BASS! WHERE COULD IT BEEEE!? WAAAAHH…AND I JUST PAID IT OFFFFFFFF!!"

Bass shrugs, "Whatever. I'm outta here."

* * *

_**THE STREETS OF NERIMA:**_

Ran is coming from the mall. She bought a Red Jewel for herself. The Jewel is Red, in the shape of a Star. She's heading for home.

* * *

_**TWO BLOCKS NEARBY:**_

Bubbleman's walking down the street, drinking a can of soda, and pondering how was he gonna find Ran. "I must find Lady Ran, I must find the Phoenix Stone…so many things to do, so little time! Oh man, where am I gonna find her? It's not like she's gonna walk in front of me and…"

And, as if by fate…Ran walks in front of him…! Bubbleman cannot believe his luck…

Bubbleman blinks. "Well I'll be…I don't believe this…there's Lady Ran!" He glares at the jewel Ran has on her neck. "Hey…what's that? Could it be? Let's see, it's Red, glowing, shaped like a star…and Lady Ran has it on her…YES! I FOUND HER! I FOUND THE PHOENIX STONE! Now to take it away from her!"

Ran's walking happily, when her danger senses pick up and she begins to scan the area for possible enemies, and what she finds makes her blink…Bubbleman is dressed as a…get ready for this… a tree…only covered by some bushes…

"Um…who are you? Why are you dressed like that?"

Bubbleman realizes he's been discovered. "What the…!? How did you see through my disguise girl?"

Ran snorts, "Oh please…that has to be one of the lamest disguises I have ever seen. A TREE? Come on!"

Bubbleman mutters, "Darn it…I knew I had to choose the rock!"

"But…who are you?"

"Now that you mention it girl…" Bubbleman strikes a sentai pose. "_**Prepare for trouble girl, 'cause now YOU're in trouble! I will steal something that belongs to you, so that I can make my dreams come true! I am Bubbleman! Yeah, that's right!**_"

Ran blinks. "Say what!?"  
Bubbleman, triumphant, thinks, _Man…that was a cool speech… I wonder if I'm the only one who ever came up with this cool speech_?"

Ran sweatdrops. "Um…nice speech and all…what do you want from me?

"I want that necklace you have!"

"Say what? Why do you want it?"

"Silence! You will give it to me or else!"

"Ha! I choose 'or else'! Are you more of those robots who are after me and Ranma?"

"Uh…yeah, yeah that's it! Hand over that stone now!"

"Sorry, but I don't think so."

"Then I'll have to take it from you by force!"

Then Bubbleman dashes toward Ran, trying to steal the jewel away from her. But unfortunately, Bubbleman wasn't skilled at anything…Ran sees his so-called "attacks" and evades them with ease. Ran sees that this robot, unlike the ones she and Ranma fought before…was kinda, well…clumsy, slow, and not too skilled…

Ran's thinking, _Man…just what's with this robot? I thought that he was gonna be trouble like the other ones, but…he's slow and dumb!_

Bubbleman screams, "MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!"

Bubbleman jumps toward Ran, but Ran just moves away and Bubbleman crashes into a wall, and he repeats it again, and again, and again… Ran was beginning to feel sorry for the robot. _Man, poor robot. I don't know whether to kick his butt…or to help him, _Ran thinks, pitying Bubbleman's clumsiness…

15 minutes later, Bubbleman gets up, all dizzy, almost broken, from all his failures…and addresses Ran. "So…had enough girly!? Do you want some more?"

Ran feels sorry for him now. "Look, why don't you stop doing this?"

"Why? Are you afraid of me? Ha ha Ha!"

"Well…I'm afraid for your safety… If you keep this up, you'll be headed for a one way ticket to the junkyard."

"Not until I get that jewel outta you!"

"Look, if you want it so bad, here!" Ran takes her necklace off. "…You want it? Here, take it! Just go, okay?"

She tosses her jewel to him. When Bubbleman catches it, he can't believe it. He ACTUALLY thinks he has obtained the Phoenix Stone (or so he thinks!).

"ALL RIGHT, I GOT IT! I GOT IIIIIIIT! WOO-HOO!!" Then Bubbleman runs away, laughing like a maniac, but happy –(Homer Simpson style)-…Ran was left there:

Ran blinks. "What a weird robot… oh well, guess I'll have to go and buy that Jewel again from the mall…good thing they're having a 50% sale!"

* * *

_**MAKAI – WITHIN THE DARK CASTLE OF DEMITRI MAXIMOV:**_

Demitri is with Morrigan, Bishamon and B.B. Hood in his throne room, preparing for his counter attack on M. Bison for humiliating him last time…along with him are the reprogrammed Huitzil Robots.

Dimitri declares, "The time has come, for we'll attack that cursed M. Bison and all of his followers, and we will crush them all! And with the help of the Huitzils and the Bounty Hunter B.B. Hood, our victory will be assured!"

Morrigan, still unsure about Demitri's latest half-baked plan, thinks, _I don't know… Something tells me that it will not be as easy as_ _he thinks it is_… Aloud, she warns, "Don't get TOO confident, Dimitri. You know what happened the last time you fought against him, do you?"

Dimitri whirls on the succubus in a rage. "DON'T YOU **EVER** REMIND ME OF THAT INCIDENT MORRIGAN! EVER! HE JUST GOT LUCKY, THAT'S ALL…!! NO HUMAN CAN POSSIBLY MATCH ME!"

Bishamon advises, "Dimitri, don't be filled with vanity, because vanity's always followed by defeat. It is better to be cautious."

Dimitri snorts, "Whatever…soon, I will have my revenge against 'him'. And once I crush him, I'll devour his flesh and destroy his soul. I'll show him that no one messes with me and lives…" Now serious, he turns to B.B. Hood. "B.B. Hood, I expect that you'll be ready for this and do a great job for the money I've paid you."

"Don't worry, I'll be ready! Besides…," B.B. Hood chuckles, "I'm heavily armed! What could those morons have that I don't?"

Dimitri is pleased. "Good!"

That poor girl… won't SHE get a big surprise!

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:**_

Everyone is in that room… The Statue of the Cat Ghost King –(naturally)-, Erick, his beloved Delia, Dr. Wily, Bass, R, and some Red Cat Soldiers and Wily Bots…they are in the middle of a discussion…when Erick receives an incoming message…-(he has a radio headset in his ear)-

Erick's talking to someone. "Yeah…" Now confused, he replies, "Say what!? You don't say? Hmmm, interesting…"

The Cat Statue speaks, "What is it Erick meow?"

Erick reports, "One of our guards has informed me that Bubbleman is coming this way."

Dr. Wily wonders, "So why were you so surprised?"

"Because he says that Bubbleman claims that he has found the Phoenix Stone."

All those assembled scream in disbelief, "SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

Erick covers his ears from the sheer volume of everybody's screaming, then says, "What you all heard…he said that he's coming with the Phoenix Stone."

This takes them by surprise…Dr. Wily and the Cat Ghost King can't believe what they have just heard…R and Bass are shocked to hear that the clumsy robot Bubbleman has found the Stone before they could…

Shocked, R thinks, _No, I don't believe this! That robot baboon found the Stone before I did! That's unacceptable! How!?_"

A look of anger crosses Bass's face as he thinks, This_ has to be a joke! How is it that that buffoon managed to find that Stone before ME! That dumb robot couldn't even catch a cold, yet HE found it! What am I gonna do? My Kingdom is in jeopardy 'cause of him!_"

Surprisingly, R and Bass are both thinking the same thing: _I must take it away from him!_

20 minutes later…Bubbleman enters the large room. When he walks by, he gets lots of angry glares from R and Bass as he pass by them, then, he stands before the Cat Statue and Erick, with Delia by his side:

Erick decides to humor the robot, asking, "So Bubbleman, you say that have the Phoenix Stone? Right?"

Bubbleman happily replies, "Yes!"

R and Bass mutter angrily, growling under their breath. "Grrr……….!!"

"Well, show it to us." Erick orders Bubbleman.

"Okay…here it is…TA-DAAAAAAAAAA!!" Bubbleman shows the jewel that he stole from Ran. Erick, as well as the rest of group, sees the jewel. Erick looks at the Jewel and blinks. He notices that it was a…regular jewel.

"Bubbleman, what the heck is that?"

"Why…the Phoenix Stone of course!"

A LONG moment of silence passes.

Erick sighs, then says, "…………You know, Bubbleman, if I had the I.Q. of a peanut, like YOU do, I would agree that this would be the Phoenix Stone. But since I don't, I will disagree with this being the Phoenix Stone."

R and Bass are astonished when they hear this.

Bubbleman gasps, "Are you trying to tell me that…that it's not the Phoenix Stone?"

Erick replies, "In a word…YES!"

Desperate, Bubbleman tries to prove it to Erick otherwise. "No…no you're wrong! This HAS to be the Phoenix Stone! Why do you say that it's not? I stole it from that Ran girl!"

"Well, Bubbleman, for two reasons…the first is that I do not detect any magic coming from it…" He turns to the Cat Statue. "…or, do you feel any magic from this, your highness?"

"No, I do not meow," the Cat Statue intones.

"There you go…and second and most important…I seriously doubt that the Phoenix Stone was ever…" Erick then laughs, "-"Made in China"-, like it says on the back of this Jewel."

Bubbleman can't believe it. "Wh-what!?"

Erick chuckles, "That's right…and, like your brain, this Jewel is a fake, nothing more."

Then, everyone laughs hard at Bubbleman's mistake. Bass and R are laughing like hyenas. Bubbleman's feeling down and sad from the laughs he was getting. He then runs out from the room, for he's sad and very hurt.

Bass's laughing, "What a dumb ass he was! Hahahaha!"

R laughs, nodding, "Yeah! Hahaha…! He sure made a fool outta himself!"

Erick addresses the two. "I see that this 'incident' is making you laugh guys!"

"Why not…it's very funny!"

"For once, I agree with him!" Bass says. "Hahaha…that Bubbleman sure made a fool of himself!"

Erick warns, "If I were you guys, I wouldn't be laughing too much."

Bass:" Oh! And why not?"

"Guys…What if Bubbleman had indeed brought the Phoenix Stone…what would you guys have done?"

This sentence makes Bass and R stop laughing and start thinking.

R snorts, "Oh come on, Erick, that's silly. Bubbleman is a fool!"

"Maybe…but…a fool he is, ambitious he is too."

Bass:" What the heck do you mean?"

"Simple…Bubbleman went on his own to try to find the Phoenix Stone…although he didn't exactly find it, he had the initiative to pursue his goal…" Erick then turns his gaze on R and Bass scolding them. "Something YOU two haven't done lately."

Neither R nor Bass can object, for what Erick has said is true. "……..…"

Erick continues, "I suggest that you all find the Phoenix Stone…imagine if someone else finds it before you do…what could happen to your 'plans'?"

Bass thinks, _Man…I'd better step up my plans to find that stone…I will not allow anyone to find it, or else I won't get my Kingdom!_

R likewise thinks, _Nobody will get that stone before me! That's MY mission!_"

Erick ends the meeting. "Okay everyone, dismissed."

And then everyone leaves the shrine. Later in Erick's inner sanctum, Erick was having a drink with Delia by his side:

Delia remarks, "It sure was interesting what happened today."

"You mean with Bubbleman's mistake?" Erick asks his beloved.

"Yes…poor robot, he thought he found the Stone by taking it away from Lady Ran, but he didn't. Then all his fellow robots started laughing at him. He was hurt."

"That he was Delia…but, Bubbleman wasn't exactly wrong about it."

"You're right."

"Yep…let's just say that Bubbleman didn't exactly 'look deep' into the matter. Hehehehe…!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED… **_


	31. Arrival of the Future Warriors!

CHAPTER 31

_**-"THE HUNTERS WITH THE SECRET MISSION: ARRIVAL OF THE FUTURE WARRIORS!"-**_

The Mavericks Hunters from the future, Megaman X and Zero have landed in present-day Japan. When they get out of the car; they begin to look at the place:

"So where are we…?" Zero says. He begins to look around. "Did we land in the right time?"

X replies, "I hope so Zero, or else our future's screwed."

Zero's thinking. "Hmm…One way to find out X is to go out and investigate."

"Roger."

Suddenly, a piece of newspaper lands in Zero's face by the wind. He picks it up and begins to read into it. He sees the headlines…and, the date of the paper…13 June 20XX.

Happy, Zero says, "X, I guess we did land in the right time and place."

"Really? That's great! Now what do we do, Zero?"

"First things first is to hide the car. Then, to investigate about this world, so we can start with our mission."

"Understood."

"Before we go, I suggest that we change our clothes so we can blend in without any problems."

"Right…good thing that the guys back at HQ gave us these new clothes."

Zero agrees. "That's right, and also this money from the Museum of Money, which we'll have to be very careful not to spend it all, only if extremely necessary."

"Affirmative."

"Okay, now, we'll split up, look around this place, and meet up here in five hours, okay X?"

"You got it Zero."

"In that case, good luck X."

"You too buddy."

Then, they change from their combat armors, to some normal clothes –(thanks to Douglas's machine)-. Zero was covered in a blue trench coat –(similar to Heidern's in the KOF series)- with brown tennis shoes, he didn't have his helmet on, so his long, blonde ponytail was hanging loose, and had red sunglasses. X's clothes were blue jeans, white shoes, and a brown leather bomber jacket –(almost like Terry Bogard's in GAROU Mark of the Wolves)- his helmet was gone and his black hair looks cool, along with his dark sunglasses. Then, they part away to investigate the place.

* * *

_**X:**_

X was walking around the city, admiring the view before him. Normal people with their friends, family, blue sky, birds flying in the sky…he was impressed. _Man, the 21st century is kinda cool. No Reploid attacks, no extreme pollution, no command posts everywhere…so nice_.

X thoughts were stopped when he looks at a store before him. –"Akihabara Store"- was the name of the store. So X, out of curiosity, decides to enter… Once inside, he looks at all the stuff the store has. X has never seen anything like this in his time…

"Fried pudding rice, Salmon, Tofu…I wonder what are these things…"

"Can I help you Nyo?" a girl's voice asks.

Then, X turns around and sees before him a small girl, dress in a black and white maid-like costume, with a bell on her chest, two on her ears, has green hair, and the weirdest part in X's opinion was the hat on her head is in the shape of a cat.

_What is this girl_? Out loud, X says politely, "Um, hello, um, I was just looking around, and all… Um, what's your name little girl?"

The girl cheerfully replies, "My name is Dejiko Nyo. Welcome to Akihabara Store Nyo! What can I help you with Nyo?"

X sweatdrops, "He he he he… No, nothing much, like I said, just looking around hehehe…"

"Okay Nyo, but if you want help Nyo, ask Dejiko Nyo, and I'll help you Nyo."

"Ooookay."

Then Dejiko leaves; X was kinda surprised at the girl. _Man, who is that girl, is_ _she a cat-like person? Oh well, no matter_"…X thinks and begins looking around at the stuff the store has. He was on his way out, walking to the door, when he was stopped by another little girl. X looks down and sees that this little girl dresses the same as the other older girl, the only difference is that she's wearing a little school uniform.

"Um…hello little girl."

"…"

"I said, hello little girl."

"…"

"Um…are you alright? Did you lose your mommy?"

The Little Girl finally says, "…You're funny nyu."

X blinks, "Funny! Me…why do you say that little…um."

The Little Girl gives her name. "Puchiko."

X is like, "Ooookay, Puchiko…Why do you say that I'm funny?"  
"Puchiko thinks you're funny Nyo"

"Why do you always say that 'nyo' part?"

"What 'nyo' part Nyo?"

X sighs, "Never mind, but tell me, are you lost?"

"Puchiko's not lost Nyo, Puchiko lives here with Dejiko Nyo"

"Dejiko…oh well, I must be going now, nice meeting you, Puchiko and…"

X couldn't finish it because he heard loud screams. When X goes to investigate he sees that Dejiko girl fighting with another girl. The other girl is a little bigger and taller then Dejiko, with similar maid's clothes, has red hair, with 2 long pigtails, and, two white rabbit ears on her head –(Rabi-en-Rose)-.

X is confused, thinking, _Man…do all girls wear those weird clothes and animal hats or something-… _X hears them yelling…

Dejiko taunts, "Not fast enough Usada!"

Rabi-en-Rose, mad, yells, "Don't call me Usada! It's Rabi en Rose!"

"Usada, Usada!"

"GYAAAAH!"

X sweatdrops. "I think I must be going now, before I get stuck in their little fight."

Puchiko says, "Okay Nyu, please come back again Nyu."

When X exits the store, he was impressed by the display of that little fight…-"Oh boy, the girls of the 21st century sure dress funny. Well, I must continue to look. I hope Zero's doing much better than I am".

* * *

_**Zero:**_

Zero was walking in the streets of Tokyo. Like X, he too was impressed with the 21st century…

Looking around, Zero says, "What a cool place the 21st century is. Look at all these people, all of them human, no Reploids, no Mavericks around, this could be relaxing."

A little boy's voice yells, "Prepare to be destroyed! BAM BAM BAM!"

Then Zero turns around and gets into a defensive position, ready to take out his Z-Saber …what he sees in front of him were a couple of little children playing with their toy guns. Zero sighs in relief… "Just a couple of kids playing. That's a relief…I guess I'm just being too paranoid."

Zero begins to walk. 20 minutes later he was at shopping mall, when he saw in front of him…a Mime. Zero was confused with this Mime. He didn't know what it was, for the Mime was doing all sort of tricks…

Zero blinks. "What's with this person? Why is he dressed like that, and his face is painted in white?"

The Mime began to imitate as if he was inside a box, wanting to get out:

"What's he doing? It looks like if he's…trapped by something, but I cannot see what…" Zero then gasps, "Oh no, he must be trapped inside a force field! That would explain why he's trying to get out…I must help him before he suffocates!"

Then Zero closes in front of him…then raises his fist back…and WHAM…he hits only the air, and knocks down the poor Mime.

"That's funny! I didn't feel any force field around him…must have been a weak one…" Zero notices the Mime who was down on the ground, "Hey, are you all right? Hello?"

The Mime was knocked down –(anime style)-, so he couldn't answer him… "_"

Zero shrugs, "What a weird person…I'd better keep investigating."

Zero begins to look around, still impressed by the scenes before him. When he was in the center of Tokyo, he heard loud screams from a boy coming not so far away…-"Huh? Those screams, they're coming from that corner! I better look into this!"-…Zero says as he dashes to the place...when he arrives, he sees something interesting…

He sees a boy with short black hair, running away from what would seem to be …a girl whit Blue Spiked Cyan Hair, she was floating, and chasing the boy…

Zero's intrigued. "That girl is floating! How can she do that? And she's after that boy! I'd better help him before that girl hurts him!"

Or so he thought…and he went to help the boy.

Tenchi was running away from Ryoko, cause she was bugging him. "Leave me alone Ryoko!"

"Oh come on Tenchi, let's go out on a date!"

Tenchi whines, "I don't wanna!"

"Come to mama Tenchi!"

"HEY! Leave him alone!" Ryoko and Tenchi turn around and see Zero…

"Um…can I help you sir?" Tenchi asks.

"You leave the boy alone girly!" Zero says to Ryoko.

Ryoko's annoyed. "Hey, who do you think you are?"

"My name is not important…now leave him alone…or else!"

Ryoko snarls, "Or else what pretty boy?"

"Or else I'll have to teach you some manners!"

"YOU TEACH ME? IF YOU DON'T LEAVE RIGHT NOW…IT IS I WHO WILL TEACH YOU SOME MANNERS BUB!"

Tenchi tries to calm her down, "Come on Ryoko, don't fight!"

Ryoko says, "Not now Tenchi…that guy will get a lesson not to interfere with us!"

Then Ryoko floats and stands before Zero, with a mean look. "Buddy, you're gonna get a lesson in not butting into other people's business…the hard way!"

Zero smirks, "Oh, really?"

"I'll have you know that I'm Ryoko…the Galaxy's most wanted pirate and the strongest!"

Zero's un-interested. "So what?"

Ryoko gasps "WHA…you never heard of me?"

"I haven't…and I don't care."

Ryoko's angry now. "WHY YOU…THAT'S IT, YOU'RE HISTORY PAL…DIEEE!"

Then Ryoko dashes toward Zero and launches an energy ball at him. Zero sees it coming and moves fast. Ryoko's impressed. _Wow…that guy moves fast! How'd he do that?"_

Zero's thinking, _That girl can launch energy attacks! I think this will get interesting!_

"Okay buster, I don't know how you evaded my attack…but now…" Ryoko charges her energy and forms a sword. "…I'll beat you up good!"

_Now she can form an energy sword…kinda like that Maverick Slash_ _Beast_… Aloud , Zero says, "So you want to play rough? Yery well, then. Attack me if you dare!"

"And I will…DIEEEEEEE!"

Ryoko tries to strike Zero with her Energy sword. But Zero, with all his experience in hand to hand combat with many Mavericks, dodges them all, he moves faster then Ryoko…she began to lose her cool, Tenchi however, one eyebrow twitching, thinks, _That guy moves really fast. Ryoko can't even touch him! Who is he?"_

Ryoko angrily thinks, _Damn! What is this guy made of? He moves faster then me!_

Then, Ryoko was gonna strike Zero with her sword…when Zero immediately takes out his Z-Saber and blocks it…Ryoko as well as Tenchi, was shocked by the power that Zero's sword has:

Tenchi's shocked. _No way! That guy's sword looks pretty strong…kinda like my Light Hawk Wings."_

Ryoko's equally shocked. _WHAT…the sword this guy has, I sense a lot of power from it…it almost matches Tenchi's "Light Hawk Wings"…how is that possible_?"

Zero says, "As you can see…you're not the only one with a energy sword."

Ryoko snaps out, "Oh yeah? So what! I'm still gonna beat you!"

Zero's chuckling, "Be my guest."

Ryoko began to throw many sword strikes at Zero. But Zero blocks them all without any problems. His skills were far better then her and Tenchi…

"Man…this guy's better then Tenchi, how is that possible?"

"Look, lady, I have no time to waste…so, I'll just have to finish this fight now."

"And how are you gonna do that, hmm?"

"Like this…RAIJINGEKI!"

Then Zero dashes toward Ryoko with unbelievable speed. Ryoko was too scared and impressed to move. When close, Zero's Saber turned into an electric sword and strikes Ryoko with it. Ryoko felt as if 10,000 volts of electricity charge through her. Later…she fell to the ground, twitching from all that electricity that she receives. Tenchi's jaw was wide open. This guy beat Ryoko in an instant, and his sword was even greater then his.

Zero turns in Tenchi's direction. "Are you all right boy? Did that girl hurt you or anything?"

Tenchi replies, "Um no…and, you made a mistake, she wasn't attacking me. Her name is Ryoko, and she lives with me and some other friends in my house."

"She is?" Zero then blushes, embarrassed. "…Oh! Sorry about that! Tell her that I was sorry…well…I must go boy, see you."

"I will, mister…?"

"Zero…just Zero."

"I'm Tenchi. Nice to meet you, Zero."

"Likewise, Tenchi…well, I must be going now. It was nice knowing you, good bye."

Then Zero began to walk away…

_Man_, _I just hope that '__**I**__' don't have to fight against him, he's very skilled, and that sword of his…_ Tenchi thinks, shivering. _Brrrrrrr, it could match my_ _Light Hawk Wings. I'd better pick up Ryoko and take her to Washu for healing._

So Tenchi picks up Ryoko and walks toward his home.

* * *

_**X**__:_

X was now in Domino City, still looking at the street and admiring the view…

"You know, I could get used to this world, and it's so peaceful. A little STRANGE, but good."

Then X heard some shouting from not too far away from him…-"Hurry up Serenity, those Rare Hunters are behind us!"-…it was the voice of a guy…-"Oh, I'm running, Tristan! I'm running!"-…it was the voice of a girl. When X was about to check it out, two people bump into him and fell to the ground. When X's vision cleared, he saw 2 people in front of him, one was a boy with short black hair, whit a black jacket, and a young girl, with long brown hair, she had some bandages covering her eyes…

"Hey you two…are you alright?"

Tristan's rubbing his head. "Ouch, yeah, we're fine…" He's getting up. "Now if you'll excuse us we need to get out of here."

"Why?" X wanted to know.

"Cause those Rare Hunters are after us!"

X blinks, confused. "Rare…Hunters?"

"Yeah, we better go before…"

Then, 5 Rare Hunters appeared and block their path…

Rare Hunter 1 says, "There they are!"

Tristan shouts, "Oh no!"

"What the heck?" X wonders.

Rare Hunter 2 says, "Okay, you're coming with us!"

"Never!"

Serenity's clutching Tristan's arm. "Tristan, I'm scared!"

"Don't worry Serenity, I won't let them take you."

Rare Hunter 1 threatens, "Now come with us and you won't get hurt!"

X decides to intervene. "Listen here, I don't know what's going on…but I won't allow you to take them!"

The Rare Hunter gasps, "WHAT! Who the hell are you buster…don't you know what we are?"

"My name is just X…and you're gonna be in big trouble if you don't leave them alone!"

Rare Hunter 2 says, "Is that so…? Okay buster, you asked for it…GET HIM RARE HUNTERS!"

Tristan, worried says to X, "Hey dude, what do you think you're doing?"

X smiles, "Just lending a hand…don't worry, I'll be fine."

The 5 Rare Hunters charge against X. One of the hunters throws a punch at X, but X ducks and grabs his arm and does a powerful over the shoulder throw and slam him hard against 2 hunters. Another one grabs him from behind, but, unfortunately for the hunter, X's robotic strength lets him just break out of the enemy's grip easily and knocks the hunter down. When all the Hunters are down, he approached Tristan and Serenity. "Are you guys all right?"

Tristan replies, "Uh! Yeah…thanks."

Serenity thanks X, "Thank you very much…whoever you are."

X tells them, "My name is X, young lady…but, why were those 'Rare Hunters' after you?"

Tristan just says, "Long story…now if you'll excuse us, we need to get to Domino Pier."

"Why?"

"One of our friends is in great danger, and we need to get there."

"I see…listen, while I'm here, I'll go with you."

"Oh we couldn't ask for that." Serenity says.

X nobly tells her, "No, I insist."

Serenity smiles. "Thank you kind mister"

Tristan, glad to have to some extra help, says, "Then let's go!"

Then they began their journey…they meet Mai Valentine and hop into her car. When they got to the pier…X saw a strange group…he saw two people –(Joey & Yugi)- battling, when he saw some monsters –(Duel Monsters)- he flips, but when he scans them, he saw that they were just holograms, he gave a sigh of relief. When they arrived with the others:

-(Note: If you've seen the Episode of Yu-Gi-Oh: -"Joey's Betrayal"-…then you'll know what happens…so let's skip the long part)-

Tristan asks, "What's going on"?

Mokuba tells him, "Joey's being controlled by Marik…and they have Tea trapped in that chair, and we can't do anything!"

X remarks, "That seems unfair…I will free her."

"No you can't! If you try, that Rare Hunter will drop that huge crate on top of her head!"

X gives him a thumbs up. "No problem kiddo, leave it to me!"

Kaiba, Mokuba's brother –and Yugi's longtime rival! -, says in an icy voice, "Listen here, bub…this is not the time to play hero! This is serious!"

X faces Kaiba. "I know, and that's why I must do it!"

Then X dashes fast to the chair where Tea was being held. The others were in awe by the speed that X displays. X arrives with Tea.

Tea asks her rescuer, " Hey, who are you?"

"Call me X, and I'm here to set you free."

"That's nice…but you won't be able to break these things!"

"Oh, no problem!"

Then X snaps the locks that were keeping Tea. Tea was impressed by X's strength –(of course Tea didn't know what X was)-.

Tea's in awe. "Wow…how'd you do that?"

The Hunter was in awe…but then woke up and…-(angry)- I warned you all what would happen if you interfered…now they'll die!"-…the Hunter said and presses the button, releasing the crate. Everyone gasps in horror as the crate was about to fall on them. X saw the crate coming toward them…then he changes his right arm into his X-Buster, raises it up and with a fully charged shot, blasts it. The Hunter gasped big at the scene before him…Tea and the rest were shocked too at X's actions. Then X charges his buster again, then aimed at the machine where the Hunter was in. He throws another blast to the machine, and the machine explodes. Later, X carries Tea in his arms to her friends. –(At this point, Serenity can see now)-

"Here you go." X says, gently putting Tea down. "All safe."

Tea blushes. " Um…thanks again mister…for saving me."

"No problem, Miss Tea."

Joey's excited. "WOW! How did you do that? Your arm changed into a gun and blasted that Rare Hunter to the sky!"

X blushes. "Um…It's a secret hehehehe."

Serenity says, "Tea's right…you were very brave Mister X." She blushes. "Kinda like, a knight in shining armor."

"Thanks Miss. Serenity…I'd better go, nice to meet you all."

"Mister X…" Serenity's a little nervous. "Can I…could I…have your…phone number…I mean…so that I can call you?"

X gets nervous. "My…my….phone number? Well, you see…it's kinda like this…I'm not from around here…I'm visiting."

Tea then says, "Well…can you at least tell us what hotel are you staying?"

"Hotel…?" X gulps, thinking _Oh man, what can I tell them? _Out loud, he tries, "Err.. Listen…why don't you give me your phone number and I'll call you? …Yeah, that's it! What do you say?"

"Yeah! That's a great idea…" Serenity writes a couple of phone numbers down and hands it over to X. "Here, this is my home number." She's blushing again. "And this is my cell phone number…you can call me anytime you want."

Tea winks. "Yeah…me too."

X laughs nervously, "Heheheee…thanks…I'll do that…Well, would you look at the time, I must go, farewell!"

Then X walks away…fast…running for the hills!

Yugi wonders, "Who was he?"

Joey says, "He calls himself just X."

Kaiba, with a mean look on his face, is thinking, _I don't know who that X is…but that thing that he did with his arm was pretty amazing…I must find out everything about him!_

Serenity sighs in awe, "I hope that I can see him again…he was so cool!"

Tea nods, agreeing, "Tell me about it Serenity, he was so brave!"

"…and handsome."

Serenity & Tea both squeal, "He's so cute!"

Joey, Tristan, and Duke facefault, insulted, "HEEEEEEEEEY"!

It seems that Serenity and Tea have a big crush on X.

* * *

Later…X and Zero meet up at the place for information on what they found:

Zero asks, "X, what did you find out? Did you have any troubles?"

X replies, " Not much…although, I rescued a girl on a pier in Domino City…and this store where I met some weird little girls…dressed like cats…you?"

Zero shrugs, "Not much…had a little battle with a weird woman who could float, launch energy balls and produce energy swords like that Maverick Slash Beast."

"Really…this 21st century sure is weird."

Zero chuckles, "Yeah…Hey, I did find out some very interesting news though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Seems that there's some chaos going down in a place called Nerima."

"Nerima…?"

"Yes…I suggest that we go there and investigate…it could be a clue for what we're here for."

X decides, "Alright…so let's go to Nerima."

Zero nods in agreement, "To Nerima."

_**TO BE CONTINUED... **_


	32. Search Orders From Erick!

CHAPTER 32

_**-"SEARCH ORDERS FROM ERICK! 'GET THE ROBOT NAMED ZERO!'"-**_

_**RED CAT GANG's SECRET BASE – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

The cameras that Erick Genryusai had placed all over Nerima were no longer enough. He needed something that would truly act as his eyes and ears throughout Japan (and even the world if necessary!), so that the RED CATS and Wily's bots could focus more on getting the Phoenix Stone. A new plan began to formulate in Erick's head.

At first, he was thinking of contacting Bison and asking for the use of his Monitior Cyborgs (from Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie). But they were only good for collecting data; in actual combat, they were rather worthless.

Thus, Erick decided to create his own special spy robot. More than just a simple Monitior Cyborg, it would not only collect data, but it could also be used in combat as well. And best of all, it would be created from DVL Cells! With the Cells' ability to self-multiply, Erick could mass-produce as many of these spies as he needed and send them anywhere in the world.

Now, all he needed was the combat data to program it.

Fortunately, there happened to be those two warriors from the future, X and Zero. Erick could care less about X, but Zero intrigued him.

Why would Erick be interested in Zero?

_Hmmm…this Zero seems to possess a power that's VERY similar to my Cells. I must investigate more on this. But for now, I'll settle for his battle data! _Aloud, Erick summons Delia. "Delia."

From out of the shadows, Delia appears. "Yes, darling?"

"Summon Bass and Onekomaru. I want them to take along some of our soldiers and personally "welcome" our guests from the future. Make sure Onekomaru brings the "special" equipment as well."

"Right away, darling."

* * *

_**LATE AFTERNOON; IN THE WOODS OUTSIDE NERIMA:**_

X and Zero are standing outside a cave where they've just hid the time machine. They are discussing how to best go about their mission.

X asks Zero, "So where exactly should we begin our search?"

Zero considers that, then says, "Well, X, these Cells are kinda like the Sigma Virus, so they can't be seen or analyzed correctly like other data. We have to feel their evil energy. That's the only way to find them, and their creator "Deimos".

"I see... OK, let's do it."

"Right. We'll start by checking the area surrounding Nerima first, and…." Zero hears something moving. "Huh?"

X and Zero begin to hear noises of people moving in the forest around them. They start to back cautiously toward the cave. Suddenly there is heavy footfall behind them. They turn around and see that they are surrounded by soldiers!

"NI!" a RED CAT Soldier yells.

All around them, X and Zero see nothing but soldiers. They are extremely fierce and formidable, if rather silly, in appearance, wearing red Chinese-style military uniforms with ridiculous cat ears. All of them are "Ni-ing" fiercely. "NI! NI! NI!"

X asks, "Who are you?"

The soldier repliers, "We are all soldiers! NI!"

Zero blinks. "Ni"? I've never heard of such an army.

"We are all the same!"

X is confused. "No, really, who ARE you?

"We are the keepers of the holy words. NI ... PING! And Neee... OW!! You should just remember that!

"Oookay….I think you've already made your point!" a voice says, interrupting the RED CAT Soldier's speech.

"Lord Bass!" all of the RED CAT Soldiers gasp.

X and Zero look up to see another person standing on a large tree branch hanging above them. He is a robot wearing black armor and a helmet with large gold-trimmed fins on each side. Accompanying him is a fierce-looking, wolf-like creature with purple armor. It's Bass and Treble! Looking down at the large group below, Bass smiles evilly while Treble growls at X and Zero softly, yet loud enough to startle the two Hunters. "Grrrr….!!"

A little nervous, X points at Bass. "Now who's this guy?"

Zero says in reply, "I dunno, X; he must be the leader of this bunch of loonies." As he looks at Bass, he thinks, _That's funny… where have I seen that guy before?_

Bass address the Maverick Hunters with mock-cheerfulness, sarcasm obvious in his voice. "Well, well, what do we have here? Two guys, who DON'T look like they're from around here, AND they're hanging out in the forest. Looks to me like you two are up to something!"

Zero asks, "And who might YOU be?"

Bass snaps at Zero, "Feh! Who I am ain't your concern. So just zip it, "Girly-Boy"! Trust me, you DON'T wanna lose your little ponytail right now!" He calms down, then continues, "Ahem…Y'know, I'll bet you're wondering what we're doing here, right? Well, we're the "welcome wagon"! Surely you have those where you guys come from?"

X thinks, _Could they have figured out we're from the future? It can't be! How would they have known?_

"Anyway, we heard you were coming, so we decided to throw a party, and YOU're our guests of honor, if you catch my drift…"

Zero catches on. "Hmm…sounds like fun, but we'll pass, OK?"

A RED CAT Soldier yells angrily at Zero, "NI!"

"WHOA! Hey, simmer down buddy!

Bass chuckles at the scene, then resumes, "And now, we come to "the big question": What are YOU doing here?"

Always the pacifist, X tries to reason with the soldiers. "Please, uh, "Strange Guys Who Say Ni!"... We're just tourists visiting Japan, and…"

Bass groans, "Tourists? Yeah, right! Whaddya take us for!?" _I can't believe I'm gonna do this, but…_Out loud, he yells, "NI!"

The RED CATS start Ni-ing! "NI! NI! NI!"

X jumps back, startled, and covers his ears. "Oh! OW! HEY! Stop it!"

The RED CATS chant louder, with feeling! "NI! NI! NI!"

As he covers his ears from all that "Ni-ing"; Zero thinks, _These weird soldiers and this technique of theirs, yelling "NI!" at us…what kind of attack is that? These guys must be masters of psychological warfare, or they're just lazy and lifted it from some old movie!_ Exasperated, he can't take it anymore. "Yeesh! Enough already! That's annoying!"

Bass motions for everyone to cease "Ni-ing". "OK, that's enough, fellas." Then, to X and Zero, he threatens, "Now, you'd better tell us what you're doing here, or we'll say "Ni!" again!"

RED CAT Soldier #102 fervently yells, "NI!"

"SHADDUP!" Bass roars; the poor frightened solider does as he's told! Once more to X and Zero, he asks, "Think fast, guys! What's it gonna be?"

X turns to Zero, whispers, "Okay, we have a quick decision to make. Do we fight or surrender?"

Zero whispers back, without hesitation, "We fight, of course!"

"Why, Zero? We have no chance of winning against such odds."

Zero snorts, "To give up now, before our mission has even begun, would be ridiculous. Besides, they'll only capture us if we lose. They wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to find us, if they intended to kill us. And, call it a hunch, but I think these guys are working for "you-know-who"."

"We can't let them capture us, Zero. We're our world's only hope!"

Zero nods, "Okay." Out loud, to Bass and the RED CATS, he then says, "We choose the third option."

Bass says with anticipation, "And that would be…?"

"To fight you!"

Bass grins knowingly. "Feh! Figures you'd say that. You hero-types are SO predictable. Don't say we didn't give you a chance, 'cause now it's too late! You're not gonna leave these woods ... alive!" To the soldiers, he orders, "GET 'EM!"

At that point, the RED CAT Soldiers charge at X and Zero. Switching to his X-Buster, X powers up enough energy for TWO charged shots! He aims his X-Buster and yells…

"DOUBLE BUSTER!"

X fires a charged shot at the enemies. Then with his left hand (!), he takes the leftover energy and punches forward throwing another blast! The two shots spiral toward the RED CATS until they become one large blast! It strikes, throwing the soldiers back hard! OUCH!

"UWAAAAHHH!!!" the RED CAT Soldiers shriek as they're hit.

"Whew!" X turns to check on his partner. "How're you doing over there, Zero?"

Zero levels his right arm at the soldiers and it changes into his Z-Buster. From it, he starts launching rapid-fire energy spheres into the troopers. The spheres explode like grenades, sending more RED CAT Soldiers flying in every direction.

"Me? Great, just great! These guys aren't too tough, but man, they're persistent!" Zero fires off another round of Z-Buster shots.

Now that they've cleared a space between them and their enemies, X and Zero switch from their Busters and draw out their Z-Sabers. The remaining RED CATS press their attack. Using their Sabers, they fight defensively, deflecting their enemies' weapons. Although the RED CAT Soldiers are strong fighters, they're no match for X and Zero and soon the battle turns in their favor.

A few yards away from the scene, was an ordinary-looking van, well, except for the radar dish mounted on top of it. Furthermore, the dish had a strange crystal orb attached to it…. I wonder what it's for?

Anyway, a RED CAT Soldier is behind the wheel of the van. Seated behind him at an array of computers, recording devices, and monitoring equipment is Onekomaru! The crafty feline was using the van's concealed cameras, sensors, and that strange radar-mounted crystal orb (!) to record visual data on the battle and collect information on X and Zero to send back to Erick.

Onekomaru has just witnessed X and Zero beating the soldiers, and needless to say, he's shocked! "ACK! They just took out our guys like they were nothin'!" He picks up a handset radio and calls Erick. "Onekomaru to Lord Erick! Hope you're watchin', 'cause we got big trouble here!"

Erick's voice responds over the radio: _Relax, __Onekomaru__. You just keep collecting data on Zero. I'll have Bass deal with X._

Onekomaru gulps, "I'm really getting' a bad feeling about this... I wonder why Lord Erick wants to know so much about this guy?"

_Hey! Less talking, more filming, got it?_

"ACK! Yes, sir!"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick is sitting on his throne, watching the battle on a large screen. He's munching on some popcorn. What does he think he's watching, a TV show?

Erick thinks, pleasantly entertained,_ Good show! It's everything live TV should be! Entertaining, yes…but also quite educational._

He then presses a button on the throne. Several video screens appear in thin air, displaying all sorts of data on Megaman X and Zero…especially Zero.

_Onekomaru__'s special monitoring equipment is recording such delicious data! Zero is just as strong as I hoped he'd be. But this X… he's not someone we should underestimate. He could pose problems for us. And when they're fighting as a team like this, our forces can't stand up to them. So, then… Let's kick things up a notch._Erick then gets on the radio and calls… "Bass! Call in the second attack wave! Divide and conquer! NOW!"

* * *

_**AND NOW, BACK TO THE BATTLE:**_

Bass has answered Erick's call on his communicator. "Roger, Erick." He then yells to the soldiers, "Second attack wave, move NOW!"

You would think at this point, X and Zero would be faring well, seeing as they managed to beat down most of the RED CATS. But wouldn't you know it more soldiers have arrived! They join up with the remainder of the first attack wave and then rush the two Hunters. They are being steadily pushed back. Yet X and Zero continue to fight back, taking down the enemy with their impressive fighting skills.

Watching from that large tree branch, Bass frowns. These two robots, whoever they are, are making complete fools out of his troops. He decides he'd better get involved before things get out of hand. "_Divide and conquer", Erick says…. Phooey! I'm gonna take down that "Girly-Boy" robot myself!_

Just then Bass hears Erick's voice inside his head. _Bass!_

Bass grimaces, "ACK! Erick! Again with your mind-reading tricks!?"

_Look, Bass, this is all a part of my plan. Let the troops handle Zero.__ If you really want to fight so badly, why don't you go play with his friend instead?_

"But…! Oh, fine!"

Bass pulls out a small bomb and tosses it into the battlefield. Upon landing, it explodes, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. There was so much smoke so that neither X, Zero, or their enemies could see each other. Bass waits until the smoke begins to clear before making his next move; as it does, he can see the familiar form of X emerge…

Down below, X coughs from all that smoke. It's still thick in some areas, but he can barely make out the silhouettes of those weird soldiers. Yet something is amiss. Where is Zero?

"Cough, cough…!" X looks around. "Zero! Zero, where are you!"

But before he can search for his friend, a loud cry pierces the sky catching his attention.

"YO! Blue Boy! You're going nowhere! I've got you now! Let's play, shall we?" Bass leaps into the air. "GYAAAHHH!!"

Bass doesn't waste any time. He wants to snuff out this cheap Megaman look-alike and do it quickly, so he can go play with that other guy, the one called Zero. He dives in fast and hard, straight at X. X leaps up and Bass crash-lands into the ground with earth-shaking force. He'd been so confident that X wouldn't be able to get out of the way that he had fully committed himself to his diving charge from the sky. Consequently he landed so hard that he actually bounced off and crumbled to the ground. His vision swims and he has to shake off the impact, even as he stares stupidly at his surroundings in a vaguely accusatory fashion. Then he looks up. X, clinging from one of the trees, waves down at him.

Bass yells at X as he staggers to his feet, "What do you think you're doing?"

Megaman X answers, "Staying away from YOU, that's what!"

With a roar of indignation, Bass leaps up at him. The thrusters in his feet are powerful enough to carry him within reach ...except the agile blue robot has already vaulted out of the way, somersaulting to another tree opposite the one he hung from earlier. He clings there for a moment and then drops to the ground.

RED CAT Soldier #000 yells, "Lord Bass!"

Bass angrily responds, "HELLO! I'm a little BUSY right now!"

"Forgive me, my lord, but the other one is missing. He must have eluded us in the confusion!"

_Great! Zero managed to escape!_ Megaman X thinks.

Bass sharply scolds, "Well, what are you standing around for? Rally our forces and find him you idiot! Don't let him get away, or Erick will have your heads!"

RED CAT Soldier #000 fearfully obeys, "Y-yes, Lord Bass, at once!" He then rallies the troops. "Men! Spread out, and…AAAKKK!!"

The soldier drops to the ground, dead. The other RED CATS draw back in fear!

Bass asks, "HEY! Who did that!?" He, X, and the soldiers look around in every direction.

"Where are you looking? I'm right here!"

Only a few feet away from the slain soldier, there's a brief flash of light, and Zero appears! He's in a striking lunge pose, his Z-Saber fully extended. He'd used the age-old Ninja techniques of stealth to sneak up and attack without being seen, taking out the RED CAT Soldier with a single slash of his saber. Quick. Deadly. Efficient. What else would you expect from the commander of Maverick Hunters' Special Unit 0, the "Shinobi Unit"?

X rejoices. "Zero!"

Zero runs over to join X. "Hey, X! Miss me?"

Bass yells at the RED CATS, "Idiots! Don't just stand there while he's dying!"

Just then, RED CAT Soldier #000 wakes up! "But… I'm not dead!"

The other RED CAT Soldiers can be heard saying, "Oh! He's okay! It's a miracle! What a relief!"

Bass sweatdrops. "Err… well… uh… Don't just stand there while he's mortally wounded!"

"I think he's getting better!" RED CAT Soldier #001 says as he tries to revive his slain comrade.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, I THINK everybody knows what's gonna happen next, so…]

Bass, visibly annoyed by this running gag, charges up his Buster and shoots the soldier!

"ARGH!" RED CAT Soldier #000 dies.

The other RED CAT Soldiers mourn over their comrade, "OH! HE'S DIED!"

X and Zero, however, are shocked. Bass has just killed one of his own men!

Bass, having dealt with the disposable soldier, continues, "Now, then…as I was saying, don't just stand there! Get Zero NOW!"

And so, the RED CAT Soldiers attack Zero, vowing revenge for their fallen comrade! X is about to help him, but Bass stands in his way again!

"HEY! We're not through playing! Fight ME!" Bass fires his Buster at X. X fires back with a charged X-Buster shot. The two blasts cancel each other out.

X wonders, shouting, "Hey! Why must I fight you?"

"SHADDUP! After I defeat you, I'm going after your pal! You just gonna stand there and let me beat the crap outta you or are you gonna fight!" Bass fires another blast.

X dodges it. "Stop it! There's no need to fight! All it does is cause more pain!"

"Yeah! To YOU!" _This guy sounds way too much like Megaman! If there's one thing that I hate more than Megaman, it's a stupid Megaman-wannabe! I am SO going to enjoy this!_

Bass raises his Buster, and yells, "SPEED BUSTER!!"

Using his Buster arm like a machine gun, Bass attacks X with rapid-fire shots, continuously firing at him leaving no chance for X to counterattack. X's armor absorbs most of the damage from the shots. He doesn't know how long he can hold out, and he's getting a bit tired of Bass already, so…

"That's enough!!" X lets off a charged blast, knocking Bass back so hard that it sends him crashing into another tree! OUCH!

Stunned, hurt, Bass groans, "Uuugghh…. I felt that. Huh?"

Bass looks up to see X standing over him, his Z-Saber pointed right at him, ready to strike!

Clearly upset, Megaman X wants answers! "All right, Bass! Playtime's over! Who are you working for!?"

Bass sneers, "Feh! Think I'll open up and sing like a bird to you? Even if you beat me, and that's a BIG if, the RED CAT GANG's plans won't be thwarted by the likes of you!"

_RED CAT GANG? Could "Deimos" be the ringleader? If that's true, then Bass might know where to find him and the source of the Cells!_ Out loud, X presses Bass for more information, "And would these plans of yours involve the Cells?"

* * *

Back in his dark chamber, Erick perks up at X's mention of the Cells.

_Hmm…now how would he know about my creation? This is quite intriguing. Let's watch!_

* * *

But before X gets his answer, Treble leaps at him headfirst, knocking him down with a head butt!

Bass praises his pet wolf. "Good boy, Treble!"

"Owww….." Megaman X is moaning gets up, feeling woozy, trying to pull himself together.

Bass laughs, "Curious, aren't you? Well then… TREBLE! LET'S BOOST!!"

"AWOOOOOH!!" Treble howls.

Jumping into the air, a white light envelopes the two of them, and once it subsides, only one of them is standing. It's Bass, who now has wings on his back and whose gold trim has taken a purple hue. He'd just used his "Gospel Boost" technique where he and Treble combine their powers and Treble turns into a suit of power armor for Bass.

"If you wanna know the truth so bad, then beat it out of me!"

A RED CAT Soldier, number 004, who was nearby, sees Bass. "Lord Bass! Catch!" He tosses a sword to Bass.

Bass leaps up and catches the sword in midair. Upon landing, he charges up energy in his hands as if he's about to fire a Buster Shot. But instead of changing his right arm to Buster mode, Bass pulls the sword out of its sheath and grasps it in both hands, filling it with the stored energy. The blade begins to glow with an eerie purple light as if it were a kind of Z-Saber!

Bass smiles wickedly. "Heh heh heh! Now that's more like it! Here I come! YAAAHHHH!!" He charges at X, swinging his Buster-charged sword.

"If this is what you want, then let's go!" X charges toward Bass.

They charge, and fly past each other with purple and green flashes as they swing their respective weapons. As X stops, he drops to his knee still clutching his Z-Saber. Bass turns with a sneer. "Ha! You're NO match for ME! TAKE THIS!"

He charges up a blast and lets it rip, striking X, flinging him across the forest, to collide with a large tree. He collapses, apparently dazed.

Zero sees X getting whomped by Bass. "X! NO!"

Bass yells back, "Oh, don't worry! After I'm done with him, you're next!"

"X! Hang on buddy! I'm coming! HYAH!"

But Zero couldn't come to X's aid, for he's still dealing with the RED CAT Soldiers. He steps back, dodging one attacker lunging at him. Effortlessly, Zero takes him out with a punch, causing the soldier to land hard on the ground. Zero leaps up, catching hold of a tree branch above. Two more soldiers collide beneath him, knocking themselves out. As they sink to the floor, Zero jumps down to face the rest of his opponents.

"C'mon! Is that the best you can do!?"

The remaining soldiers were not about to make the same mistakes their companions did, respecting Zero's skills. Weapons flashed from their clothes; some wielding swords, some spears, others knives, and the rest carrying staffs. They point them angrily at Zero.

Zero sarcastically says, "Oooh. I'm so scared. NOT!"

He starts inching back to get some fighting room, but the troops spread out cutting him off. The tension builds, Zero's eyes shifting between each of them, and then they attack.

Drawing his Z-Saber, the ring of metal sounds as Zero blocks a blow from a sword-wielding RED CAT Soldier. The soldier turns with a sweep, but his target ducks, rolling across the ground. Zero springs up kicking one of the soldiers while striking swiftly at the other with a fist to the arm. Their cries fill the air; Zero's planting several more body blows disabling the swordsman.

The hiss of a blade catches his ears and he goes prone as a knife imbeds itself into the tree trunk where his head would have been. Another soldier charges with weapon upraised ready to do him harm. There's no time for Zero to prepare a blow so he shoots to his feet tackling him around the waist. Together they pitchback and forth in a violent struggle. The scuffle is short lived though, for Zero thrusts his Saber into his opponent, the green blade sticking out the soldier's back. His eyes cross and he lets out a groan falling off to one side, dead. Zero pulls his weapon out of the dead man's body.

Zero regards his slain foe. "Hmph, poor fool. Such is the fate of those who side with Deimos." He turns to the rest of his would-be attackers. "Who's next?"

The soldiers continue to advance on Zero. He smiles and dashes in to take them out like he has been. Despite the odds, one man (or in this case, one Reploid) against an army, the battle continues.

_**TO BE CONTINUED… **_


	33. Fight, Zero!

CHAPTER 33

_**-"FIGHT, ZERO! A FRIEND'S FATE IS IN YOUR HANDS!"-**_

Meanwhile…

Bass goes over to where X lays unconscious. He looks down on his soon-to-be-defeated foe.

Bass kicks X. "Hey. Get up. We're not through." Disappointed, he says, "Y'know, I just don't get you. One moment, you're fighting like a madman against my troops, and the next you're getting your ass handed to you by me. You're pretty strong for somebody who looks a LOT like Megaman. And yet, you're nothing at all like him. I found that out while fighting you. You seem to have a problem with fighting, don't you? It's people like you who won't last long in this day and age, with your hopes for a peaceful world, a world better than the one we live in now."

X gets up weakly, seeing Bass standing over him. "You're wrong. Peace… is not just a dream!"

"Really? Bah!" Bass kicks X again. "You can't have peace without war, light without darkness, good without evil! Maybe in YOUR little world, but not here. This is reality, my naïve friend. Wake up and take a good long whiff of it!"

_Whoa. Nice speech, Bass. I'm impressed._

Bass, hearing Erick's voice in his head, snaps back, "Not now, Erick!"

X, however, doesn't see anyone else; he thinks Bass is talking to himself.

"Who were you talking to just now, Bass?" X sarcastically wanted to know. "Got an invisible friend or something?"

Bass kicks X again!

"OW!"

"So now you got jokes, huh? You're a trip, a real trip. You'll excuse me if I don't laugh. But now, I think our playtime is over, so allow me to send you to the next world first class!"

Bass takes his sword and is about to stab X, but X suddenly lashes out thrusting his Z-Saber at him. It clatters loudly against the sword, and the two engage in a battle of strength in the middle of the woods. They strain against one another trying to gain leverage, but X continues to hold his own against Bass.

"Well, well…looks like you got some fight left in you after all."

Determination burns in X's eyes. "Bass, whatever it takes, I'll stop you and your RED CATS!"

"Okay, let's see what you really got!"

And so, drawing their swords, Bass and X face off in a duel! The two combatants seem very evenly matched. Their blades cross in a lightning quick exchange. Purple and green flash as both X and Bass look for an opening in the other's defenses.

"HEY! You…" Bass parries. "…ain't…" He thrusts. "…half-bad!" He blocks. "It's been…" He dodges. "…a long…" He swings. "…time since…" He feints. "…I have fought a worthy opponent!"

X chops down powerfully, but Bass blocks it. The two struggle for a moment, then Bass throws X back. He rolls to his feet.

"Don't you ever shut up?" X says, irritated.

He then comes in with a series of swings that instantly put Bass on the defensive. However, this time X doesn't stick purely to his Saber. With a cry, he turn kicks Bass in the stomach, following up with a backhand swing and a downward swipe. Bass uses his armor's thrusters to dash backwards, avoids the series and rockets toward X with a low, fast strike. X dashes aside and uppercuts Bass, but not with just any ol' uppercut…

"SHORYUKEN!!"

"Huh!?" Bass gets hit! "ACK!!"

X hits Bass with a flaming uppercut, just like Ken's! His body covered in flames, Bass staggers from the blow, but manages to parry X's three follow-up Saber attacks. Bass is still off-balance when he performs a powerful thrust, and he overextends himself, allowing X to grab his wrist and pull him off his feet. Bass flies into one of the trees, and barely manages to rise to his knees by the time X leaps in. X attacks, driving Bass's sword to the side.

"Do you yield?"

"I don't yield! I DESTROY!" Bass pulls up his sword to finish off X.

With a triumphant yell, he swings his sword around in a wide arc, attempting to chop X in two! Then his danger senses kicked in. It had been warning him since the moment he locked swords with Bass. But he'd been distracted by his concern for Zero and Bass's constant interference. Now, however, he was beginning to focus on what was important, and he realized that not only was it necessary to defeat Bass...it was also important to do so in a way that would give X and Zero a clue to Deimos' whereabouts. Seeing Bass coming in with his attack, X leaps into the air, gathers energy in his hands and strikes with another surprise!

"HADOUKEN!!" Megaman X blasts a fireball at Bass!

"WHAT!?" Bass gets hit – again! "ACK!! ARRRGGH!!"

Bass falls down with a grunt while X back flips away, landing with the grace of an acrobat. He stands in a Shotokan-style fighting stance, ready to deck Bass with another Hadouken if necessary!

"So, Bass, have you had enough?"

* * *

Back in Erick's dark chamber….

Erick watches X's fight with Bass on one video screen, while keeping tabs on Zero's fight with the RED CATS on another. He is genuinely pleased with what he sees.

_My, my…. I had no idea X knew the techniques of Hadouken and Shoryuken. I thought only Ryu and Akuma had those kinds of powers. However, I can't allow any outsiders to interfere with my plans._

* * *

_**NIGHTTIME, IN THE WOODS OUTSIDE NERIMA:**_

Maverick Hunter Megaman X stands triumphant over Bass, the warrior of the RED CAT GANG. Now's his chance to get some real answers! He decides to interrogate Bass.

"I've won! Now talk! Who's your boss, and what does he plan to do with those "Cells"!?"

On the ground, a hurt Bass repeats, "I told you! If you wanna know, you have to beat me first! And you haven't won yet! I've got one last trick up my sleeve! METEOR BUSTER! RAINING DEATH FROM ABOVE!!"

He raises his Buster arm and fires a huge blast upward into the clouds! It explodes into smaller blasts, which fall rapidly from the sky like heavy rain!

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's similar to an attack that Bass used back in Megaman 8, only much more deadly!]

X tries to block the attack, but it's no good. The storm of energy rips through his armor, puncturing holes in his body, until he looks like Swiss cheese! He falls over, defeated, blood pouring from his wounds.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Zero finishes off the last of the RED CATS. He socks one in the stomach, and kicks away another with a roundhouse. Back-flipping over a fallen tree trunk to avoid a flashing sword, he kicks the trunk so it rolls forward and bowls over a line of soldiers coming at him. The impact knocks them down like bowling pins, making them fall helplessly back on their own comrades.

"Strike! Yeah!"

As Zero stands up, he took a good look at his surroundings. Before him lay the RED CAT soldiers, beaten and tossed around the forest as if they were hit by a hurricane. All they could do was only groan in pain and defeat.

RED CAT Soldier #001 angrily wails, "WAAAHH! It's not fair! There's only one of HIM and more of us! How!? How could we lose!?"

RED CAT Soldier #002 is sad. He sobs, "Boo hoo….sniff,sniff… I'm…I'm so ashamed."

RED CAT Soldier #003 pathetically whines, "I'M GONNA TELL MY MOMMY ON YOU! WAAAHH!"

Zero sweatdrops as he regards the sobbing bunch of losers! _Wimps. All of 'em._ "Do yourselves a favor and stay down."

Zero looks up at the night sky. The final moments of his lost love Iris still haunt him, and with that, the burning desire for revenge against the one responsible for her death and spreading the Cells upon the world. He talks to the air, as if his hated foe is present.

And in a way, he is…

"I know you're out there, Deimos. Is that the best you can throw at us? I've fought your soldiers. Now I've coming for you! Mark my words - no matter what, no matter where you run, no matter where you hide! Even if we have to chase you to the ends of the earth, X and I will find you. We'll destroy your Cells." Zero holds up his Z-Saber as he declares, "And then, I'll kill you myself, with this sword, for what you've done! Do you hear me! I WILL KILL YOU!!"

* * *

Back in Erick's dark chamber….

"Hmm… I don't think so, Zero. You REALLY think you can defeat me AND my creation? If you and X want to be my enemies, then so be it. Come and get me. I'll be waiting for you…and we'll see who kills whom." Then Erick gets on the radio, and calls… "Onekomaru."

Onekomaru's voice replies over the radio frequency: _Yeah, Lord Erick?_

"Take the data you've already collected and return to the hideout. I'm ordering our forces to withdraw… for now."

_But what about Lord Bass? He's still fighting with that other guy!_

"Leave him. Bass will catch up to us later. Return to base now."

_Right, boss._

Erick leans back in his throne, grinning. "Zero. Despite your misguided intentions, you shall be very useful to me...oh, yes… Well, I'd better order my forces back before you beat the stuffing out of them."

Erick picks up a headset radio and contacts the RED CAT Soldiers.

* * *

Cut back to the forest. The RED CAT Soldiers hear Erick's voice on their radios.

_Attention, loyal soldiers of the Cat Ghost King! All forces withdraw and return to the hideout at once. I repeat, all forces withdraw and return to the hideout at once. That is all._

RED CAT Soldier #001 responds to the call. "That's good enough for us! Everybody! Run away!"

"AAAHHH!! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"

And with that, the soldiers flee! Zero sees them shrieking and screaming, running away from the forest like crazed monkeys; he let them go. There would be time enough to find out where the RED CATS (and their mysterious boss, "Deimos") were hiding later.

Besides, Zero has something else to take care of….

Zero remembers, "ACK! OH NO! X! In the midst of all the fighting, I forgot about him!"

Zero dashes over to help X. _Hang on, X! I'm coming!_

And now, back to the fight between Bass and Megaman X!

X tries to get up, with some difficulty. Bass's "Raining Death From Above" Meteor Buster attack took a lot out of him. His auto-repair systems were working like mad to repair the damage done to his body, but to X the process felt like it took forever. Bass stands over his defeated foe.

"I stand corrected. Compared to Megaman, you SUCK! And here I thought you'd be a worthy opponent. Oh, well…" Bass notices X's wounds, and the blood. "Huh? You're…bleeding? What kind of robot are you!? If this is what robots in the future are like, then…"

Bass doesn't even want to finish his statement, for the very thought sickens him. Could robots in the future be made on the same level as humans? No, no! That's not possible! Robots are supposed to be superior to humans!

_If this Megaman look-alike is the next generation of robots, then we're screwed!_

Needless to say, Bass is disgusted with X. To protect his future kingdom, he makes a decision.

Bass sighs, "I guess this is it, then." To X, he says, "Buddy, you chose the WRONG person as your role model! You're a disgrace to the original! So, any last words before I put you out of your misery?"

X can only groan in pain.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Well, I'll make this a clean kill." Bass charges up his Buster. "Good bye… whoever you are!"

Bass aims his Buster at X, ready to blast him, but a hiss from behind cuts the air. He tenses as something sliced along the width of his back.

"GAAAHHH!!" Now in pain, Bass turns around to face his attacker. Zero stands with his Z-Saber still held up in the air from the sweep.

X croaks, glad to see his friend. "Zero…!"

Zero smirks. "Heh. Sorry to worry you, X."

Bass smiles evilly. "Well, well, we meet at last, Zero. I've been looking forward to this moment."

Zero blinks, surprised. "Huh!? How do you know my name?"

"Feh. You guys are full of questions, aren't you? As I was saying to your pal here… ," Bass points to the wounded X, "…if you wanna know, you gotta beat me first."

Angry now, Zero threatens, "Don't push me, Bass. I'll cut you with one stroke!"

"Really? YOU will cut ME? Bah! I'd like to see you try!" Bass draws his sword.

Tension hangs in the air as the two warriors prepare to duel. The winds begin to pick up, and we can hear and see the leaves rustling around.

"Heh heh heh! Now then… let's see which of us the Doc made stronger!"

_Doc? Who could that person be? Another one of Deimos' men?_ Out loud, Zero tells Bass, "When I defeat you, you're gonna tell me what I want to know!"

"That's tough talk from somebody who's about to lose! You're going to wish you'd stayed in the lab, after I'm through with you!"

Zero snarls, "Don't bet on it, chump! Let's do it!!" He charges at Bass, ready to strike!

Bass laughs, "Oh, I just love it when my opponents display such bravado! It gets me so excited! Here I come!" He laughs again, swinging his sword as he closes in.

X can only watch as the two warriors charge at each other. The clash of swords fills the air as Zero battles Bass. Each struggle for supremacy, trying to find that strategic blow that would give him the upper hand. So far, much of the fight has turned into a draw, seesawing back and forth across the forest.

After a series of blows, Bass complements Zero. "Hey! You're not bad. Not bad at all."

"I'm just warming up! C'mon!"

"As you wish! HYAHH!!"

And so they continue fighting. Zero knew though that he had to beat this guy fast. Keeping this up would only tire him out, after just having fought with the RED CAT Soldiers. He suspected that Bass might just be playing with him until he could fight no more; then, he would land the final blow.

It was time to end this duel.

Zero and Bass lunge and parry across the woods. Although Zero was definitely the stronger of the two, Bass's speed and overall aggressive offense made up for that. His strikes came fast and furious (no pun intended!); Zero just able to avoid any seriously damaging blows.

As Bass came in for another slash, Zero nimbly leaps over him. He lands on his feet, then dashes forward to take Bass out from behind. He turns, barely deflecting the blow, and then Bass uses his armor's thrusters to back-dash out of Zero's reach.

Bass: You fight well, Zero. Nobody has ever lasted this long in a fight with me!

Zero hid the exhaustion in him, the fight between him and the RED CATS having gone on too long. Only the hatred he felt for Deimos's evil and his desire to help his friend X kept him going, but soon even that would not be enough.

"I'm determined to see you go down, Bass. Just like your soldiers did."

Bass cast him a casual smile, his sword still at the ready. "Feh. My men only failed because they played around with you too long."

"Or… Is it that you used them to try and wear me out, hmm, Bass?"

That stung, Bass sneering at him.

"Y'know, you could have helped them at any time. I'm glad you didn't, 'cause otherwise this fight would be totally different now.

Bass snarls, "I didn't sacrifice my troops, you idiot!"

"Seems that way to me. Guess you knew you couldn't take me in a fair fight. Cowardly, if I may say so."

NOW Bass is pissed. "WHY, YOU…..!! DIE!! YAAAAHHHHHH!"

With rage burning in his eyes, Bass rocket-dashes at top speed, swinging his sword wildly. Zero sees him coming, and blocks the attack with his Z-Saber. Bass was not to be stopped, his armor's rocket boosters pushing him forward, angry cries filling the air as he presses home his attack. Zero ducks, delivering a quick, low roundhouse kick knocking Bass's feet from under him. He falls to the ground hard, in a cloud of dust! Zero breathes heavily, exhausted from this fight and his earlier battle with the RED CATS.

"Huff, huff… Damn! I can't believe I'm breathing hard after fighting your sorry butt! Now, to get some answers, and…Huh?"

Zero looks around. He sees no sign of Bass anywhere. "Where are you, Bass?! Come out and face me!"

Suddenly, Zero hears someone laughing. It's definitely Bass, but where is he? His voice seems to coming out of nowhere!

"Hee hee hee hee! Calm down. I'm still here. You thought THAT last kick would take me out! Boy, are you lame! But don't feel too bad, though. Even though you can't possibly hope to beat me, you've earned my respect. Maybe the Doc did the right thing when he made you after all. You DO know who he is, don't you?"

"How should I know? I don't know such a person."

"Of course you do! Don't tell me you've never met him in your dreams."

Zero gets upset. "I…don't...know him...!"

Bass goes on taunting, "He used to talk about you all the time…" _Before "Dog-Boy" came along, anyway…_ He continues, "…as if he's your own father!"

Zero angrily yells, "SHUT UP! Enough! You won't get away, Bass!"

Bass chuckles, "Hm hm hm… Interesting… I've always wanted to test your strength for a while now. It's like a dream come true for me!"

"Quit playing hide-and-seek! I've got no time for your games!"

"Don't waste time, Zero! Hurry up and defeat me so that you can rescue your friend! You know he's not doing too good at the moment…"

_Oh, no! That loony bastard! I know what he's going to do now! He's going for X! I gotta stop him!_ Zero runs over to where X is lying on the ground. "X!"

Megaman X, though weak and hurt from Bass attack, stops him, "Zero…d-don't worry about me…stop Bass!"

"No way! If we leave, we leave together! We're the only ones who can stop whatever these guys are planning! I'm not going on this mission alone. You're my partner, X. You watch my back; I'll watch yours, right?"

X smiles. "Right, Zero! Partners…!"

"Yeah."

The two Hunters tap fists, as a sign of their friendship.

Bass says sarcastically, "Oh, that's so sweet…NOT!"

Zero growls, "Grrr…! Bass!"

"Ah, ah, you didn't let me finish. I've got a deal for you. Why don't you join the RED CAT GANG and become one of the chosen warriors, like ME? Ditch that loser X! You could have it all! Power, riches, girls, anything!"

"Get real! Who'd want to team up with the likes of you!?"

Silence hangs heavy over the night sky.

Bass finally speaks, " …………..I see. That's too bad. I'd thought you'd be keen on the idea. We could have had a hell of a time together, you and me. Think of the havoc we could have caused! Our enemies would quake with fear at the mention of our names!"

Zero can't believe it. "Trying to tempt me like this… you've got NOTHING to offer me, Bass!"

Bass, hurt by Zero's response, says with frustration, "I don't believe this! You silly, stupid fool! I'm offering you a chance to be on the top of the world, and you choose the gutter. I offer you the keys to my kingdom, and you'd rather be one of the dumb ol' peasants! But that's OK … I'll send you two to be together forever… in HELL! Prepare to DIE!!"

Megaman X gasps, "Zero! Above you!"

Just as X said, Bass came rocketing down from the sky, sword in both hands, about to take them both out with one thrust!

_Aw, man, those last two fights took a lot outta me. I've only got enough strength for one last blow. I gotta make it count!_ Out loud, Zero says, "Oh, no you don't! Take this! The bite of the thunder god! DENJIN!"

As Bass comes down, Zero leaps up delivering a rising electric slash with his Z-Saber! Bass felt the full force of the attack as the huge lightning bolt of electricity surges through him, frying him like a piece of chicken!

Bass screams in pain, "GYAAAAHHHHH!"

The electric charge rips into Bass's circuits, shorting out his armor, and disabling his rocket thrusters! His death dive attack became a crash dive as he helplessly spirals out of control and crashes into the ground! Bass just lies there twitching from all that electricity that he received. Zero on the other hand, lands safely and strikes a cool pose with his sword extended.

"When I use "Denjin" at full power, my Saber packs one million volts! You don't stand a chance against it." Zero boasts as he puts away his Z-Saber. "It's over. I've won….ACK! ARRGH!"

Zero clutches his left side as if he's in pain. He feels something wet in his right hand. Opening it up, he sees his own blood. He looks at his left side, and notices a long, vertical cut across the side of his torso, and it's bleeding.

_He cut me!? But how? I could have sworn I'd nailed him with "Denjin"!_

It was about that time when Bass got up from the ground, using his sword to prop himself up, his body still twitching from Zero's "Denjin" attack. "Heh, heh… OK…ugh… you win, this time. But next time…ah!…things will be different!"

"Bass, wait! Tell me! Just what are you and your boss plotting to do? Gahhh…that hurts!!" Zero clutches his wound again.

Bass uses one of Erick's favorite catch-phrases. "That's a secret. But I'll tell you this: WE control everything in this city, and soon, we'll control the world too. As for the Cells, well… you'll never find out about those things. Don't go looking too much into that, or you could be crossing paths with the wrong people, if you know what I mean…."

"Bass!"

Then Zero sees something unusual. Bass is actually smiling! Not a sinister grin, but a genuine, happy one. Bass is pleased with his opponent who stands before him.

"Buuut… you'll be pleased to know that my offer still stands. You're a really strong guy, Zero. We could use someone like you on our team. Think about it."

"............!!"

Bass regards both X and Zero, "Well, I'll leave you so you can look after that loser friend of yours. So long, Zero. I look forward to our next meeting. Until then, stay alive, OK? HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

And with that, Bass fires up his armor's rockets and flies away (though unsteadily because of the damage he took), laughing at X and Zero. They gazed at the night sky as he flees, probably to that rat Deimos's hole in the ground. Zero kneels down to help X to his feet.

X notices Zero's wound. "Zero! That cut….!"

Zero brushes it off. "Heh, it's just a flesh wound, X! My auto-repair system will heal this in no time. You, on the other hand… " He takes a good look at X's battered body. "...look terrible! Oh, man!"

"Yeah, but… I'm getting better!"

Zero gets the joke. "X. Don't even go there."

They both have a good laugh, X laughing through the pain. "Ha ha ha…. OW! Ha…OW! Hee, hee! OW!" But it still hurts!

"See what I mean? Anyway, I think we should call it a night, go back to town, use the cash we've brought to secure us a place to stay while we're here, and get some rest. We'll try to investigate Nerima tomorrow."

"Zero… Why don't we find a hotel?"

"Hmm… good idea, X. In fact, I think I saw a REAL nice one not too far from here on our way to hide the time machine earlier. We'll go there.

X's confused. "On foot, Zero? You're… kidding, right?"

Zero says, disappointed, "Looks like we'll have to, X… at least until we can get some other means of transportation back to the city. We can't risk using the time machine, lest somebody find it and we lose our ticket back home once the mission's over." He sighs, "C'mon, we've got a long walk ahead of us."

And, so they make the long walk back to the city, X propped up against Zero with one arm over his shoulder as he limps along, Zero carrying them both. They walk along the road for almost twenty minutes, when a familiar-looking old, beat-up truck pulls up beside them. The driver of the truck sticks his head out the window. It's the strange fisherman from all the way back in Chapter 6!

"Hey, lads! I saw you walkin' down the road, and…" The fisherman then notices X. "YOWZA! What happened to 'im!? Is he…?"

Zero tells him, "Nah, he's okay. We just had a little run-in with some rough dudes in the woods, that's all."

"You mean the forest? What were you doing out there at this late hour? Folks do some crazy stuff out there in the woods, y'know!"

"Yeah, we know."

The fisherman goes on, "Seems like folks everywhere are doin' crazy stuff. I was in China a while back, making my rounds, when I see these two loonies yellin' "NI!" at some poor old man! One of 'em looked like a scuba diver, or frogman, or sumthin' (a.k.a. Bubbleman), and the other was wearin' some kinda freaky black 'n gold armor...."

_Bass!_ Zero thinks.

The fisherman keeps on going, ""NI!" they're yellin'. "NI!" I thinks to myself, asks myself, "Now, self, what kinda word is "NI!"? Eh? Never 'erd of it." That's heard, by the way. I mean, "NI!" Folks back in the ol' days used to say, "BOO!" if they wanted to scare somebody. But "NI"? Maybe if was "NI…BOO!", now THEN I'd understand. But just "NI!"…?"

X can't take any more of this! He finally snaps, OH, WILL YOU JUST STOP SAYING "NI!"!!" He gasps, "ACK!" then "OW! Oh….!", and passes out.

Zero and the fisherman just look at X. Zero is surprised; X has never acted like this before! Maybe it's the pain from his injuries talking?

Then the fisherman says, "Y'see what I mean? Crazy!"

Zero's like, "Err… right. Listen, we REALLY need to get to the city. Can you give us a lift?"

"Why, sure! I'm headed that way, anyway! I'll drop you off anywhere you like! Hop on board!"

Zero helps X into the back of the truck, then hops in afterwards. It kinda smells like raw fish. Zero holds his nose.

"Oh! Hope you lads don't mind the smell of fish!"

"Sir…Compared to what we've been through, THIS is nothing. Anyway, thanks for the ride."

The fisherman cheerfully says, "Oh, don't mention it. It's the duty of a good Samaritan to look out for strangers, especially in these dark and perilous times we live in, when passing ruffians can say "Ni!" at will to innocent people and strange guys do weird stuff in the woods!" Then, concerned about X, he asks, "But what about your friend? You SURE he's gonna be all right? I can take him to a hospital once we get into town."

Zero turns around to check on X. The amount of damage that he took would have killed several Reploids three times over and spelled instant death for a human. Zero marveled that his partner was still alive now. At any rate, taking X to a hospital would NOT be a good idea. Once the doctors got a look at him, he'd go from being a patient to being a specimen in some top-secret government lab, as they'd try to take him apart and find out what'd make him tick. Maintaining a low profile was important; X and Zero were, after all, on a secret mission. The less people knew about them, the better.

_Good. His auto-repair's finally kicked in. He still has a ways to go, though. From what I saw, it's going to be close._ Out loud, he says reassuring their driver, "Nah. He'll pull through; he's a fighter. This won't beat him."

"Okay, if you say so…." The fisherman puts his truck in gear and drives onward. As they ride back to town, X wakes up.

Zero sees him. "Hey, X."

Weak and hurt, Megaman X apologizes, "Zero… ugh…I'm sorry…"

"About what? Look, if it's about me getting hit by Bass while protecting you, don't worry about it. Besides, I'm made of much tougher stuff than that idiot realizes!"

He thinks back to when Bass tempted him to join the RED CAT GANG. Although Zero flat out turned him down, something inside him was intrigued by the offer, as if…

No, no, he would tell himself. He was one of the good guys! Not a bad guy like that jerk Bass! And yet…

He shook off those thoughts. Zero didn't want to tell X about it; poor X would just worry about him even more than he already was. Yep, that's X for you. He was always concerned about and looked out for his friends and fellow Maverick Hunters.

Zero thinks, smiling, _Yeah… Much tougher stuff. For X, for the other Hunters, for Iris, and… for myself. I won't let Bass mess with my head like that again! Everyone's counting on us!_

The two Maverick Hunters, Megaman X and Zero, ride back to town in silence. We can see the city ahead, the many bright lights of assorted buildings adding a colorful backdrop to the evening sky.

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG's SECRET BASE – INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick meets with Bass and Onekomaru after their encounter with Megaman X and Zero. "Well, it looks like your mission was a success. Both of you have done well." To Onekomaru, he asks, "Tell me, Onekomaru. Did they suspect anything?"

"Nope, my lord. And, I got it all right here!" Onekomaru holds up a computer disk that contains X and Zero's battle data. He then hands it to Erick.

Holding the disk in one hand, Erick sasys, "Well, all that's going to change when I use this data for my next experiment with the DVL Cells."

Irritated, Bass says, "Bah! Why are we even bothering with those two anyway, Erick? I THOUGHT we were supposed to focusing on finding that Phoenix Stone!

"Patience, Bass. In fact, this next experiment will help us with our search for the Phoenix Stone."

Bass, knowing Erick like he does, asks anyway, "I don't suppose you're gonna let me in on what this new "experiment" of yours is?"

Erick goes into his, yep… you guessed it, the Xelloss-schtick. "Ah, but…. that is a secret."

Bass frowns at this. "Geez….!"

"By the way, do you still have that sword you used in your fight with X and Zero?"

"Oh! Yeah. What for?"

"On your way out, I'd like you to drop the sword off with Brightman and our scientists. I want him to analyze those bloodstains on it."

"Sure, whatever."

"Okay, you two are dismissed."

Bass and Onekomaru leave Erick and head for a top-secret research department within the RED CATS' base.

* * *

_**LATER THAT NIGHT - RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE - TOP SECRET RESEARCH DEPARTMENT:**_

Inside this room, three lone figures can be seen in front of a large panoramic window. Two of them are lab technicians wearing red uniforms, white lab coats, and red cat ears. The third is a robot wearing a lab coat over his bright orange armor and a light bulb the size of a basketball on top of his head. It's Brightman, one of Dr. Wily's robots, and head of the RED CAT GANG's scientific research and development team.

As the smartest of Wily's robots, he was put in charge of designing new technology and weapons for the RED CATS in their efforts to take over the world. He also works as Wily's lab assistant.

The RED CAT techs are seated at computer terminals, analyzing the sword. Looking through the window, we see it on an examining table as all sorts of lasers and scanning devices sweep over it, recording data.

Brightman is watching one of the screens. He sees the information on the bloodstains, and it surprises him. "Increase magnification," he instructs. One of the lab techs, using a high-powered microscope, zooms in as close as possible on the image, and there appears to be traces of what looks like electronic code within the dried-up blood. He then grins at what he sees. After reading what's on the screen, he says, "Well, Bass has given us much more than we needed."

"How is that?" RED CAT Tech 1 asks.

"All we really needed was the battle data in order to create the High Priest's new spy robot. But look at these…" Brightman points at the stains.

They look at the sword, and RED CAT Tech 2 realizes, "Ah! I see! Bass cut him!"

Brightman nods. "Yes. The blood of Zero. And that means we can extract a DNA data sample from it! Contact Lord Erick, and tell him what we've found!"

The RED CAT Techs obediently reply, "Yes, sir!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	34. Prelude To Terror!

CHAPTER 34

_**-"PRELUDE TO TERROR! ENTER GRENADEMAN, THE MAD BOMBER!"-**_

_**TENDO DOJO – LATE EVENING:**_

Ran is in her room trying to sleep. She's having another dream….

-(DREAM SEQUENCE)-

Ran found herself in some sort of laboratory. A shadowy figure stood before her. By now Ran had recognized the figure's ominous voice….

"Go! Kill Ranma Saotome! He is your enemy!" the voice commands.

Ran vehemently objects, "No! I will not kill my best friend!"

"You must! I as your creator command you!"

Ran's upset with whoever this mystery person is. "Just because you created me doesn't mean you control my destiny!"

"Oh, but I do. You'll see. One day you and Ranma will be at each other's throats. I guarantee it!"

"Not if I can help it!" Ran leaped at her creator, intending on tackling him and beating the crap out of him. She didn't even reach her target before she got caught in an electrical field. Pain was coursing though her entire body as she screamed in agony.

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" Ran cries out as she sits straight up in her bed. Scared and now sad, she whispers, "No…not again….," crying softly.

Ran was concerned, though. For a while there, the nightmares had stopped occurring. She thought she'd overcome them. Now what was causing them?

Ran gets out of bed, and leaves her room. She goes downstairs to the kitchen to fix a late night snack. As she sits alone at the table eating a sandwich, she thinks about that dream she just had…

She says to herself, "It's…It's not fair. He's the only boy I've ever really liked! Ranma Saotome... So what? I'm not an assassin. It doesn't matter if Ranma's my enemy or not! We're still friends, no matter what!"

Then, Ran has a brief flashback of something her brother once said…

"_Sister...deep inside, anyone with your natural skill would love to battle a true warrior, a warrior like Ranma Saotome. Think of it as an honor."_

Then Ran hears the ominous voice of that mysterious person in her head….

"_Ha ha ha haaa! You cannot refuse; it is what you were made for! It is your destiny! You will go to Nerima and find Ranma Saotome… and you'll… KILL HIM… KILL RANMA SAOTOME! HA HA HAAAA!"_

Ran presses a hand to her chest, close to her heart. _Yes, that's right. Somewhere in my heart is the desire to fight Ranma. I've got to keep it down but the feeling is strong. Does it have something to do with those weird dreams I've been having? They keep urging me to fight and kill him, but, but... I don't want to! I want to express my love for him, to tell him how I truly feel about him! What....what do I do?_

In the darkness of the kitchen, Ran Hayami, alone, silently weeps.

* * *

_**A HOTEL IN TOKYO, JAPAN – EARLY MORNING:**_

Darkness. That is all Megaman X can see at the moment. Nothing but darkness, no light anywhere at all. Then, he hears someone yelling "NI!" His mind flashes back to when he and his partner Zero were in the woods and met those weird soldiers who kept saying "NI!" for some odd reason. Then they saw this robot in black and gold armor and a purple wolf-bot. There was a huge battle and they got separated. While Zero had somehow disappeared, X was left alone to face the black robot. They fought and X won. Or so he thought… The robot raised his weapon into the air and fired. Then, beams of light fell from the sky like falling rain. All X could remember was pain, so much pain. Then, the black guy pointed his weapon at him, and…

X then realizes he is actually thinking again. So he wills himself to open his eyes. A blur of light is the first thing he sees. A light that is too painful to look at. He tries to focus his vision, and the intensity of the light decreases; soon, he can make out shapes. He sees that he is no longer in that forest, but in a room.

"Hey, X, you're finally awake. Welcome back."

Megaman X wakes up, comes to. "Ugh…Zero. Where are we?

Zero replies, "At the hotel I told you about last night. I had that fisherman drop us off."

Megaman X groans, "Yeah… I remember now. We were going to head back to the city on foot. And then he showed up. I thought something smelled like the ocean in the back of that truck."

Zero laughs, "Yeah." Then, serious, he continues, "Bass really messed you up good. You'd passed out from all the damage you took. After we made it to the hotel, I used some of our money and got us a room. As for how long you were out... Your auto-repair system finished fixing your body five hours later, and then you slept for the rest of the night. It's now five in the morning."

X looks around at the room they're in. It's a rather nice, Western style hotel room with two beds, a bath, and a shower. There's a half-partition that divides the bedroom from the rest of the room, where there's a couple of chairs, a sofa, a table, and a TV. In one corner of the room there is a small refrigerator and a microwave. "Hmmm…. Nice place."

"Yeah. I'd thought it'd suit our needs while we're here. And, they've got room service too! I'd ordered us some breakfast; it'll be here in an hour. While we wait, check this out."

The two Hunters walk over to the other side of the room. On the table is a laptop PC. They sit down on the sofa, and Zero turns it on. While it boots up…

"While you were resting, I went online and did some research on those guys we fought last night. Ah, here we go…"

Both look at the computer screen.

(=Text on computer screen=)

=RED CAT GANG=

The RED CAT GANG is an occult sect with origins dating back to ancient times that worshipped its leader, the Cat Ghost King, as a god. Its members were the cause of great disaster on Earth… destroying villages, abducting young women, and creating chaos… The Cat Ghost King was responsible for these villainous acts and claimed that all disasters are nothing more than illusions caused by him. His plan was to rule the world using fear.

People were enslaved by the Cat Ghost King and then cast into a living hell.

But legends tell of a man, a great master of martial arts, who appeared. This man, as if he had supernatural powers, fought a mighty battle against the King. The battle was so furious as to cause the ground to shake, but he eventually defeated the demon...

...and the Cat Ghost King's soul was forced down, and securely sealed.

Over the years, the sect has grown into a secret society whose goal is total world domination. To achieve that goal, they would recruit the strongest warriors into their forces. They were also in possession of a mystical artifact called the "Star Crystal", which had the power to grant any wish. The RED CATS intended to use it to revive the Cat Ghost King and begin their reign of terror anew.

Fortunately, their efforts were recently thwarted by a group of martial artists from Nerima, Japan. They fought the Cat Ghost King and defeated him, destroying the "Star Crystal" in the process.

With his defeat, the RED CATS dreams of conquest were shattered, and peace was restored.

NO OTHER DATA AVAILABLE.

(=End text on computer screen=)

"Until now, that is," Zero concludes. "So, whaddya think now, X?"

X takes in what Zero's just said. "First the Cells, and now this. A secret society, mystic artifacts, world domination, and an evil king… it sounds like a plot for an anime. It's just too fantastic to be for real."

"But it is. And the guy we're after is somehow behind it all."

X poses a possibility. "Could this Cat Ghost King and "Deimos" be the same person?"

Zero thinks that over for all of a minute, then says, "Maybe, but I don't think so. Instead, I think our boy is working for this so-called "Cat Ghost King", or like we thought earlier, he's the real leader of these RED CATS. Either way, he's working behind the scenes so he can carry out his evil plans using the Cells. And what better way to do that than by hiding out in the ranks of a super-secret organization?"

"Hmmm…. According to the information you found, the RED CATS were previously beaten by martial artists…"

"Go ahead and say it, X. From the same place we're about to start our investigation – Nerima. Looks like we've got another mission to carry out before we can complete our original objective. We're gonna need to find and contact these Nerima fighters, 'cause when the time comes, we'll probably need their help to beat Deimos.

Then they hear a knock at the door.

"Mr. Zero? Room service!" a bellhop calls out from behind the door.

"Oh! The food's here." Zero realizes. "Just a minute!" he yells out to the door.

He goes to the door, pulls out a 5000-yen bill (About $50 in US money), and slips it under the door to the bellhop waiting outside. "Here. Just leave the cart, and we'll get it. Thanks."

"You're welcome, sir," the bellhop says as he picks up Zero's generous tip.

After the bellhop leaves, Zero opens the door and wheels in the cart.

Megaman X smells the air, taking in the delicious aroma. "Mmmm…. Smells great."

Zero grins as he lifts the lids on the serving trays. "Yep, and it looks the part too. Let's eat and start our investigation right away."

"Right!"

They get plates and silverware from the shelf beneath and proceed to chow down on that delicious breakfast.

Meanwhile…

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE - TOP SECRET RESEARCH DEPARTMENT:**_

High Priest Erick Genryusai enters the research lab where Brightman and the RED CAT techs are waiting for him.

Brightman addresses Erick. "Greetings, Lord Erick. Did you receive my message?"

Erick nods. "I did. I trust you have good news for me?"

"Indeed. We've analyzed the blood on that sword, and it does contain DNA data. I couldn't believe it; personally, I was under the impression that only humans, animals, and plants possessed that kind of thing."

"Well, now you can add the term "other" to your list of things that have DNA. At any rate, there ARE some things that cannot be explained by science alone, Brightman."

"Perhaps. Nevertheless, this Zero is quite fascinating. I should like to conduct more research on his DNA. Dr. Wily will surely want to know more about this."

Erick politely stops him. "Not yet. Besides, Wily will find out anyway at our next meeting when I show him the video of X and Zero's fight with our soldiers. By the way, have you begun work on my new "project" yet?"

"Yes. My team and I have already developed a prototype. Here, I'll show it to you."

They walk over to an object covered by a sheet. Brightman pulls it off, revealing a robot wearing strange gray-colored armor and a long silver ponytail. It looks a LOT like Zero, except for one MAJOR difference. Where this robot's face would be was a single red camera-lens-like eye.

Brightman explains, "Not knowing how to create such an advanced robot from scratch, we conducted an experiment of our own and simply injected a "cocktail" made of Zero's DNA into one of our Sniper Joes, altering its appearance. " He points to the robot. "As you can see, this is the result."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sniper Joes, if you didn't know, are those green robots that carry shields and fight using a Buster gun and grenades. They've been in most of the Megaman games, most recently in Megaman 7, Megaman 8, and Megaman & Bass.]

"We've equipped this prototype with a high-speed computer. Anything it observes will be sent directly to you via satellite. In addition, it also wields a beam sword similar to the original Zero's."

Standing back so he can get a good look at the robot, Erick smiles, pleased with Brightman's work.

_Splendid, absolutely splendid. Superb even. Ha ha…yes! This robot will be perfect!_ Aloud, Erick gives Brightman his approval. "Good job, Brightman! I'll see to it that Dr. Wily and the Cat Ghost King reward you handsomely for your efforts."

Brightman is surprised. "OH! Well, uh… thank you, Lord Erick. I must inform you, though, that it IS only a prototype. We haven't installed the combat data from Zero into it yet."

"Not a problem. Now, I want you to deliver the prototype to my chamber. I will personally install the data, and begin mass production at once."

Brightman sputters, "Wh-what? So soon?"

"Don't look so surprised, Brightman! After all, risks are part of laboratory science."

"Yes, I know that, but… we've just finished the prototype! We haven't even tested its capabilities yet! If you'll just give us more time..."

"No. Any further delays will hinder us from finding the Phoenix Stone. I want these robots on every street and every corner of Japan to search for it. Only I have the resources to create hundreds, even thousands of them in a short amount of time. Certainly you have no objections to this?"

Brightman thinks Erick's crazy. How can this guy make thousands of robots in just one day? Now was not the time to debate the issue. He wisely decides not to argue with him, and let this strange priest have his way.

Brightman sighs, complying with Erick request. "No, sir. I will send it to you at once."

"Good. I'll be waiting." With that, Erick exits the research lab, leaving Brightman to wonder…

_What could that man be planning now?_

* * *

_**SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN:**_

Miles away from Tokyo, even Nerima for that matter, is an old temple. It is an elaborate structure made during the 16th century. It has a painting or scroll here and there, some holy symbols scattered about, a few ornate chairs, and a large cross hanging from a wall. This temple is the private sanctuary of Michael Angelus and home to his Jusenkyo-cursed alter ego, THE MCD.

Inside, we see Angelus deep in meditation, kneeling with his sword in his hands, like a knight during a prayer vigil. Suddenly, as if receiving a divine revelation, he opens his eyes.

"Ah!" Angelus smiles, thinking of the girl Ran Hayami. _Hm hm hm. It appears I won't have to search for that other person anymore. I have a feeling she and I will be meeting soon._

Then, he sees an image of Ranma Saotome in his mind.

_And, in the process, I'll get to meet him. Yes, the one who defeated my hated arch nemesis, the Cat Ghost King. That boy… will he be the trump card I can play when that time comes?_ "Hm?"

Angelus gets up and, going through the front door of the temple, walks outside. He had heard the wind picking up and went out to investigate. He looks out and sees dark clouds forming above the general area of Tokyo and it's really windy outside.

_Hmm… an ominous wind blows. THAT usually means trouble. And my "Angel Sense" tells me that it's going to involve that girl and my former friend Erick. I'd better be prepared._

Then, we hear Angelus's watch beeping the tune of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".

Angelus realizes it's his alarm. "ACK! ON NO! I've (or rather, THE MCD's) got to open the restaurant! No time to drive down there! Gotta fly!"

With a flap of his wings, Angelus quickly soars off in the direction of Tokyo.

* * *

_**R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE:**_

Meanwhile, at the RED CATS's hideout, High Priest Erick Genryusai has called an emergency meeting at the Cat Ghost King's shrine. Everyone was there – Delia, Bass, Treble, Bubbleman, Dr. Wily, and a large group of RED CAT soldiers and Wily's robots.

Erick addresses everyone. "Ah, good evening. I'm glad you all came to this special meeting…" To Dr. Wily, he asks, "Say, Dr. Wily, where is R?"

"He's still on his current, ah…. "mission","Dr. Wily says, referring to R's dating Kodachi Kuno in order to learn her secret techniques.

"Oh, yes, that. Well, we'll start the meeting without him. Anyway, now that we have the three Phoenix treasures, we can continue our quest for the Phoenix Stone. But first, I think a little "entertainment" is in order. We'll need a professional on this one. Wily, do you have any robots that specialize in explosives?"

"Why, yes. Let's see…there's Bombman, Clashman, Napalmman, Drillman, and Burstman. Any of those robots will do the job, Erick."

Bass speaks up. "Uhh…Doc, aren't you forgetting somebody?"

Bubbleman, scared, objects, "Bass, NO! Not him! Anybody but HIM!"

"Who's Bubbleman talking about, Bass?" Erick asks.

Bass grins and tells him, "The one robot that the Doc didn't tell you about…I think he'll be perfect for this little "show" you're planning, Erick."

Dr. Wily remembers, "Oh, yes, that's right! I forgot about him! He's just what we need! Let's send Grenademan!"

Everybody else except Bass, Treble, Delia, the Cat Ghost King, Dr. Wily, and Erick yells, "OH NO! NOT GRENADEMAN!!"

Erick sweatdrops. "Why are you all so frightened?"

Bass explains, "Well, you see Erick, the reason why these idiots are freaking out is because Grenademan, well…he really loves his job. Yep, that's the best way I can describe him."

Dr. Wily disagrees, "Oh, come now! True, I admit Grenademan is a little odd…"

Bubbleman futher objects, "Odd? The guy's NUTS!"

"Duh…He's crazy too!" Frostman says.

Stoneman sighs, "Late again, as usual Frosty."

Bubbleman pleads, "Dr. Wily, please! Don't send him!"

Erick, however, says, "Well, what are we waiting for? Call him, Wily."

Then, there's an explosion! The blast blows a hole in the wall. Then Grenademan enters! "GYA HA HA HA! Grenademan's the name! Demolition's my game! OH YEAH!"

The Cat Statue glows angrily. "MEOW! HEY! What's the big idea blowing up my shrine meow!"

Bass mutters, "Geez, there he goes again…" Then, to Grenademan, he says, "You know, Grenademan, most people use what's called a "door" to enter a room."

"Yeah, well I'm NOT "most people", Bass! OH YEAH!" Grenademan calms down, then asks, "So, uh, what's the job?

Erick is surprised at first, but continues, "Well, Grenademan, we would like you to go out and provide us with some "entertainment"."

"WHAT? A show? Aw phooey! I'm an explosives expert, dammit, not an entertainer!" Grenademan smiles. "But if you want comedy, then…." He then takes out one of his Flash Bombs and tosses it at Bubbleman. "Here, Bubbles! Catch!"

The Flash Bomb lands in front of Bubbleman! "OH NO!"

**KA-BOOM!**

"ACK!" Bubbleman says as he's blown up. Then, as he's lying on the ground, roasted from the blast, he groans, "Ugh…."

Grenademan laughs, "Now THAT's funny! HA HA HA! OH YEAH!"

Erick sweatdrops. "Err…. right." _Bass _actually_ made a good choice! I like this one!_ "Anyway, as I was saying, we want you to go out and put on a little "show" for the people…. by doing what you do best."

Grenademan's confused. "Huh?"

Bass translates, "He means…. he wants you to go out and blow up stuff!"

"OH YEAH! HA HA HA HA! Anything I get to blow up in particular?"

Erick smiles. "No. Feel free to destroy to your heart's content."

"Really? ALL RIGHT! MWA HA HA HA HA!!"

"However, be on the lookout for a girl named Ran Hayami…." Erick waves his hand and a holographic image of Ran appears.

"Hmph! Just one puny human girl!"

"Don't be so sure. Your friends Slashman and Cutman thought the same thing…. and they were defeated by her. Now, if you see Lady Ran, capture her and find out if she has the Phoenix Stone. Then, bring it to us."

Grenademan considers it. "A kidnapping, huh? Oh, fine, I'll do it. But I'd better get to blow up SOMETHING along the way! OH YEAH!"

Dr. Wily adds, "Also, watch out for that meddling Megaman! Quickman and Geminiman had a run in with him recently."

"Kidnapping AND a chance to blast Megaman into scrap metal? This must be my lucky day! OH YEAH!"

"You have your orders, now GO!" Erick commands.

Grenademan leaves the shrine by jumping through the hole he blew open earlier and runs off laughing madly! "MWA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!! OH YEAH!"

Everybody else sweatdrops as they watch him go. Bubbleman fearfully remarks, "Grenademan's on the loose. No good can come from this…."

Erick blinks. "Uhh…is this guy for real, Bass?"

Bass admits, "He might have a few screws loose, but when it comes to explosives, Grenademan's the best there is. For once, the Doc actually made a robot that doesn't suck!"

Dr. Wily is pleased that Bass is complimenting him… until he realizes he'd just been insulted. "Why thank you, Bass, and… HEY!"

"OK meow, that's great and all, but… who's going to fix my shrine meow!" the Cat Statue complains.

* * *

Later that night, we see Grenademan's already at work, setting up and detonating his bombs in random areas of the city. He's obviously enjoying his work, singing a little song he composed himself.

"The itsy-bitsy spider went up the waterspout! Down came Grenademan and…TOOK THE SPIDER OUT!"

Grenademan pulls out a remote control and presses a button. Three blocks away, a building blows up!

"OH YEAH!" Grenademan, happy, gets all teary-eyed. "OH! To blow up things is my joy! I'm so happy, I…I could…EXPLODE!! OH YEAH!!"

He presses another button on his remote. Five consecutive explosions go off in the park!

"Hee hee! Oh, the chaos, the destruction, the property damage! I LOVE IT! MWA HA HA HA HA HA! OH YEAH! Let's blow up some more stuff!"

Grenademan continues on throughout the night, blowing up stuff and laughing like a crazed maniac. Will anyone please stand up and kick his loony butt?

* * *

_**NERIMA, JAPAN - TENDO DOJO:**_

The next day, the whole city's in a clamor about the explosions. Television sends the word all over.

In the living room, Soun and Genma are watching the news on TV while Ranma was reading manga.

The news reporter on TV says, "Authorities still have no leads as to who's behind the explosions that occurred last night. But the police and the government are taking the threat seriously. Spokesmen for the department announced today that special assault teams made up of local officers and members of the Self-Defense Force would be stationed throughout the city tonight."

Soun says, "A mad bomber? Here? This is a decent town! To think that a lunatic like that…."

"We cannot allow this to go on!" Genma says.

"Right, Saotome! It's the duty of a martial artist to fight evil! We'll bring this culprit to justice!"

Soun and Genma laugh together, as Kasumi enters the room with some tea. Then suddenly….

**KA-BOOM!**

Startled by the explosion, Kasumi says, "Oh my! What was that?"

Soun guesses, "It must be that evil mad bomber!"

Genma agrees, "Yeah, Tendo. It sounds like that blast came from just miles away from our town." He then turns to Ranma. "Ranma, as heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, it's your duty to defeat this mad bomber!"

Ranma's like, "Aren't YOU comin', Pops?"

He turns around and sees Genma (now in panda form) sitting in a corner playing with a beach ball. [Don't mind me. I'm just a cuddly little panda…]

"Why you…! C'mon!" Ranma grabs the cowardly panda by the scruff of his neck, and then drags him out the door.

Genma-panda wriggles around frantically, while holding up a sign [But…but I don't wanna! I'm…uh, too young to get blown up now! Yeah, that's it!]

* * *

_**ON THE STREETS OF NERIMA:**_

We see Soun, Genma, and Ranma walking down the street. They are on their way to the place where they heard that last explosion. They get all sorts of strange looks from the townspeople, most of them directed at Soun and Genma. Soun is decked out in full samurai armor while Genma (who's still in panda form, by the way) carries a basket of assorted weapons on his back.

One man asks, "What's up with those two?"

"Don't look at them," a woman says.

Ranma sweatdrops. "Maybe I should have gone by myself."

He glances around to check on his father and father-in-law. The two silly old men are talking with each other.

Soun expresses a concern. "Saotome, I'm beginning to have second thoughts. What chance do we really have against a mad bomber?"

Genma-panda holds up a sign. [I know what you mean, Tendo. Nevertheless, as martial artists, it's our duty to fight evil.] He flips the sign over. [Besides, if we can defeat this guy, it'll make our dojo look good and we'll be heroes! We'll be famous!]

Soun brightens up. "Really? Well then, bring on that mad bomber! We'll defeat him! Yes! For the honor of our dojo!" Deeply moved, he says, "Ah, Saotome, my friend! No matter what happens, live or die, we shall fight together!"

[Agreed, Tendo. Even if it costs us our lives!]

Overcome with emotion and a sense of duty, honor, and justice (or maybe they're just really scared, perhaps?), Soun and Genma start crying. Oh, I feel REALLY safe knowing those two are gonna protect us, don't you?

Ranma sweatdrops, groaning, "Geez…"

Just then, Ranma notices something (or someone!) He calls on the two blubbering old fools. "Hey! If you two are done getting yourselves psyched up, come here. I think we found our guy!" He points to a construction site.

The three quickly head over to the site, being extremely careful not to attract attention. Hiding behind a pile of steel drums, they take a peek at the only person hanging around the area. This "person" looked like a huge hand grenade with arms and legs. It's Grenademan! Ranma notices that he's walking around the site, putting something on the ground around each corner of the foundation. GASP! It's a bomb!

[Who's THAT guy?], Genma-panda points at Grenademan.

Ranma replies, "Looks like another one of those robots me and Ran seem to be running into lately. I just saw him put something on the ground; could be a bomb."

[A bomb? OK, I'm outta here!] Genma tries to run away!

Ranma grabs him by the scruff of his neck. "Where do you think you're going, Pop!"

Now while all this is happening, don't you think it's strange that Grenademan hasn't noticed our heroes yet? There's a good reason for that. For while he's laying out explosives, Grenademan has a pair of headphones on, listening to music on his Walkman MD (Mini-Disc) player. Apparently, he's listening to that old rap song "Mama Said Knock You Out". He's bopping his head to the beat and rapping along, only he's adding his own words!

"I'm gonna blow you up! Mama said blow you up! OH YEAH!"

Watching Grenademan, Soun gets an idea. "Hmm… Fortunately for us, he's distracted. We should use this opportunity. Using the element of surprise, we'll sneak up on him and take him out!"

Ranma approves, "Great idea, Mr. Tendo. In fact, I've got a plan."

Genma-panda grunts, holding up a sign, [Brilliant. He's got a plan.]

"Yep, and you're gonna lead us, Pop."

[Yeah!] Then, Genma realizes, [Huh? ME?]

"That's right."

[Um… You want me to ambush that Grenade guy?]

"Yeah!"

Genma-panda sighs, summoning up his courage. [All right, I'll do it.] He holds up another sign. [For the honor of the School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts!] Then, he flips the first sign over. [Mad bomber or no mad bomber! I'll defeat him with my bare hands!] "Growf!" [There's just one thing I want you guys to do…]

Ranma & Soun both ask, "What's that?"

[Talk me out of it!] And with that, Genma tries to run away again!

"Oh no you don't!", Ranma says, grabbing Genma by his arm.

"Come along, Saotome." Soun grabs the other arm.

Genma-panda sweatdrops. [Aww…!]

Soun and Ranma, dragging the "Cowardly Panda", quietly approach Grenademan.

Meanwhile, Grenademan has just finished setting the last of the bombs.

"Whew! That's the last one, but now I'm all out of bombs. I'll have to go back to the base and make some more. But, I'll have some fun and blow this up first! OH YEAH!"

He pulls out his remote control and is about to push the button when…

"GROWF!" Genma-panda then holds up a sign that says [Hey! Hold it right there, you!]

"WHAT? Who dares interrupt my fun!?" Grenademan angrily wants to know. Turning around, he sees… "A panda? These idiots send a panda after me? The police must have finally lost it!" He then notices Soun and Ranma. "And, it seems you've brought company. Weeell, the more the merrier! HA HA! OH YEAH!"

Ranma steps forward and confronts Grenademan. "You... You're another one of those crazy robots aren't you!"

"Gehehehe, that's right kid! They call me the "Blast King", "Emperor of Explosives", "Duke of Demolitions", or just plain stark-raving MAD! But you can call me…" He then strikes a pose. "GRENADEMAN! MWA HA HA HA HA!! OH YEAH!"

"All right, Pop, you've got him now! Show 'em your fists of justice!" Ranma says as he pushes Genma forward.

[B-but…I don't wanna!]

"Hiyah." Ranma picks up and tosses the dumb ol' panda at Grenademan!

"Eat this! FLASH BOMB!" Grenademan whips out one of his Flash Bombs and tosses it at Genma!

**KA-BOOM!**

The next thing we see is poor Genma flying high in the sky after getting blasted by Grenademan…

"Hmph. Fool."

…and coming down hard! The impact leaves a small crater in the ground.

Soun cries out, "Saotome!"

"Pop!" Ranma shouts, actually worried for his old man.

They run over to the crater where Genma lies at the bottom.

[Don't worry about me… I'm…I'm okay!] Genma faints, with little dizzy swirls in his eyes, like this…._

Grenademan laughs triumphantly, "MWA HA HA HA HA!! OH YEAH! Who's next!?"

Soun declares, "I shall stop you, villain! HYAAH!" He draws his spear and charges at Grenademan with a powerful forward thrust, hoping to take out the fiend in one quick strike.

**KLANG!**

"Yes! I got him!" Then, "Huh?"

Unfortunately, Soun DIDN'T get him. The tip of the spear merely bounced off Grenademan's body, without even so much as a scratch!

"Was that attack supposed to hurt me? Pathetic!" Grenademan tosses another Flash Bomb at Soun.

**BA-BOOM!**

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!" wails Soun as he's blown away. He comes crashing down on top of Genma! "OOOF! Ugh!"

Genma-panda grumbles, "Grrf…" while holding up a sign, [Nice of you to drop in, Tendo.]

Grenademan laughs, "OH YEAH! Now, it's just you and me, Ranma Saotome!"

Ranma's surprised. "Huh!?"

"Yes, I know who you are." Grenademan gets excited. "Wait till the other guys find out that I, the mighty Grenademan, fought and defeated Ranma Saotome! I'll score MAJOR bonus points with Dr. Wily! Nothing personal, kid, but I'm gonna destroy you! OH YEAH!"

"Yeah? C'mon! I'm no pushover like those two old geezers!"

A hurt Soun objects, "HEY!"

Genma-panda, insulted, holds up a sign, [We're right here, y'know!]

Ranma puts down Grenademan's abilities. "Hiding behind your bombs like that! You coward!"

Grenademan remarks, "You punk kid! It takes a lot of courage to call ME a coward! Strike me from any side!"

"You asked for it, jerk! KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!" Ranma attacks Grenademan with his signature rapid-fire punching attack, landing blow after blow on him, but…

"HA HA HA! My extra-thick armor protects me from your blows. Your technique will have no effect on this body. In other words, I'm INVINCIBLE! OH YEAH!"

Ranma keeps on striking with his Amaguriken, but it's no use. _Man! This guy's tough! I gotta take him out, but how?_

Meanwhile, someone else was watching the fight…

Protoman thinks, _If he keeps this up, he's going to lose._

"Aw! What's the matter? Are you finished already? Those punches couldn't kill a fly! And now… FLASH BOMB!" Grenademan lobs one at Ranma!

The Flash Bomb hits Ranma, knocking him away from Grenademan.

"Argh!"

"Heh heh heh! And now to finish you off!" Grenademan leaps into the air, tossing a ring of bombs that spread out and land around Ranma! "Your life ends, not with a whimper, but with a BANG! CRAZY DESTROYER!!" While in mid-air, he detonates the bombs!

**BA-BOOM!**

"OH NO! RANMA!" Genma & Soun both cry out.

As he lands, Grenademan snorts, "Feh! That was too easy! For a moment there, I thought you'd be tough. NOT! HA HA HA! OH YEAH!"

Hidden out of sight, Protoman thinks, smiling, _I wouldn't boast so soon if I were you, Grenademan._

"HEY! Up here!"

"HUH?" Grenademan turns around and sees… "NO! IMPOSSIBLE! Nobody has ever escaped my "Crazy Destroyer" attack! NO ONE! You…you're no ordinary human!"

Soun points, "Saotome, look!"

Genma-panda growls happily, sign in paw [He's alive! What a relief!]

Yes folks, it's indeed Ranma! His clothes are a little burnt and he has a few burn marks on his body from Grenademan's attack, but he's alive and still ready to fight! Standing two stories above Grenademan in the construction site, Ranma looks down at his opponent. "Grenademan! Why do you keep relying on your bombs? Why can't you fight me yourself?"

Grenademan sneers, "What does it matter how I fight? All that matters is victory!"

"You see? You just keep on proving my point! You're too scared to face me one-on-one, so rather than fight, you resort to using your weapons and cheap tricks!"

"Grr…. why you! Come down here and say that!"

"No. You come up here, that is, unless you're chicken!"

"WHAT!?"

"You heard me!" Ranma starts taunting him, yelling insults. "Dummy! Stupid! Nutjob! Fruitcake!"

Like gasoline to an already burning fire, Ranma's taunts unfortunately make Grenademan even angrier!

"FRUITCAKE!? Grrr….THAT TEARS IT!"

"HA HA! You big scaredy-cat!" Ranma sticks his tongue out, "Nyaah!", just as he hears something angrily land behind him! "Uh oh…"

It looks like you've gone a little bit too far, Ranma. He turns around and sees an extremely pissed-off Grenademan!

"BOY! Get ready, 'cause when I'm done pounding your sorry carcass, there won't be enough of you left to bury! OH YEAH!"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE AT THE TENDO DOJO:**_

Akane and Ran are on their way out to go shopping. As they're leaving, Ran senses something that almost makes her stop in her tracks. Something just doesn't feel quite right today. Akane turns around to check on Ran. "Ran, are you all right?"

Ran replies, "I don't know. I just got a sudden chill." _Oh, Ranma… I hope he's all right._

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	35. Explosive Combat! Ranma VS Grenademan!

CHAPTER 35

_**-"EXPLOSIVE COMBAT! RANMA VS. GRENADEMAN!"-**_

_**CONSTRUCTION SITE, TOKYO; BACK TO THE BATTLE:**_

Ranma and Grenademan are facing off.

"Heh heh heh! Now you're gonna get it. YOU think you can pick a fight with me, Grenademan, and come away unharmed?" The scenery begins to blur and does that flying background / speed line effect as Grenademan prepares to attack. "KNUCKLE BOMBERS!!"

Two glove-like devices pop out of concealed panels in Grenademan's arms and slide in place over his fists. The "gloves" (if you can call them that) are decorated with small rounded studs. I have a feeling they're not just there for looks!

Ranma's unimpressed. "Oh great, more of your cheap tricks. What's next? You gonna pull a rabbit out of a hat?"

"Yeah, go ahead! Keep talkin'! Let's see how funny you are when you're DEAD! Taste my explosive fists of rage! GRAAAHHH!!" Grenademan charges at Ranma like a wild boar, throwing a punch with his right. Ranma dodges out of the way to avoid it.

"HA! You missed, Grenade-jerk!"

"Think again, punk!" Grenademan slams him in the stomach with a left!)

**THUMP! BOOM!**

Ranma was sent flying from the force of Grenademan's explosive punch! He lands hard on the floor, roliing over in pain while clutching his stomach. Those small round studs on Grenademan's Knuckle Bombers are in fact tiny explosive charges that detonate on contact!

Grenademan snickers, "Heh heh heh! How'd you like my Knuckle Bombers? They add explosive power to my punches! OH YEAH!"

Ranma, though hurt by the attack, slowly gets up.

Grenademan is shocked. "NO! How can you still rise?"

Ranma, though hurt, points out, "Ugh…Grenademan. Your power's a joke."

"WHAT!?"

"Even now, you still don't get it. Face it; you're no warrior. You're just a weakling who hides behind his huge ego. It's all smoke and mirrors with your attacks. All style and no substance. Can't you even kill me by yourself?"

"Is that all you got to say to me? Damn you! I'll not tolerate you ridiculing my abilities! YAAHHH!! CRUSH!"

Grenademan charges at Ranma with a tackle attack, but Ranma just leaps over him.

Ranma lands and turns to face Grenademan. "You were saying?"

"I'LL KILL YOU!! GRAAAHHH!!" Grenademan comes out swinging his fists wildly.

* * *

As Ranma and Grenademan fight, Protoman continues to observe the battle.

"C'mon, Ranma. You can beat him. All you got to do is figure out Grenademan's weakness, and… huh?" He notices the panda and samurai, a.k.a. Genma and Soun.

Genma and Soun (who by now are back on their feet) are on their way to help Ranma.

"Hurry, Saotome! Ranma needs us!"

[You don't have to tell me twice!] "GROWF!" [Hang on boy, we're coming!]

"Wait!"

The two are stopped in their tracks by a red flash of light teleporting in. The light fades, and in its place, we see a young man wearing gray armor, a red helmet with white trim and dark visor, and carrying a shield. It's Protoman!

Genma-panda panics! [ACK! Another robot!]

Soun pulls out his spear, ready to fight. "Stand aside, or we'll go through you!"

Protoman stops them. "Relax, you two. I'm on your side. At any rate, if you go up there now, you'll be playing right into Grenademan's hands."

Genma-panda is about to object [But Ranma…]

Soun insists, "We have to help him!"

Protoman assures them, "And we will. First things first, we'll disable the bombs that Grenademan's set. The way I figure it, Ranma will beat Grenademan and while he thinks he's won, Grenademan will detonate the bombs, taking him out, and us too for that matter. Won't he be surprised when he presses that button and gets nothing?"

Soun catches on. "Ah! And that's when we strike!"

"Yep. I'd figured you guys would catch on. So whaddya say?"

Genma-panda doesn't hesitate to say [Count me in!]

Soun does likewise. "Me too! Thank you, er…"

Protoman briefly introduces himself. "The name's Protoman. But let's save the introductions for later. So it's agreed then? Let's work together to kick Grenademan's butt!"

Genma & Soun agree, "Right!"

And the three of them go to work on disabling those bombs. Things didn't go so smoothly at first, though…

Soun and Genma managed to open up one of the bombs and looked inside. All they can see was a mess of wires and circuit boards.

[So, Tendo, think you can do it?]

"Of course!" Soun takes another look at the wires, and sweatdrops. "Uh…" Seeing something else inside, he brightens up. "Look, Saotome!"

He points to a group of five wires, each in a different color (i.e. red, yellow, blue, black, and white) "See these wires? If we cut just one of them, we can diffuse the bomb! Quick! Give me something to cut it with!"

Genma reaches into the basket of weapons he'd brought and pulls out a small knife. He gives it to Soun, who proceeds to cut the wire. [Say, Tendo…]

Soun, intent on his work, absently says, "Hmm?"

[Where'd you learn to diffuse a bomb?]

"I didn't."

[So how do you know which wire to cut?]

Soun sweatdrops, "Uh….."

All three of them sweatdrop.

"The panda's got a point," Protoman says. Then, smacking himself in the forehead, he realizes, thinking, _I can't believe I just said that_. Aloud, he continues, "If you cut the wrong one, we'll all be blown to kingdom come."

At that, Soun and Genma freak out and do their impression of "The Scream" (like that old painting of the same name)! Then Protoman notices something.

"Ah!" Protoman reaches into the bomb, and pulls something out. "It's OK, you two. This bomb's now officially a dud."

Upon hearing THAT, they stop screaming and shaking with fear.

Genma-panda grunts quizzically, "Rrf…?" [Huh…?]

"But…the wire! Which one did you pull?" Soun asks.

"None of 'em. I simply pulled the fuse." Protoman holds up a small fuse in his hand.

Needless to say, Soun and Genma facefault.

"Oooookay…. C'mon you two, let's hurry and snuff out the rest of these bombs!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

Ranma continues to fight Grenademan. He had to leap to and fro to get out of the way of Grenademan's ceaseless swings. He finally landed where he could prepare to move in his spiral pattern. Grenademan charged in with a spinning punch, which Ranma dodged with great ease. As he spiraled in, he dodged the rapid succession of punches that were being hurled at him. Grenademan was giving off such an intense battle aura, more than enough energy Ranma would need in order to use the Hiryu Shoten Ha and blast that jerk into orbit! But as he neared the innermost section of the spiral, about to unleash his technique…

"Oh no you don't! HA!"

**POW! SHA-BOOM!**

Grenademan's punched Ranma HARD and, with the force of the Knuckle Bombers backing the blow, knocks him out of the spiral!

"OH YEAH!"

On the floor, Ranma in pain, grunts, "Ughh…I felt that one."

Grenademan's figured out what Ranma was going to do. "You were about to use one of your techniques on me, weren't you? I THOUGHT something was funny when you started dodging my blows and moving around like that! And you accuse ME of using dirty tricks? What a hypocrite!"

_I gotta stop him somehow. But what can I do? Even if I can hit him, his armor will just deflect the blows. I've got to somehow break through his defense. Unless…_

And wouldn't you know it, it started to rain. And for Ranma, that means…

"Oh great. THIS had to happen at the worst possible time," says a drenched, and now female, Ranma.

Grenademan is surprised to see a redheaded girl in front of him. "HEY! Where'd this girl come from? And where'd Ranma go?" To Ranma-chan, he asks, "Hey, girl! Did you see where Ranma Saotome went?"

Ranma-chan thinks, _This guy's as dense as a brick! Maybe I can use this to my advantage._

Grenademan starts ranting. "Grr…running away in the middle of a battle like that! Come out, Ranma! Come out and face me! I'd heard you were a great martial artist and all, but it seems the only thing you're good at is running away! You coward! Who's afraid now? Do you now realize my power's the real deal! Stop hiding from me like a little scared girl, you girl! OH YEAH!" He turns to the redhead, not even realizing she's Ranma! "Uh, no offense to you, girlie."

Ranma-chan smiles. "None taken." _Yeah, keep talking, jerk, cause this "girl" is gonna show you what _real_ power's about!_

As Grenademan looks around for Ranma, Ranma sees her opportunity! She leaps at Grenademan about to strike! Grenademan feels someone behind him. At the moment he turns around, before he can even react, Ranma slams into him and unleashes her attack!

"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!"

Ranma attacks Grenademan with the Amaguriken again; only THIS time around she focuses her attack on a single spot on Grenademan's so-called "invincible" body!

"HEY! What'd you do THAT for!?" Grenademan then realizes he's been hit. "Ugh..!" He staggers from the attack.

Ranma-chan thinks, _YES! Just like I thought!_

Desperate to find a way to beat Grenademan, Ranma thought back to the time he'd fought Ryoga when the "Eternal Lost Boy" had first learned the Bakusai Tenketsu technique. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: See RANMA 1/2 Manga Vol. 5 for the whole story. I won't bore you with a recap.) And in doing so, Ranma got an idea. Nothing else was working up until now, so he (or rather, "she" now that he was in his cursed form) had to take a chance and see if it would work again.

"What's the matter, Grenade-jerk? What happened to that "invincible body" of yours?"

"That mocking tone of voice…it sounds familiar. It sounds like… Ranma! NO! HOW!?" _But…but Ranma is a boy, not a girl! Yet, he, she, uh "it", used that fast punching move on me again. It has to be Ranma! I haven't seen anyone else use that move! But…but one moment he was a boy, and now he's a girl! Arrghh! My brain hurts! This is confusing! What the hell is going on here!?_

As Grenademan tries to process the information, realizing that this redhead and Ranma are the same person, he looks as if his electronic brain is about to blow a microchip! While he's distracted, Ranma takes the opportunity to attack him again!

"Your guard's down! HA!' Ranma-chan attacks with the Amaguriken!)

(Sounds of punches hitting Grenademan's body)

**PAPAPAPAPPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPPA!! **

Over and over Ranma-chan hits the same spot on Grenademan, the sounds of fists against metal like that of a machine gun going off.

"ACK! ARRGH!" Grenademan stumbles and falls down, hurt. "Ugh…!"

Ranma-chan snorts, "Not so tough without your cheap tricks, eh?"

Grenademan thinks while looking as Ranma-chan in shock, _A disguise? No, the way his body (uh, her body? D'OH!) moves is too natural, especially the "bounce". That's no disguise. He, uh… she, er… "it", oh FORGET IT! I got a headache! My brain hurts again! This Ranma's some kinda FREAK OF NATURE! And I know how to deal with freaks! OH YEAH!_

His confidence growing (just like his ego!) Grenademan gets up ready to destroy his enemy! His right arm changes into a blaster, and he aims it at Ranma! "YOU FREAK! I'll end you with one blow! FLASH BOMB!" He shoots a Flash Bomb at Ranma!

Ranma-chan can't believe Grenademan's stubborn persistence. "Geez! Not THIS again!" Then, she says, "Here's something you haven't seen before! MOKOU TAKABISHA!!" and fires off the chi blast.

Using the Mokou Takabisha as a counterattack, Ranma blasts the Flash Bomb right back at Grenademan! Direct hit!

**BOOM!! **

"HUAAARRRGHH!!" Grenademan howls in pain.

"YES! Got'em!"

* * *

At the same time, Soun, Genma, and Protoman were finishing up with dismantling the bombs Grenademan had set up around the construction site.

Soun pulls out a fuse. "There. That's the last one!"

Genma-panda sighs. [Finally!]

**BOOM!! **

Soun is startled by the explosion. "WAAAHH! What was that?"

_Good. Ranma figured out Grenademan's weakness just in time._ Aloud, Protoman says to Soun and Genma, "Okay, guys, now's our chance! Let's GO!"

He dashes over to where Ranma and Grenademan are fighting. Soun and Genma quickly follow after him.

[Charge!]

"Hang on, Ranma! We're coming to help!"

* * *

Well, Ranma has just found out Grenademan's weakness. It looks like the battle's over. But…

_And here I thought he was _actually_ tough! He can dish it out, but he sure can't take it!_ Out loud to the beaten Grenademan, Ranma-chan says, "I've figured out the secret of that so-called "invincible body" of yours, Grenademan, so why don't you just give up and get lost!"

Grenademan gets up again(!) and starts to laugh. Oh yes, he's insane, insane with pleasure! What a loony!

He laughs madly, "Heh hehe heheheheh….oh, that feeling of pain! The impact of explosive fury washing over me! OH! What joy! What bliss! HA HA HA! OH YEAH! How I have LONGED for this! C'mon, hit me! HIT ME AGAIN!! Let me feel the pain of an explosion once more!"

Ranma-chan thinks, shocked, _No way! I'd thought I'd finally taken him out, and with his own stupid bomb attack, too! What is it gonna take to beat this guy!?_

Ranma's fought her share of tough opponents, but never like this! Grenademan, on the other hand, is so caught up in his blast-induced reverie, that he doesn't even notice Ranma, until…

Grenademan then comes to his senses, now angry! "Grrr… why, you…! It'll be a cold day in hell before Grenademan loses to anyone, especially to some half-boy, half-girl freak like YOU!"

Ranma-chan's insulted. "HEY! Where do you get off calling ME a freak!?"

"Oooh! Touched a nerve there, did I? Heh heh heh… I see I'm going to have to change my strategy. It's time I put away my tricks… and fight you for REAL! OH YEAH!"

Then Grenademan does something that surprises Ranma. He retracts his Knuckle Bombers back into the secret compartments in his arms, clenches his fists, and adopts a fighting stance. He starts throwing a few boxing-style punches.

"Gya ha ha! I'll hit you painfully! You ready to go down?"

Ranma-chan gets into her fighting stance. She begs to differ, "Ah ah, it's YOU who's going down!"

And they start fighting again! Grenademan and Ranma charge at each other, throwing and blocking punches and kicks at each other. During the course of the battle Ranma notices that Grenademan tends to rely more on his punches, which are pretty strong even without the Knuckle Bombers. Thus Grenademan, with his aggressive offense, lands some hard blows on her. Fortunately, his attacks tend to leave him wide open when he misses, allowing Ranma to get in some good shots with her Amaguriken, repeatedly hitting him in the same spot over and over. It works, eventually wearing Grenademan down but also wearing Ranma out. Even so, she paces herself so she won't get too tired; one missed strike and she'll get tagged by his punches.

The two enemies break apart and adopt a defensive position:

Grenademan's breathing hard, "Hah hah… not bad. So you got in a few blows. Big whoop! You still can't scratch my "invincible body"! OH YEAH!"

"I told you! I've seen through that nonsense! Looks like I'm gonna have to say it again!" Ranma-chan dashes toward Grenademan.

But Grenademan's prepared, for he's holding a Flash Bomb behind his back! Watch out, Ranma!

_Hee hee, that's right, just a little closer, and then I'll blast you! OH YEAH!_ "Think again, freak! FLASH BOMB!" Grenademan tosses it!

**BA-WHOOM!!**

"Hee hee! That'll teach that freak not to mess with me! OH YEAH!"

"Guess again, jerk!"

"WHAT!?" Grenademan looks up and sees Ranma coming down from the sky!

"Here's a new twist on an old favorite! TENSHOU AMAGURIKEN (Heaven Soaring Sweet Chestnut Fist)!!"

Attacking with her Amaguriken in mid-air (!), Ranma lands blow after blow on Grenademan's head!

**PAPAPAPAPPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPPAPAPAPAPAPPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPPA!! **

After getting hit so many times in the head (Boy is he gonna have a headache when this attack's over!), Grenademan finally falls in defeat!

Extremely dizzy, Grenademan collapses! "……_!!"

Ranma-chan lets out a whoop of victory. "ALL RIGHT!"

It's too soon to celebrate, Ranma. As he loses consciousness, Grenademan raises his blaster one last time and fires a Flash Bomb. It hits Ranma as she lands…

**BA-DOOM!!**

* * *

_**AT A SHOPPING MALL:**_

Ran is in a fitting room trying on a cute outfit she'd found. Akane was outside waiting for her.

A lightning bolt chose that moment to strike outside. The sound of thunder startles Ran. Gasping in shock, she gets that same sensation she felt earlier, only now it's MUCH stronger.

Ran whispers, "Ranma… Oh no!"

Ran staggers back, almost falling to her knees. She presses a hand to her heart.

"Something's happened to him. I… I can feel it! OH!"

Hearing Ran's soft cry and a thump to the floor, Akane and one of the salesladies enter the fitting room.

"Ran! What happened?" Akane then gasps, "RAN!"

They find Ran in that fitting room, her eyes wide in shock, her breathing's shallow, and she's trembling.

Ran is whispering weakly, "Ranma…Ranma…no…"

"Ran! Ran!" Akane wraps her arm around Ran's shoulders, and takes her hand. She notices that Ran seems to be in a daze, frightened by some unseen fear.

Ran turns around to see… "A..Akane…?"

"I'm…I'm here, Ran. It's going to be okay. Just hold on!" To the saleslady, Akane urgently says, "She needs help!"

"I'll call a doctor right away!" The saleslady quickly leaves.

* * *

_**CONSTRUCTION SITE, TOKYO; THE AFTERMATH:**_

Grenademan wakes up, groggy from Ranma's attack. Getting smacked upside the head repeated will do that to you, y'know. Anyway… regaining his senses, he looks over to see Ranma lying on the floor, hurt, clothes burnt and smoking from that last Flash Bomb. Grenademan menacingly strides toward Ranma and grabs her by the throat.

"Heh heh heh. All right, you, you "she-male"! This is the part where I win and you die! OH YEAH!" Grenademan raises his fist. But before can deliver the killing blow, someone whistles a familiar tune.

Grenademan recognizes the tune. "OH NO! Not THAT guy!"

He turns around and sees Protoman, along with Soun and Genma.

Disappointed, Grenademan groans, "Protoman? Aw phooey! I was hoping Megaman would show up, but I guess you and those two losers you've brought along will do. Give me a sec while I finish off this freak here."

Soun then does his best and scariest "Oni-Kubi-Geki" (Demon Head Attack!) yet. "PUT HIM DOWN! **NOW!"**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Grenademan is so scared by Soun's "Demon Head" that he drops Ranma! Genma's fur stands on end while Protoman sweatdrops! Soun calms down and changes back to normal.

Genma-panda's fur is still standing on end. [Now THAT was scary!]

Protoman, shivers, observing, "Yeah, but terribly effective. Brrr!"

They run over to Ranma, who is gasping and wheezing for air while rubbing her throat.

Soun is the first to come to Ranma's side. "Ranma! Are you all right?"

Ranma-chan gasps, catching her breath. "Mr. Tendo…Pops…what took you guys so long?" She notices Protoman. "And who's he?"

Protoman introduces himself to Ranma, "It's Protoman. Sorry we couldn't come sooner, Ranma. But I needed the panda and the samurai's help while you bought us some time."

Soun adds, "That's right, son. It's all part of our plan."

Ranma-chan blinks. "Plan? What kind of plan?"

Genma-panda holds up a sign saying [You'll see!]

Poor Grenademan is still frozen in fear from Soun's demon head trick! "OH! OH! That horrible face! What a terrifying attack!" He shakes off the last of the terror, coming to his senses, and… "Grrr…! How dare you interfere with me!? What do you guys want?"

Soun blurts our, "I want Ranma to marry Akane!"

Genma and Protoman look at him like he's crazy. How can Soun think of THAT at a time like this?

Soun asks innocently, "What?"

"Paho!" [Food would be nice!] Genma-panda says.

Protoman replies, "World peace. But we'll settle for kicking your butt instead."

And with that, the three of them get into fighting stances. Grenademan laughs. "You're kidding, right? Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid you've already lost this fight!"

Ranma-chan asks, "What are you talking about, creep!?"

Grenademan pulls out the remote control. "When I press this button, the bombs I've set all around this area will go off, and we'll all go down together! MWA HA HA HA HA HA!! OH YEAH!"

"Wh-what!?" Ranma-chan notices that Soun, Genma, and Protoman haven't flinched from their fighting stances.

"Did I miss something? Will somebody tell me what's going on here?"

"It's all part of the plan," Soun winks at Ranma, assuring her.

Ranma catches on. "Oh, yeah…" _I don't know what Mr. Tendo, Pops and that Protoman guy plan to do, but I hope it works!_

"Feh! You haven't got a prayer. Farewell, you fools! OH YEAH!" Grenademan presses the button, but….nothing happens!

"Curses! What is this...?!" Grenademan tries pressing the button over and over again; same thing – nothing happens! "A malfunction?! What's going on!?"

Protoman says matter-of-factly, "Aw, too bad, Grenademan. Y'know, you would have won, that is, if you had these." He holds up the fuses that he, Soun, and Genma have pulled from all of the bombs.

Grenademan is shocked! "NOOOOOOOO!!"

His bombs no longer a threat, the four heroes advance toward Grenademan. Protoman cocks his Buster, Soun brandishes a sword, Genma pulls out a HUGE mallet, and Ranma-chan cracks her knuckles.

No doubt about it, folks. Grenademan is SCREWED, and he knows it. Boy, is he gonna get it now!

Sweating, Grenadema pleads, "Oh, c'mon guys! I was just following an order, that's all! Uh… Can't we talk this over?"

Ranma-chan says, "Let's get him, guys! ALL TOGETHER NOW!"

Soon, a beat down proceeds, with Grenademan as the one being beaten. After they beat seventy times seven types of crap (and that's a LOTTA crap!) out of him, Grenadman is down for the count! Lying on the floor, he looks like a squashed bug.

Exhausted, Ranma-chan says, "Finally…it's over. We've won."

"Not yet. Look!" Protoman points at Grenademan.

Everyone turns to see Grenademan get up, his armor dented, looking like a crushed soda can.

Grenademan is angry, breathing heavily. "No..! NO! I…won't let it end like this! You won't defeat me! YOU CAN'T! I'M INVINCIBLE! I'M THE MIGHTY GRENADEMAN!!"

Soun and Genma jump back in fright!

[ACK! He's supposed to be dead!] Genma-panda says, trembling.

"Yes! It seems he's gotten better already!" Soun comments.

Ranma-chan is surprised. "Man! Doesn't this guy ever quit?"

Protoman shakes his head, "Nah, he's too stupid to just give up."

"And now…" Grenademan starts burning with an explosive battle aura. "I'm going to show you my true power! OH YEAH!" He leaps into the air, and… "AIR RAID!! MULTI-BOMB STRIKE!!"

While in the air, Grenademan starts lobbing many Flash Bombs at the group. Everyone ducks for cover from the blasts. Ranma stands behind Protoman, who blocks most of the incoming bombs with his Proto Shield.

Protoman blocks another blast, yelling over the explosions, "There are too many bombs being thrown at us! There's no way we can blast them all back at him!"

Ranma-chan thinks while watching Grenademan's attack. _Great! His battle aura's really hot! Now's my chance!_ She yells back at Protoman, "No! There's a way! Cover me, will ya!?"

Protoman blinks behind his cool shades. "What!?"

"Just do it!" Ranma-chan leaps out from behind Protoman and runs toward Grenademan!

Soun can't believe it! "What's Ranma thinking!?"

Genma-panda replies [I don't know! But's he gonna get blown to bits!]

Grenademan is laughing madly, "HA HA HA HAHAHA!! In a hurry to die, are we!? I'll be happy to blast you into oblivion!"

Ranma dodges the storm of Flash Bombs while moving in a spiral. "YOU'RE the one who gonna get blasted! Say goodbye, jerk! HIRYU SHOTEN HA!"

Ranma-chan then launches her fist up to heaven, and then a mighty hurricane is made. The hurricane blasts Grenademan full force, sending him and the Flash Bombs flying away into the sky.

Grenademan yells as he's hit, "OH YEAHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh……!!"

As Grenademan goes flying off in the distance, he becomes a tiny star that can be seen in the sky until it disappears. Then it explodes into multiple bursts, making it look like a fireworks display. Neat!

Ranma-chan hmph's, "And good riddance!"

Protoman watches the explosions. "It's just like the Fourth of July."

Soun comments, "A fitting end for that robot madman, eh Saotome?"

Genma-panda agrees [You said it, Tendo!]

Victorious, they stand back and watch the fireworks.

* * *

Later that night, we see Grenademan limping down the street, beaten, bruised, and burnt. He's using a long piece of pipe like a crutch.

Grenademan curses, "Damn that boy! If only Protoman and those two idiots hadn't showed up, I'd have finished him off! Dr. Wily and that stupid cat statue won't like this…"

* * *

_**BUT, ONCE HE RETURNS TO THE RED CATS' HIDEOUT:**_

Dr. Wily is very upset with Grenademan. "Oh, excellent work. You had a golden opportunity to destroy Ranma Saotome fall right into your lap, and you blew it! Not only that, you got Protoman involved, and that means Megaman will start snooping around for sure!"

Bass puts his two cents in, remarking, "That's IF he hasn't already, Doc."

Wily glares at Bass, who wisely keeps his mouth shut.

Dr. Wily taps his foot impatiently. "So, what are you going to do about it, Grenademan?"

Grenademan grovels, "Dr. Wily, please! I can explain…! Um…"

Bubbleman whispers to Bass, "Uh oh. Looks like Grenademan's gonna get it now."

Bass whispers back, "Looks that way. Well, it's been nice knowing that blast-happy lunatic."

"SILENCE!" Dr. Wily yells, shutting up the two robots. He turns to the Statue of the Cat Ghost King. "Oh Cat Ghost King, would you be so kind as to punish this failure?

"With pleasure, Wily meow!" The Cat Statue charges up and then strikes Grenademan with electricity!

Grenademan screams "YAAAHHHHHRGH!!" As he's being electrocuted!

But surprisingly, it's none other than Erick who says, "Wait!"

Everybody else goes "HUH?"

"Grenademan only had a minor setback, Wily. Are you going to punish him just because he's an idiot?"

Grenademan, looking like he's been cooked till he's well-done, tries to object, "Hey, you…!"

Erick harshly whispers, "Quiet. I'm trying to save your hide." Aloud, he says to Wily and the rest, "Besides, I'm sure Grenademan has planned a counterattack. Right?"

Grenademan, silently grateful to the High Priest for the save, admits, "I underestimated him. I won't fail again. I WON'T!"

Erick smiles. "Excellent. You'll have one week to prepare. I trust that'll be enough time?"

Grenademan nods furiously, "Yes, yes! Of course!"

Dr. Wily, though still upset with Grenademan, says, "You'd better be right. I'll give you another chance. Now GO, Grenademan!"

As Grenademan leaves the shrine, his thoughts burn with revenge against Ranma. Then, he remembers something. He laughs silently. It seems he already has a plan. Uh oh…

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	36. Crazy Dreams, Echoes of the Past

CHAPTER 36

_**-"CRAZY DREAMS, ECHOES OF THE PAST… ERICK'S DAY OFF"-**_

Last time:

With the help of Protoman, Soun, and Genma, Ranma finally prevailed against Grenademan, the self-proclaimed "Blast King". Dr. Wily, of course, is VERY upset with Grenademan because he had a perfect opportunity to kill Ranma and he failed. But the RED CATS' ever-scheming High Priest Erick Genryusai intervenes on Grenademan's behalf and persuades Wily to give the loony explosives expert another chance. With only one week to prepare, Grenademan plots his revenge against Ranma, and it seems he may already have a plan…

After Grenademan was given an explosive send-off by Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha (complete with a fireworks display, no less!), our heroes…

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Or our hero Ranma and two zeros, i.e. Genma and Soun, if you prefer]

Anyway… our heroes are about to return home. Ranma is kinda disappointed, because after the fireworks Protoman disappeared. She wants to thank Protoman, 'cause it if weren't for his help, Grenademan would have won, and everyone would have died. She looks around one more time…

Ranma-chan says quietly, "Protoman. Wherever you are, thanks."

… and then keeps on walking. Watching them go, Protoman stands on a nearby rooftop.

"You're welcome, Ranma. Hmm…. I knew if I did some investigating on my own, I'd eventually find one of Wily's robots causing trouble. But something still bugs me. I overheard Grenademan say if he could kill Ranma, then he'd score big points with Dr. Wily. Which begs the question: Why does Wily want Ranma dead? Well, I'd better go back and tell Megaman and the others who I ran into. They'll surely want to know about this."

With that, Protoman teleports out.

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO, JAPAN – TENDO DOJO:**_

Upon arriving at the Tendo residence, Ranma and Genma can't wait to take a nice hot bath (to change back into their true forms, 'cause it's still raining outside!) and relax.

When they enter the house, they find Akane and Dr. Tofu waiting inside.

Soun cheerfully greets, "Ah, Dr. Tofu, what brings you here today?"

Ranma notices the serious look on Tofu's face. Furthermore, Kasumi's here (!) and the good doctor hasn't started acting, well, like he usually does whenever she's around. Something's wrong. "Doc, what happened?"

But before he can say anything, Akane speaks up. "Ranma…something happened to Ran today."

Ranma-chan's now worried. "What? Whaddya mean, Akane? What happened to Ran?"

Akane almost looks like she's going to cry. "I….I saw her looking so afraid. She was going on and on about something happening to you, calling your name... I've never seen her like that. It really scared me. Ran was practically trembling in fear."

Ranma-chan admits, "Actually, something DID happen to me today, but I'm OK, really. Pops and Mr. Tendo were there with me. Right, guys?"

Soun nods, assuring his daughter, "Yes, yes, of course. There's nothing to worry about, Akane. We're all safe and sound, isn't that right, Saotome?"

Genma-panda puts up a sign, [Well, actually….]

Soun shakes his head no to Genma; he doesn't want his little girl any more worried than she already is.

Akane sounds relieved and sad at the same time. "I'm… I'm so glad. And I'm sure Ran'll be happy to know that too."

Ranma-chan wanted to know, "Where is she? Is she all right?"

Dr. Tofu says, "Ran is fine, Ranma, and she's upstairs in her room resting. Kasumi and I put her there just a little while ago. Besides, there's something I need to discuss with everyone."

After Ranma and Genma have had the opportunity to change back to their normal forms, everyone (except Kasumi, who's in the kitchen preparing dinner) is gathered in the living room. Dr. Tofu then proceeds to explain what happened.

Dr. Tofu's finishing up, "…By the time I got there, Ran was nearly hysterical, so I had to tap a pressure point to calm her down. Then Akane and I took her to my clinic, and did an examination; I found nothing wrong with her at all. Which means one of two things."

Ranma's like, "What, Doc? Tell us already!"

"One, that this episode Ran had today could have been triggered by a sensory overload. Ranma, you mentioned earlier that something had happened to you today as well. I won't press you for details, but I gathered that you were involved in some life-threatening situation."

_That's putting it rather mildly, Doc,_ Ranma thinks.

"Ran somehow sensed you were in danger, and not knowing how or what to do since she wasn't there with you, she panicked. Or, something that happened in her past, something deep in her subconscious mind set it off. In that case, despite how badly Ran reacted to it, it's actually a good thing."

Nabiki wonders, "And just HOW could that be a "good thing"?"

Dr. Tofu then says, "It means that Ran might be getting her memory back."

This gets everyone's attention, Ranma's especially. Tofu notices this. "But I wouldn't get too hopeful. Most amnesia patients get their memory back in small bits. I'd have to run some more tests to be sure."

Ranma thinks about what Tofu had just said, and then remembers the dreams that Ran had, especially the ones where she'd been ordered to kill Ranma. He remembers the night she came to his room and confessed her fears about what would happen if she begins to remember her past. Of course, he'd assured her that wouldn't happen, and that she would still be Ran Hayami.

But now, in light of current events, even he begins to wonder. Could his new friend be yet another enemy he'd have to fight?

Ranma thinks, reassuring himself, _No way. Not a chance. Ran'll get through this. I just know it. It doesn't matter if she's an enemy or not. No matter what happens, we are and will still be friends._

"What do we do with her in the meantime?" Akane says.

"For now, I think all Ran needs is a good night's sleep." Dr. Tofu gets up to leave. "Please don't hesitate to call me if anything changes."

Ranma says, "Sure thing, Doc."

Just as he was about to leave, Kasumi walks in! "Oh my, leaving so soon, Dr. Tofu? We were just about to have dinner."

Dr. Tofu's glasses fog-up, and he starts acting goofy. "Ka-Ka-Kasumi! What a coincidence to meet you here of all places!"

Kasumi giggles, "I live here, Doctor."

Ranma groans, "Oh, brother."

Genma: There he goes again…

Soun knows where this is going. "Ahem…ah, Akane, why don't you help Kasumi serve dinner?"

Akane catches on. "Yeah, Dad."

Akane takes a glance at Tofu, who's pacing back and forth frantically. He looks as if he's about to climb the walls – literally! With Kasumi around, anything's possible with Tofu. Who does he think he is, Peter Parker?

Akane sighs, thinking, _Oh, Doctor…_

Akane gently escorts her older sister out of the living room. As they step out, Kasumi could be heard giggling and saying, "Dr. Tofu is so silly!"

Ranma shakes his head, and then shakes Tofu back to his senses. A little while later, Kasumi and Akane return to the living room to serve tonight's dinner, and everyone sits down to eat.

* * *

(DREAM SEQUENCE)

Ran is asleep in her bed. Then someone speaks!

_Ran. Ran! Wake up, Ran!_

Startled by the voice, Ran quickly wakes up and looks around her room. No one's there, but who just spoke? "W-who's there?"

_Lying down on the job again, aren't you? Stop wasting time! Go kill Ranma Saotome!_

When she heard that, Ran immediately recognized the voice. "Not you again!"

_Yes, ME again! And again, and again, and again until you do as I say!_

Ran has had enough of this person. "Just who are you anyway!?"

?????? is angry! _You know who I am! I am your creator! I'm the one who gave you your purpose in life, your very destiny! And your destiny is to fight Ranma and kill him!_

"NO! I said if before, and I'll say it again! Ranma and I are friends! Best friends! I won't do it! No matter what you say, I will NOT kill him!"

_How sad. After all you've been through, all my efforts to persuade you otherwise, you still believe that Ranma is your friend. Heh heh heh…go right on ahead. Keep on denying what you truly feel towards him! Rebel against your destiny! Why should you care? After all, you're only delaying the inevitable. The more you fight against it, the stronger your desire to kill him will be! And when that happens, well…_

Needless to say, Ran is terrified of what might happen if what this fiend says is true. Satisfied with her reaction, the mystery man continues his evil speech.

_Don't you see? I'm trying to offer you the easy way out! Why make it harder on yourself? Now yield to me, surrender your free will, and obey me! Embrace your destiny!_

Dark red clouds begin to swirl around Ran.

Fearful, angry, Ran shouts, "No…NO! Stop it! Keep away from me! LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

In a more sinister tone, ?????? says, _Heh heh heh… Ran! You can't possibly fight me AND your destiny!_

"Oh yeah? Just watch me, jerk!"

_Try all you want and whatever you want. You may be able to ignore my persuasion for a small amount of time, but you cannot deny me. You won't be able to ride on those petty feelings of yours forever. You'll slip one day, and when you do, your fists will be stained with the blood of your destined foe!_

"NEVER! THAT'LL NEVER HAPPEN! I won't yield to your persuasion! I won't kill Ranma Saotome, and that's FINAL! So suck on that! HA!"

_Oh ho, you sound pretty confident all of a sudden! And what makes you think you can ultimately prevail against me?_

Now was her chance to stand up to this disgusting creep and stick to it him! Ran searches deep inside her heart and finds the answer, something she never even realized until just now. And that something ignites her flaming battle aura at maximum power! But she hesitates! "Because….because…!!"

_Yeah? Because…what?_

"Because… I…." Hesitating no longer, Ran lets him have it. "I LOVE HIM!! SO TAKE THIS! HEAT TRIGGER MAXIMUM!! HYAHHH!!"

Ran fires off a HUGE burst of flame at the shadowy presence. It goes through the swirling red clouds and strikes him dead on!

As he's hit, ?????? screams, _GWAAAAHHHHHHHhhhh….!!!_

As his death wail fades away, everything goes out in a flash of white…

* * *

Ran wakes again up in her room, lying in bed. But something's different. Lying right beside her is Ranma! Ran's heart pounds rapidly in her chest as warmth floods into her body, as she experiences pure passion for the first time in her life. She moaned, pleasure running through her as she lay in the embrace of the one she deeply loved with all her heart, ever since the first day they met. She could feel Ranma kiss her stomach lightly, rubbing his hands along her hips and thighs before moving up to face her. Softly, he placed a hand on her cheek, pressing his lips against Ran's lips. She nibbled on his bottom lip, begging Ranma to allow her to take the kiss further. As Ran's lips parted slightly, Ranma listened intently to her muffled moans when her tongue entered his mouth, rubbing against his own. The kiss felt like it lasted an eternity; an eternity that Ran cherished with all her heart. Breaking the kiss, he whispered, "Ran…Ran, I love you…" She opened her eyes to peer into a pair of loving blue eyes, pleading him to continue onward, pleading him to do something that Ran didn't quite know how to explain… But it wasn't there. The eyes were empty, void of all emotion, and as Ran stared into them, trying to understand what he was seeing, a loud laughter erupted from behind her.

_Excellent work, Ran! You've finally done it! You've finally rid me of that cursed Ranma Saotome!_

Ran blinked, pulling away from Ranma's grip. Two loud thumps were heard as lifeless arms hit the ground, soon followed by a loud, pain-filled scream. Ranma lay on the ground, fully clothed in his red Chinese shirt and black pants, but his eyes were no longer that azure color Ran loved so much. Instead…they were ghastly pale. Ranma's eyes stared lifelessly into the sky, blood dripping from his mouth and every gash in his body. There were severe burns all over his body, while numerous cuts bled his life fluids out onto the floor.

"O-oh no… No! Ranma, NO!" Ran stared at her love, his lifeless body lying before her. Her eyes widened suddenly. But how…? Memories of her past suddenly came to mind. She slowly remembered what the mysterious shadowy figure in her dreams told her long before she realized her feelings for the pig-tailed boy.

_You can't run away from your destiny, from your mission!… It is what you were made for!… It is your destiny!… Once he finds out all about you, he'll reject you, and despise you… but in the end, you will kill him… One day you and Ranma will be at each other's throats. I guarantee it!_

"But how is that possible?! I love him! I LOVE HIM!"

Ran collapsed to her knees in a fit of tears, burying her face in her hands.

"No…no…Ranma…!"

She peered at him through her fingers, sobs shaking her body as she refused to believe the sight before her. Pulling her hands away, she slams them to the floor, an ear-piecing scream of anger and sadness escaping her mouth as tears slid down her cheeks. But just as quickly as the tears had started flowing from her eyes, her screams were drowned out by insane laughter. Glancing at the body, she quickly closed her eyes and tossed her head back, all the while the evil laughter echoing into the darkness that surrounded her.

?????? shouts with evil glee, _He's dead! He's finally DEAD! You finally killed him! You've defeated Ranma Saotome once and for all! HA HA HA HA HA!_

Still in a state of shock, all Ran could do was hold the body in her arms, as the hot tears continued to flow from her eyes and onto the face of the cold, lifeless Ranma…

Ran sobs, "No…No…NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

* * *

The next thing Ran knew she was in a cemetery, and she was holding nothing but air in her arms. Ranma's body had disappeared. She had no idea how she got from the Tendo Dojo to there. ('Cause this IS a dream, after all – a pretty weird dream!). Looking up, she sees that the skies are gray and cloudy, adding to the rather somber atmosphere. Ran feels a few drops of rainfall on her; it's raining too, she had just noticed that just now.

Then, something gets Ran's attention. She notices two figures standing in front of one of the graves. _That's funny… there's something about those two that's familiar to me._

Being careful not to disturb them, she goes over to take a closer look. She sees…

_Just a couple of kids. They must have lost their parents. Oh… _Out loud, sighs sadly, then realizes…_ Huh? But they're….!_

What surprises Ran is WHO the two children are. One of them, a boy about ten years old with white hair, is holding the hand of a little girl who looks about nine wearing a little pigtail in her purple hair. Both are wearing black; the boy wearing a black suit with a white shirt and black tie, the girl wearing a short-sleeved black dress.

_That boy… he looks just like R! And that girl…that's me! I don't understand! What's going on here? Am I… am I seeing something from my past?_ Ran thinks. She watches as the two kids talk with each other.

Ran's younger self asks, "R, what are we doing here? Where's Mama?"

The younger version of R begins to say, "They're not here, Ran…"

"Can't I talk to her at least? Can't you call her?"

"Look, Ran…" Young R takes her firmly by the shoulders. "Mom…and Dad...they're with God now."

"Well, when are they coming back?"

Ran notices that the little R's lower lip was quivering, like he was about to cry. She'd never seen R cry, not even when they'd visited R's parents' grave (See Chapter 25). But seeing this scene unfold before her very eyes, Ran was seeing a side of R that she would never have seen before. Young R took a deep breath, and said plainly, in his usual idiom, "They're not coming back, Ran."

"I want to talk to them. I want mommy and daddy.

"You can't. They... they went away..."

"I want to talk to them. Make them come back."

"Ran…"

"Make them come back! PLEASE!" And the sound and agony that ripped from her throat terrified both little Ran and the real Ran, because she couldn't believe that it was her own voice sounding like that. Ran could only watch as the little girl's eyes went wide, pupils tiny and swimming in a sea of white, and without another word she burst into tears crying pitifully. All the younger R could do was hold her in his arms and try to console her.

Watching them, Ran feels her own heart breaking, and she stars crying too. Then, she hears another voice! She knows that voice all too well, but she notices that it doesn't have that menacing tone to it. It sounds almost…sad.

Sad, ?????? weeps, "I'm sorry. As a personal friend of your parents, I feel terrible about this tragic loss as deeply as you do. It's…it's just too cruel."

Ran looks up to see the same shadowy figure that haunts her dreams, and he's walking towards the kids! Ran's sadness quickly turns to anger as she ignites a flame in her hand. If that creep laid one finger on them… well, Ran was definitely going to kill SOMEBODY and it sure wasn't going to be Ranma! But what happens next makes her stop in her tracks. The mystery man steps out of the darkness, and at long last we can see his face! It's none other than Dr. Wily!

Ran gasps! "That old man…! I think I know him, but from where?" She shivers, "Brrr…! And why does his presence give me the willies?"

Dr. Wily stands a little ways away from the kids. He sees little Ran crying, but he takes a look at R and notices he's not even crying at all. R just stands there with that calm, expressionless look on his young face. Wily marvels at R's behavior, how mature the boy is for his age.

_I guess we all grieve in our own way._ Deeply moved, Wily speaks softly to R, "You are so brave, my boy. You may cry if you wish."

Then, young R finally speaks. "We didn't lose them, Dr. Wily. They were taken from us."

Dr. Wily nods. "I know, my boy, I know."

"A bad person killed them. Wanna know how I know that?"

Dr. Wily regards this precocious boy. "Oh? How?"

"Because they were special, Doctor. Too special to end up like this." Young R points to his parents' graves. "And one day, I'm gonna find who did this and make them pay."

Dr. Wily is surprised. "R…? But you're only a boy. Children shouldn't be weighted down by grown-up matters like the need for revenge. Leave finding out who did this to your mom and dad to me, my boy."

"But what about Ran and me? I mean, we got no other family. We're all alone."

Young Ran's teary-eyed response is, "Alone? That's scary! I don't want to be alone, R! Please! Don't leave me alone!" She cries some more.

Dr. Wily assures her, "But you won't be alone, Ran. Your parents arranged for me to be your guardian in case anything ever happened to them. You and R can come and stay with me. The three of us will be like a little family." Then, to R, he says, "And R, I promise you. When you are old enough, I will help you avenge your parents' deaths."

Young R just looks at Dr. Wily, saying nothing. "……………………."

"Your father and mother were very dear friends of mine, R. I feel the same way about them as you do! Please believe me when I say that nothing would make me happier than to make the person who killed them pay. I promise, R."

With that, the two kids run up to Wily and hug him tightly. Wily hugs them back.

_This is all so new to me. I… I've never had children of my own. But I am up to the challenge._ Wily comforts the kids, "It's going to be all right. You'll see. I promise to take good care of you, as if you were my own. I shall be a father to you."

Wily gave a slight nod telling them that it was time to go. The three of them then left the cemetery together.

Ran watches as they leave.

In the cemetery, all was still. She was the only living soul in that place now. Everybody else, well…you get the idea. Dream or no, Ran was getting some answers about her past. She didn't know who that old man was, but somehow she recognized him immediately. Now, she could associate a face with the voice that haunted her dreams. She wonders about this old man, this Dr. Wily.

"That old man… what does he have to do with me and R? Is he the one who wants Ranma dead? If that's so, then why? And why were we all together at R's parents' grave?"

Urged on by a desperate need to know, she walks over to the gravesite and crouches down looking at the inscription carved upon it:

_"In memory of the parents who we never had the honor and privilege to know."_

Ran is surprised by this, because it's similar to the one engraved on the headstone of R's parents' grave. But what she's about to see next will rip apart everything she ever thought she knew about R and about herself. Above the epitaph is a name written in Japanese kanji:

HAYAMI

Needless to say, Ran is in shock! _But this can't be…! That would mean that R is…_ she thinks, then looks at the grave. _And they… R's parents are my…_

She reached gingerly toward the gravestone and ran her fingers over the name engraved on it. As she did, a wave of deep sadness washed over her.

"Oh….oh, Mama…. Daddy….!!" Ran is sobbing bitterly. Then she hears someone calling her.

"Ran…Ran…!"

Ran recognizes this voice, too. It's the boy she heard calling for her in that dream she had back in Chapter 15. "Huh? I…I know that voice…"

She turns around, expecting to see the boy who called her… and comes face to face with someone she DIDN'T expect to see. The person standing before her is wearing black ninja pants, red armor, and a red goblin mask with "eyes" that shine in the dark. A long mane of white hair sticks out from behind the grotesque mask. In his hand was his sword, concealed in its sheath until it was time to draw it forth. He is the warrior from chapter 19, one of the RED CATS' best fighters, and apparently he is Ran's "brother".

A flash of lightning chose that moment to strike.

"It's you! You're the one who called me?"

"Ran, please help me." THIS, Ran's brother says, as he draws his sword. YIKES!

"No, wait… I… I know you. You're…!"

"Ran, I need your help. Save me."

Ran is afraid now. "Wh-what are you going to do?"

"Please, Ran! Save me! Save me before I…!"

He raises his sword, its green blade glowing in the darkness with evil power.

Ran cries out, "BROTHER, NO!!"

As her brother is about to strike Ran down with his sword, something barges in front of him and lands on the ground. It's a single white rose.

Ran's brother loudly demands, "HEY! Who threw that!"

Before he got an answer, someone leaps out and strikes him with a flying kick. The powerful kick sends Ran's brother crashing into a tombstone a few feet away. Ran looks up to see her rescuer. "R…?"

R asks, "Ran! Are you all right?"

Ran nods, "Yes, I am… now that you're here."

"That's good. Wait here, while I take care of this creep."

"But, R…!"

"Yeah, what?"

"Just…Just be careful, OK?"

R winks at her. "Sure thing, kid." He then strides over to where Ran's brother is.

Ran's brother gets up dizzily. "Uuugh…I never realized I could hit that hard." He sees R before him. "Hey! How DARE you interfere with me? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

R hmph's, "I could ask you the same question, pal. And what's up with that freakish outfit? Aren't you a little bit early for Halloween?" He notices the guy's mask. "Or are you trying to be Japan's answer to the Green Goblin, perhaps? Looks like somebody's been watching too much Spider-Man for "Bad-Guy-Wardrobe-Ideas"."

"Mock ME, will you? And where do you get off poking fun at my armor? This costume is designed to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies!

"Feh. Please. Do I LOOK like I'm scared of you? You just made a BIG mistake, and that was trying to kill my friend Ran, an innocent girl…

Ran thinks, _Wait a minute! Did R just call me his friend? Am I dreaming?_

Yes, Ran, you ARE dreaming.

Ran's brother asks R point-blank, "You're ACTUALLY fighting for a girl's honor? This isn't like you at all. Do you intend to fight me for her, to… protect her?"

R, itching for battle, eagerly replies, "Oh, you bet I do! But not here." He looks over in the direction of his parents' grave. "Not in front of them. And… if you're who I THINK you are, then you'll have no problem with this."

Ran's brother nods respectfully. " …..I see. Where shall we fight?"

"Let's take this somewhere else." R points to the other side of the graveyard. "We'll finish it there. Loser goes "home", if you know what I mean."

"You speak as if you've already won. I wonder if you'll be as confident afterwards."

"Enough talk! Let's use our fists to settle this NOW!"

"Agreed. Let's do it!"

With that, the two fighters leap into the air, hopping from tombstone to tombstone until they're a safe distance from R's parents. They each land on tall tombstones and assume fighting stances.

"Here I come, R! DAAAAAAA..!!" Ran's brother jumps toward R.

"Prepare yourself, jerk! HYAAAAAH!!" R does likewise, jumping toward his opponent.

And so, in a city of the dead, two warriors fight in a life-or-death battle. Ran's brother swings his sword trying to chop R in half. He misses, R barely dodging the fatal slash.

R taunts, "Is that all you've got?"

Ran's brother coldly replies, "In the end, I think it's all I need."

And he comes in with another sword slash. R dodges the attack and then trips his opponent with a low kick, sending him to the floor, flat on his back. R seizes the opportunity to attack and leaps up hoping to take him out with an aerial strike.

"Oh no, you don't. Escape Technique! Choutou Chihai Ken! (Leap Blade Ground Back Fist)!"

Using a technique of leaping in the air from flat off his back, Ran's brother escapes R's incoming attack! While in mid-air, he reaches into his armor and pulls out three white roses, which he uses like darts and throws them at R!

R's insulted by his opponent's counterattack. "Get real! The "White Rose Throwing Darts" is MY attack! You lazy bum! GLACIER WHITE PEARL!"

R fires his ice blast, freezing the rose darts. When they land, they smash into little pieces. Ran's brother is about to use his sword again, but R tosses one of his own "White Rose Throwing Darts", which stabs him right in his hand. The masked warrior cries out in pain as he drops his sword.

"Now, enough games! Fight me for real, or don't fight at all!"

"Fine! I won't need my sword to defeat you. Let's finish this!" Ran's Brother leaps at R.

"Yeah! Let's!" R Leaps at Ran's brother.

Ran, who had followed R and her "brother", was watching them fight. She thinks, _Watching them fight in a duel where only one of them will survive…and I can't do a thing about it! I just can't stand here while R risks his life for me!_

R and the masked fiend fight hand-to-hand, throwing and blocking punches and kicks. Each fighter is giving his all into this battle; neither opponent is letting up or holding back. Then they both leap back and yell – at the same time…

"ACTIVE RED PEARL!!"

They throw purple-and-red-tinted Ki blasts at each other. Both attacks collide against each other and explode into a big blast.

Ran thinks, _They appear to be evenly matched. Oh, R, please be careful!_

"Heh heh heh… R, there's a saying that each man is his own worst enemy. And I am you, except I'm stronger, faster, and out for YOUR blood." Ran's Brother dashes and strikes R with a hard punch across the face! OUCH!

**THWACK!**

Ran gasps, "R!"

As he wipes off some blood from his lip, R snorts, "Yeah, right! You think you're ME? If that's so, then you're doing a lousy job! I'M the genuine article, and you're just some nutcase in a whacked-out costume!" _I didn't want to use this, but I got no choice. The Saotome Secret Technique!_ "HEY! LOOK OVER THERE!"

"Huh!?" Ran's Brother then notices R's gone! "HEY! I see you've still got the strength to run away! But not from me, R! Not from yourself! WHERE ARE YOU!? COME OUT AND FACE ME!"

He hears something moving, then…

"Ah ha! THERE!" He strikes, but only ends up smashing a tombstone – with his bare hands!

Somewhere in the graveyard, R is taunting him, "Aw, too bad. You thought that's where I was hiding? C'mon! You can do better than that! Maybe I'm over here? Or here? Or maybe I'm over here? Or perhaps I'm over there? Or maybe I'm not even here at all!"

Ran's Brother searches all around him, frustrated and angry. "Why you…! Resorting to such a cheap tactic! What do you think I am? Only a total IDIOT would fall for that technique!"

"You're right! And guess who the idiot is? I'll give you a hint: it ain't ME! Look out!"

"Huh!?"

"SUPER SONIC BLUE PEARL!!"

Out of nowhere, a huge sphere of energy crashes into the masked man full force! As he's reeling from the attack, R leaps in to finish him off! "It's the end for you! Say goodnight! KAISER SILVER METALLIC!!"

R lands and kicks the ground creating spiraling blades of air in front of him. The razor sharp air blasts slice through Ran's brother and blow him away!

"ARRRRRGGHHHHH!!!"

The strength of R's "Kaiser Silver Metallic" super attack was horrifying in its casualness, and devastating in the damage it caused with such minimal effort. His opponent sailed across the graveyard, and through it. The tombstones exploded from the impact, debris flying everywhere. He kept going, flying through the air as if some great invisible fisherman had tied a line to him and was reeling him in. He eventually smashed into a tombstone on the far side, some fifty feet away. He sagged to the ground, defeated.

R goes over to where his defeated foe is. Deep cuts and slash marks are all over the masked warrior's body, and he's bleeding from his injuries.

"You can see that the outcome has been determined. Are you satisfied now, jerk?"

"You did it, R!" Ran runs up to R and hugs him, then, surprised, she asks, "But how did you know I was here?"

R shrugs, "Don't ask me; it's YOUR dream." Then, to the masked guy, he says, "All right jerk-o! This is the part where I unmask you and you get to blame everything on those meddling kids!"

Grabbing the mask, R rips it off the guy's face… and both Ran and R are in shock when they see who's behind the mask.

"Whoa. This is WAY too weird."

_No! It can't be…That's not possible!_ Without taking her eyes off the masked man, Ran glances at R, then looks back down at the face of the slain warrior. Who is this guy anyway?

Ran sinks to her knees, shaking her head in disbelief. "No…no…no…!"

Ranma's voice calls out to her. "Ran! Wake up, Ran!"

(END DREAM SEQUENCE)

* * *

Ran was in her bed, in her room, tossing and turning in her sleep. Ranma is by her bedside, trying to wake her up. He whispers in her ear, "Hey, Ran, it's me."

Instead of her waking up right away, he received a sleepy hug from the shorter pig-tailed girl.

In a sleepy voice, Ran says, "Mmm….? Ranma?"

Ranma chuckles, returning her embrace. "Glad to see you too. I'm… I'm sorry if I made you worry."

Ran opened her eyes and when she saw the sight that greeted her she hugged him even tighter. Smiling, Ranma returned the embrace. Ranma realized that Ran was crying as he felt the warm tears soak through his shirt. Slowly he parted the hair that covered her eyes, looking into their redness. The girl was staring at him as if she did not dare to believe he was really there.

Upset, Ran says, " Why you…! I thought something awful had happened to you today. How could you make me worry like that?"

Ranma smiles. It was hard to believe just how innocent this girl really was. He re-assures her, "Me, Pops, and Mr. Tendo got into a fight with another one of those whacked-out robots we seem to be running into lately."

Ran's relieved, though she's still in tears. "Well, do me a favor and please don't do that again, will ya?" She buries her face in his chest. "I… I don't know if I could take losing you, Ranma."

Ranma is surprised. "Huh?"

Ever since she came to the Tendo Dojo, Ranma had come to admire Ran as a fighter. But over time, as they got to know each other, it had grown into a friendship. Come to think of it, Ran was the first real friend that Ranma ever had. Well, sure there was Ukyo, but anyway… And then to top it off, he'd felt… well… a strong connection to her, a sort of tender bond of affection, if you will. He couldn't explain it even if he tried, and he had often rebelled against that feeling.

_Ran and I are just friends, nothing more_, he would tell himself.

After all, Akane was his fiancée now. He dared not mention it to her, or she'd probably mallet him like the old days. In any case, he certainly didn't want things to go back to the way they used to be before Ran came into his life, with all the random fights and multiple fiancées and stuff.

Looking at Ran, Ranma thinks, _And yet…_ "Guess we've both had a rough day, huh? Look…, he says as he laid her back down on the futon, "…why don't you get some rest. I'll fill you in on what happened tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

"You gonna be all right? I can stay if…"

"No, no, I think I'll sleep okay tonight."

"Yeah, well, I brought you some dinner in case you're hungry." Ranma sets a tray beside her. "Good night, Ran. Get better, OK?"

"I will. Thanks, Ranma."

After he leaves, Ran sits up in her bed. She's thinking about that totally weird dream she just had. For a moment there, she'd thought she heard insane laughter coming from out of nowhere.

"Oh man, that was one weird dream I had. But what could it mean? Who is that old guy? And why does my brother look like…like…R?"

But even as she thought about the weirdness of that dream, Ran feels a sense of peace. For in that dream, Ran realized her true feelings for her friend Ranma Saotome. And that makes her smile. It made everything else that went on in the dream seem so small and insignificant compared to the love she felt for Ranma deep in her heart.

Feeling much better, she picks up the tray and proceeds to chow down on her dinner.

* * *

_**RED CATS' HIDEOUT – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick was studying some plans for the next phase of his plan…when Delia enters his room from the shadows. "Still working on those plans Erick-san?"

"Yep…I need to figure it out how to make my Cells more effective…that's all."

"Erick, why don't you take a small break? Even YOU can't work all the time."

"Hmmm…I suppose you're right Delia…we've being working too long with these morons…so I guess we could…take a day off."

Delia's delighted. "Wonderful, Erick. You really should."

Erick chuckles, " I could, could I? So De-Chan, would you like to accompany me on a tour of this city to have some fun?"

Delia smiles. "I would love to, Erick darling."

"Then it's settled. We'll go on a date this afternoon."

Five hours later…Erick is ready to go on his date with Delia…he'd taken a shower and got dressed. His wardrobe of choice is…some black jeans, a black shirt, black trench coat, and dark glasses, -(He dresses very similar to Neo from Matrix Reloaded)- and a purple scarf around his neck –(all his clothes are from expensive designers, like Giovanni, Calvin Klein, Versace, etc)-. Delia's clothes of choice were…a black skirt, black high heel boots, brown pantyhose, a white jacket, dark sweater, and a little skull bow in her head. They were ready.

In the shrine, Dr. Wily was having a discussion with the statue of the Cat Ghost King. When they see Erick and Delia, all dressed up and heading out…

Dr. Wily looks at Erick at says, "Hey, why are you dressed like that?"

Erick replies, "Oh, this? Delia and I are going out on a date in town, to have some fun."

Wide-eyed, Wily reacts, "WHAT…!? Going out? Why?"

"Why not? De-Chan and I could have some fun and all."

"YOU…YOU CANT! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE NOW! WE'RE ON A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION HERE! I DON'T THINK ITS WISE TO DO THAT!"

Erick chuckles, "Hm hm hm hm."

Dr. Wily blinks, "…"

"Funny, I don't recall 'asking' for your permission Wily."

"WHAT!?"

Erick reminds the old fool, "As I've said to you before…I'm only here as an advisor, nothing more. I only give advice and help, but I am under NO obligation to take orders from you…and quite frankly, you're beginning to be quite a bossy man to me. If you're not pleased with my services here, then Delia and I will simply walk away, so…I bid you "adieu" guys. Come Delia, we're leaving."

"Right behind you, Erick," Delia says.

Erick then begins to walk away from that place. The Cat Ghost King is very worried at Erick's departure. Ever since he arrived, their plans were moving fast, and working great because of him, and, because of him, they had 'new' allies. In other words, without Erick's help and wise advice, their plans would fall apart…

Desperate, the Cat Statue says, "WAIT ERICK! MEOW!"

Erick:" Yes?"

Cat Statue begs, "Lo…look Erick, let…let's not be hasty okay meow? Don't go, okay? Don't go meow! You may have your date and all…and…and have fun…but not too long, because we're so close to getting the Stone."

Erick assures his boss, "Don't worry, it will only be for a day. I'll be back, okay? So don't go over dramatic, I'm sure that you guys can manage for a day right? Hahaha!"

The Cat Statue is relieved. "That's good Erick meow."

"Well, see you all tomorrow."

Then Erick leaves…

Mad over what just happened, Wily says to the Cat Statue, "I don't see why you have to be so nice to him. The nerve of him…! Why don't you just get rid of him!"

The Cat Statue's reply is clear and to the point. "Between him and you, I'd rather choose to get rid of you Wily meow."

Dr. Wily gasps! "WHAT!? ME?"

"Yes, YOU! If it weren't for him, Wily meow, we couldn't have advanced so far in our plans…so we have to keep him by all means…you understand meow?"

Dr. Wily grumpily says, "Yes, oh mighty Cat Ghost King."

* * *

And so it begins…Erick's day off with Delia…and to have some fun…

Erick is behind the wheel of a black Jaguar XJR convertible, with Delia beside him in the passenger seat…

Delia asks, "So Erick…where are we going?"

"Oh, I was thinking about taking you to see some of the wonders this world has."

Delia smiles. "I'd love to see them."

That's all Erick needs to hear. "What you want…is what you'll get."

Erick takes Delia to a carnival that was being held near there…Delia tastes some Cotton Candy, and finds it very interesting, then some hot dogs…

Later they went to Domino City and went to the swimming pools…Erick is wearing some black swim trunks…Delia had on a 2-piece black bikini –(a short one. This narrator might add! YOWZA!)-. Erick's body is well built; his muscular frame makes him look like a body builder. All the girls there are drooling and swooning over him. The boys are drooling like mad and whistling at Delia; she had a body that would make any super model jealous. Erick and Delia play in the water like they're little children.

After swimming, Erick and Delia are now walking in a local park; Delia is eating a bag of Corn Nuts. She absently wonders aloud, "Hey Erick, I wonder…"

"About what, De-Chan?"

"About this bag of Corn-Nuts."

"What is it?"

"I mean, what's the deal with these corn nuts?…is it a corn, or is it a nut?"

Erick considers her question. As for his answer? Well… "Hmmm…you know De-Chan, I've being wondering about that myself."

Later, they are sitting on a bench…looking at the afternoon sun. Delia's having a good time. She had never truly seen the mortal world's wonders and fun. She was delighted. Hugging his arm, she says, "Erick, I'm having such a wonderful time here. It's beautiful."

Erick smiles, "I'm glad that you're enjoying it De-Chan."

Delia nods, "I am…" Then, she spotted a card in Erick's hand. "Erick, what's that card you're holding there?"

Erick holds it up for her to see. "This De-Chan…is called a Duel Monsters Card, from a very popular game here in Domino…this one's called –"The Dark Magician Girl"-."

Delia remarks, "My…such a cute wizard girl."

"She was…she was very cute, and she was very skilled."

Delia giggles, "Oh Erick, you're talking like if she was a real person."

Erick's tone becomes serious. "That's because 'she' WAS a real person."

"Oh! You mean…that girl in the card…was alive?"

Erick confirms, "That's right…she was alive, but that was long ago in the past. I met her once."

"You did? How so?"

"It was like this…"

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

**_ANCIENT EGYPT - 5,000 years ago B.C. _**

**_–(When Pharaoh Yami rules)-_**

Erick narrates:_ After that tragic incident long ago _(See Chapter 14)_, I visited Egypt once. I had come from England, after easily defeating a rebel King who…, _hechuckles, "…_ 'tried' to kill me along with his so called –"Knights of the Round Table"- and his sword Excalibur, or something. His name was…Arthur or something. Anyway…_

_I visited a town, looking for more scrolls, and to find some entertainment. Then, I began to feel kinda tired and thirsty, I don't know why. I sat down to rest…then, someone handed me a glass of water, When I looked up, I saw her…_

Erick is looking at a blonde Egyptian Girl; she is dressed in peculiar Egyptian Clothes…

"Here sir…have some water" she says.

Erick blinks. "Um…thanks…" He drinks it. "…thank you, kind girl."

The girl smiles, "No problem."

"You are so kind…what's your name?"

She introduces herself to Erick, "My name is _**Mana**_, sir."

"Mana…? Well, thank you for the water Mana-chan, it was very nice of you."

"Oh, no problem…happy to do it."

Erick notices the garments she's wearing. "Your clothes Mana, are very different from the rest that I have seen…how come?"

"Oh! That's because I am an apprentice of my master Mahao."

Erick blinks. "Mahao?"

Mana explains, "Yes, he is one of the seven Priests of the Pharaoh, and owner of the Millennium Ring."

"I see…"

"I gotta go Erick-san, before my master starts looking for me. I'll see you later."

Erick's waving at her. "All right, I'll see you later Mana-chan."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

Erick finishes telling Delia the story. " fter that, I began to see her more and more. She was very fond, very friendly, and very cute. I was beginning to admire her, I even began to felt…good. She began to remind me about the good of humanity…of friendship."

"How interesting. She sounds as if she was a very special girl, wasn't she Erick?" Delia thoughtfully asks.

Erick's smile gives Delia's answer. He fondly remembers, "She was, she was one of the few. She had the soul and the heart of a child; she would come out and talk to me, even play with me. I loved it…" He then frowns. "But…alas, the good times with her didn't last long…"

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Erick's with Mana. Mana comes to talk to him… Sadly, she says, "Erick, I'm…I'm afraid that I won't be able to talk to you anymore."

Erick gasps. "WHAT…? What do you mean Mana-chan? Why?"

"It's because…I just can't."

Erick, now desperate, asks, "But why, Mana-chan…? Is something wrong with me? Did I treat you awfully?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that…I have to fulfill my destiny in service to my Pharaoh."

"Mana…"

Mana sobs, "I'm so sorry Erick…I wish there was another way, but there isn't and…"

"MANA!" a man's voice angrily calls her.

Erick looks behind him and sees a man, dressed like Mana, but with more jewels, and wearing a Millennium Ring on his neck…

Mana gasps, "Mahao!"

Mahao is serious. "Mana, get moving now."

Mana hesitates to comply, but resigns herself, sighing sadly, "Right away, my master." She turns to Erick with a sad look on her face. "Good bye Erick, I'll always remember you."

Mana walks away. Mahao stays and has a serious 'talk' with Erick. "As for you, leave her alone, and leave from here."

Erick raises an eyebrow in disbelief. "Come again?"

"You've already distracted her from her duties and wasting her time in silly stuff."

"I was just giving her a good time. Is there something wrong with that?"

This seems to upset Mahao for some reason; he reveals, "She's starting to rebel, something she never did before!"

Erick observes, "Just because she's starting to enjoy more of life, she's "rebelling" in your opinion. I think that you're out of your mind."

Mahao glares at him. "I suggest that you watch that filthy mouth of yours!"

Erick laughs, "Do tell…" Then, HE gets serious in Mana's defense. "I don't see why she can't have some fun for herself."

Mahao explains, "It's because she doesn't have time for that…for she's destined to serve her Pharaoh. Her life belongs to him."

"WHAT? No one has the right to own anybody! Who the hell does this 'Pharaoh' think he is, a god?"

"Close…he is the closest to being a God…and you'll watch your mouth when you talk about him…I must be going now. Leave Egypt at once, and never come back…understand?"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

Erick fumes, "The nerve of him, ha…! I WAS going to kill him where he stood, but instead…I decided to talk to that Pharaoh about Mana."

"Really…what happened?" Delia asks, wanting to hear more.

Erick flashes his trademark evil smile. "Let's just say that…they weren't prepared for THAT meeting."

* * *

-(RESUME FLASHBACK)-

_**INSIDE THE PHARAOH'S CHAMBER:**_

The Pharaoh Yami is sitting on his throne. Below him are his six Priests, with their Millennium Items…When the doors open…Everyone turns around and saw someone in the entrance to the Chamber…It is Erick.

Erick greets everyone there with a smile on his face, a smile that conceals his TRUE intent. "Hello you all!"

Priest Seto (who's the spitting image of Seto Kaiba) demands, "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Erick Genryusai." He bows dramatically. "…and I'm here to talk to the Pharaoh."

Priest Mahao, angry, recognizes Erick from before. "YOU…how dare you enter here without permission…GUARDS…GUARDS!"

"If you're calling for those dogs…then I'm afraid that they won't come."

" What!"

Erick graces his foe with a wicked smile. Saying, "Let's just say that the guards are on a small break…permanently."

Priestess Isis asks this intruder, "What do you want?"

Erick politely repeats himself, his intentions clear. "Like I said before…I've come here to talk to HIM", he says, pointing to the Pharaoh.

Priest Mahao is furious! "INSOLENT WORM… YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN COME IN HERE AND DEMAND FOR THAT…I'LL PUNISH YOU!"

Mahao, by tapping into the powers of his Millennium Ring, launches an energy ball at Erick. Erick just smirks, waves two of his fingers, and the ball stops in its tracks. Then Erick waves his fingers again and returns the ball back at Mahao, who gets struck by his own attack, with double the strength! He flies back and crashes hard through the wall, leaving a mark in it. The other Priests as well the Pharaoh are shocked at the scene before them…

Priest Seto rallies the other Priests, commanding, "STOP HIM!"

Priestess Isis, though nervous, carries out her duty. "WE MUST PROTECT THE PHARAOH! USE ALL YOUR POWERS!"

All 6 Priests use their Powers from their Millennium Items against Erick. But like Mahao, Erick blocks their attacks and returns their own powers against them; all of them were struck by their own attacks and are flung into the walls of the chamber, falling down to the ground. Their Millennium Powers were no match against Erick's Dark Powers. Then Erick turns to face the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh is very nervous –(almost scared)-…

Erick smiles again – not a pleasant smile, or even a friendly one. NOW, it's more like a smile that says, "When this is over, I am SO going to kill you!" "Now that that's settled", he says, regarding the defeated Priests; his full attention's on Yami. "I think we need to have a little chit-chat, oh mighty Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh, nervous, gulps. "Wha…what do you want? If it's jewels you want, I have lots and lots of them in my vault and…"

Erick stops him. "I didn't come here for jewels…I have no need for money."

"Then…what do you want?"

"A person told me that you're a great, mighty Pharaoh…almost close to a God…is that right?"

"Yes."

Erick chuckles at this, confirming what he's heard so far, "Well…so is it true that some people are destined to serve you, for the rest of their lives? That you, so to speak, own them?"

"Yes…why do you ask those questions?"

Erick frowns, saying, " Because I find it rather…stupid."

The Pharaoh is irritated. "Say what?"

"You heard me…a human who believes that he's close to a god…" Erick begins to laugh. "Oh, the vanity this human has…I find it kinda interesting."

The Pharaoh doesn't like where this "chit-chat" is going: Though he's getting mad, he calmly says, "Listen here…I will not allow a mere person to talk to me like that!"

Erick's tone is serious here. "Buddy, I am not a simple 'person'… nor am I one of your slaves that you can do whatever you please with."

"ENOUGH! I'll show you the price of disrespecting me!" The Pharaoh taps the power of his Millennium Puzzle. "I'll send you to the Shadow Realm, so be prepared!"

"Oh really? This ought to be amusing…go ahead then."

Then, the Pharaoh launches a black energy wave at Erick. It strikes him, but it didn't do anything to him…

Shocked, the Pharaoh can't beilve it! "WHAT…HOW…WHAT HAPPENED…WHY DIDN'T MY MAGIC WORK ON YOU?"

Erick chuckles, "Silly boy…now it's MY turn to show you 'real' power…like THIS!"

Then Erick waves his hand, and the Pharaoh is covered in a field of blue energy surrounding him like rings and levitating him into the air. Trapped within that, he was in pain, for he felt like he was burning…

The Pharaoh is screaming in pain, "GRYAAAAAAAAA!!"

Erick's smile brightens, especially when he's inflicting pain! "Now THAT's real power…foolish boy! So, you say that you were going to send me to the 'Shadow Realm'. Feh. Been there, done that…and now, I'm about to send you to a place in which you have never been to. Oh yes… I think I'll send you to…" he laughs evilly, "…HELL ITSELF!"

Then, a hole opens up below the Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh looks down, he sees fire coming out from it and some fiery hands trying to reach him to pull him down. He began to panic. "WHAT THE…WHAT SORCERY IS THIS…?"

Erick with his evil laugh echoing throughout the Pharaoh's chamber, says, "Now, Pharaoh…you're on a one-way ticket to Hell! Hahahaha… in which you'll be there forever. Let's see if what you say about being close to a God is true."

Then, before Erick sends him down the hole…

A girl's voice pleads, "Wait Erick! Don't do it! Please!"

Then, Erick sees Mana coming to the throne…

"Mana."

"Please Erick…don't do it, I beg of you!"

Erick is confused. "But why, Mana…? I'm just trying to help you, to free you."

"But not this way Erick! Please, spare him…!" she's sobbing. "If my friendship meant something to you, then I beg you to release him."

Erick then begins to think about it…even though he REALLY hates the idea, he responds to Mana's plea. He closes the hole below the Pharaoh, then releases him…the Pharaoh lets out a big sigh of relief… But, Erick turns to the Pharaoh, and serious, tells him, "Consider yourself fortunate, Pharaoh. Were it not for Mana's good heart, you would be in Hell right now, condemned to the lake of fire." Then softly, to Mana, he says, "I will be going now Mana…but I will return. I promise you this."

Mana asks, "You will?"

"Yes…to free you from this… and from him" Erick says, pointing to the Pharaoh. "…and to give you a life."

Mana whispers happily, "Thank you Erick."

Erick smiles, "No problem…" to the Pharaoh he gives him a serious look. " I will leave now…but I will return Pharaoh, and next time, Mana may not be around to save you." With a wicked smile, he says, "Until next time."

Then Erick walks away and vanishes from sight.

-( END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

Erick finishes telling his story. "And I walked away from that place." Now when thinks about it, he laughs! "You should have seen it De-chan, that Pharaoh almost wet his royal garments when he saw that hole to hell! Hahaha!"

Delia giggles, "I'll bet…so what happened next?"

"After that…I left Egypt and headed to Japan to acquire some 'things' that I left. I returned to Egypt to free Mana-chan from that life that she was living." Now sad, he continues, "But, when I arrived there, I found out that she had died." A single tear runs down his cheek.

Delia gasps, "Oh! How horrible…how?"

Erick looks as if he's about to cry, but maintains his composure. "I tried to find out what happen to her, but, what I found out was very shocking. I found out that she died by sacrificing herself for the Pharaoh…"

"She did?"

"Yes…" The anger Erick felt over the girl's death is rekindled, his voice rising to match his mood. "She died to save that miserable Pharaoh…and what's worse…he didn't give her anything…not an altar, a shrine, something to remember her noble sacrifice."

"Erick…"

Angry, Erick continues, "It's like…she was only a thing to him, something that he can just use and throw away…he didn't honor her giving her life to him…I was very angry and sad. Sad for her death, and furious for the way that Pharaoh thanked her for it, by forgetting about her. I was so angry…" -Erick ignites a dark flame in his right hand, Kyo-Kusanagi-style, declaring, "I WAS GOING TO COVER ALL OF EGYPT IN AN INMENSE SEA OF FIRE AND BURN THEM ALL IN THE DEEPEST OF THE FLAMES…AND DRAG THAT STUPID PHARAOH AND ALL HIS MORONIC PRIESTS INTO THE DEEPEST PARTS OF HELL AND MAKE THEM SUFFER FOR ALL ETERNITY!!"

Delia, sorry for Erick's friend, offers her sympathy. "Geez Erick, I'm so sorry…but what happened next?"

Erick extinguishes his flame, his rage cooling down. "…But, I didn't."

Delia blinks. "Oh! How come?"

Erick admits, "Well…it's because I remember that Mana used to live there…She told me that she loved her place, she had friends there and family. I guess that…She wouldn't want me to destroy her home…" He chuckles, remembering one of the FEW times in his immortal existence that he's ever shown mercy. "Funny, if it weren't for Mana's good memories, and the love she gave me, Egypt wouldn't exist right now."

"She sure was a loving girl to you Erick…wasn't she?"

"Yes, she was…which is why I must ask you for a favor Delia."

"Oh! What favor Erick?"

"Delia, later on…I want to bring back Mana from beyond…to give her the life that I promised her, for her death was not meant to be, and not fair to her in that moment…would you help me Delia, help me to revive Mana?"

Delia smiles, she'll do anything for her master. "But of course Erick my love…you can count on me…if she was very special to you, then I'll help you."

This makes Erick happy. "Thank you Delia…thank you."

Delia kisses him on the lips. "No problem."

Then, later on, they went to see a movie…

It was night, and they were now walking near Domino Cemetery, when they heard some evil laughs and some cries…

The noise having gotten her attention, Delia wonders aloud, "What's that sound? Sounds like it's coming from the graveyard."

Erick hears it too. "You're right…let's check it out, okay?"

Then they enter the graveyard, when Erick and Delia notice a Purple Fog covering the place…when they enter, they saw a white spike-haired boy –(Yami-Bakura)- finishing off some people –(Bones and his friends)- and sending them to the Shadow Realm…

Yami-Bakura laughs, "Hahahaha…what a bunch of weaklings…now that I have all six Locator Cards, I'll enter the Battle City Finals and…" He's detected a presence. "Huh! Who's there? Show yourself!"

"What have we here?"

Yami-Bakura turns around and sees Erick and Delia. "Who are you…what are you doing here?"

Erick says, "MY name's not important right now…who are you?"

"I am Bakura."

Erick then sees the Millennium Ring on Bakura. "That ring! Where did you get it…? How did you get the Millennium Ring?"

Yami-Bakura is surprised that he knows. "What! How do you know of this Ring?"

"That Ring, buddy, does not belong to you, it belonged to Mahao…I'll ask you again, how did you get it?"

Yami-Bakura chuckles, "Why…I stole it, for I am a grave robber."

Erick hmph's, disgusted. "Typical…grave robbers, like thieves, are cowards."

"WHAT?"

"You heard right…only they would steal from people who cannot defend themselves, cause they're dead; otherwise, it would make their task so difficult."

Yami-Bakura is mad. "Who the hell do you think you are by talking that way to me? If I were you, I'd watch my mouth."

Erick's chuckling, "If I were YOU…I'd _wash_ my mouth…because yours stinks."

Delia giggles at Yami-Bakura's reaction to Erick's witty comeback.

Yami-Bakura is angry. "Insolent mortal…you dare to insult me? You just made your final mistake…for I am a being with powers that you have never seen."

Erick raises an eyebrow. "Oh really…?" He sarcastically comments, "Wow…another jerk who thinks he's all powerful."

"I am." Yami-Bakura taps into the powers of the Ring. "For that insult, you and your girlfriend will spend the rest of your pathetic life in the Shadow Realm…so get ready!"

Erick is un-impressed. "Wow…you will? Now that would be funny."

"BE GONE…HYRAAAAAAAAA!!" Yami-Bakura launches a purple energy wave at Erick and Delia…but…nothing happens to them…

Yami-Bakura is shocked, to say the least. "WHAT…WHAT HAPPENED…WHY DIDN'T YOU GO TO THE SHADOW REALM!?"

Erick, with an evil chuckle, says, "You stupid boy…you think you're all-powerful? Then I'm afraid that you don't know anything."

Yami-Bakura angrily objects, "WHY YOU…YOU CANT COMPARE TO ME!"

Delia confirms, mocking him at the same time, "You're right…he can't compare to you…his powers are way beyond your incompetent mind!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT REAL POWERS ARE GIRL! I'LL KILL YOU…" Yami-Bakura is about to launch his attack at Delia –(stupid from his part)-…when Erick raises his palm and Yami-Bakura is covered in dark energy that burns him and slams him hard into a pillar… he gets up slowly and in a lot of pain…

Hurt and weakened from his opponent's attack Yami-Bakura asks, "How…how can it be…who are you?"

Erick seriously tells him, "I am someone that you should never face…I am someone who you've never seen…" He laughs his evil laugh.

Yami-Bakura looks into Erick's eyes and sees something that literally strikes fear into him. Scared beyond belief, he trembles! "JUST WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU?"

Erick laughs, "Ha ha ha haaa…wouldn't you like to know, buddy? But I won't…cause you'd NEVER believe it…you should be lucky that I don't have time to deal with you, cause I'm on a date with Delia here, or else you would be in SERIOUS trouble right now…well…I bid you farewell. For your sake, we'd better NOT meet again."

The Erick takes Delia and they head out from the cemetery…leaving a scared and confused Yami-Bakura…

_What was he? I don't know who he is…but those eyes…they show a great evil…an evil greater then mine…greater then anything I have__ ever seen in __all my life__!_ Yami-Bakura thinks.

Erick continues to enjoy his night out with Delia… he takes Delia to Domino Park. While there, he goes to get ice cream for them. Deila waits patently for him, taking a seat at one of the park benches. Only a few minutes have passed, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a certain "someone" tries to get Delia's attention!

"Hello, pretty lady."

Momentarily startled, she turns around and comes face-to-face with a strange man whose long brown hair is tied in a pony-tail and who wears a pink karate gi. Yes folks, it's none other than that peanut-brained, perverted practitioner of Saikyo-Ryu…

"HEY!" Dan objects.

Sorry, this narrator calls 'em like he sees them. Anyway, it's Dan Hibiki.

Delia blinks, "Huh! Excuse me?"

Dan starts flirting with her, "What's a pretty lady like yourself doing all alone here?"

"I'm not alone…I'm waiting for my fiancée."

"Your fiancée? That means you're taken?"

"Yes."

Unfazed, Dan turns up the charm a notch. "But tell me miss. Wouldn't you like to leave him, to be with me…? You know, I'm a Martial Artist, and one of the best."

Delia quickly shoots him down. "I don't think so."

Dan gasps, "WHAT! Oh, come on! After all…I am a hunk and a great fighter. I bet that I could mop the floor with that boyfriend of yours."

_How dare he!_ Delia thinks angrily. Aloud, she calmly says, "That…would be impossible."

Dan laughs, "Impossible…you mean for him. I bet he's a wimp…and can't compare to my supreme skills! HAHAHAHAHA!"

_The nerve of this stupid mortal._ Delia warns, "I suggest that you use your head more then your mouth mister. It's not wise to make such foolish declarations."

It was then that Erick returned with two ice cream cones…

"Delia, I'm back with the ice cream…"

….and sees a man flirting with his fiancée! "Who's this?"

Delia, relieved at Erick's presence, says, "Erick darling, thank goodness you're back. This simpleton is annoying me."

Erick addresses Dan. "Who are you mister? And why are you bothering my fiancée?"

Dan strikes a heroic pose. "The name's Dan Hibiki."

"Dan Hibiki? Hmmm…Where have I heard that name before…?" Erick then remembers, "Ah, I know you. Dan Hibiki, a so called Street Fighter."

Happy that someone has recognized him without calling him a pervert, a creep, or a loser, Dan says, "So you've heard of me! Dan Hibiki, one of the greatest Street Fighters in the world."

Erick laughs, "Not quite…Dan Hibiki; A miserable, worthless, weak man. A man who's never won anything in his life, and a con artist. A man who takes someone else's glory, and claims it for himself. And also a pervert."

On hearing this, Dan's face quickly changes from happy to hurt to sad. Offended, he objects, "HEY! THAT'S A BIG LIE! I'VE FOUGHT AGAISNT POWERFUL FIGHTERS….TAKE BISON FOR EXAMPLE! I TOOK HIM DOWN, AS WELL AS HIS SHADOWLOO!"

"Really? Is that so?"

Full of pride, Dan replies, "That's right!"

"Just like you took down the "Emperor of Muay Thai" Sagat…right?"

Dan gets nervous for some reason from Erick's questioning him. "Um…well…the thing is…that…"

Erick chuckles, "Truth is Dan…you didn't. And that book of yours called…- "From Zero to Hero" - , I read it and I found it kinda, how should I say it…so fake. It tells tales of your fights against many powerful warriors. But, all those fighters that you claim you fought…were defeated by someone else. You only wrote that you did it…how pathetic of you Dan."

Dan decides to stand up to this guy. "THAT'S IT! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO INSULT ME OR MY MIGHTY SAIKYO-RYU!"

"Mighty Saikyo-ryu?" Erick then laughs, ridiculing the idea. "Please, your so called "mighty Saikyo-ryu", is nothing more then a cheap, unfinished, and ridiculous imitation of Gouken-ryuu Shotokan Karate, just like you. Why…Ryu's student Sakura is more of a warrior than you'll ever be, and she's only 16 years old."

Delia giggles, "Tee hee hee heee!!"

Dan roars with pure rage, "STOP THAT! MISTER, YOU'VE JUST EARNED YOURSELF A KICK IN THE BUTT!" He assumes a battle pose, ready to deliver some punishment… er, yeah. "PREPARE TO BE BEATEN BY THE GREAT DAN HIBI…"

But Dan couldn't finish his sentence as Erick raises his arm, and a big explosion of dark Ki from under Dan feet, like a geyser, blows him up into the sky:

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!**

" …KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!" Dan cries as he's sent flying away.

Delia watches Dan soar off into who knows where. She thanks Erick. "Thank goodness you got rid of that stupid mortal, he was really a pain in the…butt."

Erick smiles at his beloved. "Quite right you are De-Chan. Now, how's about if we sit down and enjoy our date."

And for closing the date… later that night, they sit together and watch the stars…

Delia turns to her master and says, "Those stars are very beautiful Erick."

Erick says to her, "I know…they show a great life in them, some people say that the stars also represent the souls of ancient kings."

Delia giggles, playfully elbowing him, "Erick…you took that phrase from _The Lion King_."

Erick blushes. "Whoops…guess you got me Delia…but it sounded cool."

"You're right."

"I trust that you enjoyed our date Delia?"

"Oh Erick…it was the most awesome date I have ever been on."

Then their lips begin to come close…and they have a passionate kiss…it lasts for a couple of minutes…then they break apart:

Delia blushes, "Wow…that…was…warm and…cool."

Erick smiles at her. "I know what you mean…it was…very joyful."

Delia sighs, "My very first kiss…I'll worship it forever."

"Me too Delia…well…we must return to the base, for tomorrow we must finish our project…and before those morons start to get desperate."

"Yes, let's head back."

"And…also to make the plans to bring back Mana from the world of spirits."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RED CATS' HIDEOUT:**_

Grenademan is in his "room", if you could call it that. His room looks more like an ammunition bunker, with all sorts of guns, weapons, and explosives hanging on the walls. Large crates marked "DANGER! EXPLOSIVE!" were sitting in the far corner of the room. There was enough firepower stashed in that room to start a war, and knowing Grenademan, that maniac would do it too!

But he was busy with other matters. In particular, getting his revenge on Ranma Saotome. We can see the "Blast King" working at a large table, mixing some chemicals in a beaker, and there's a book laying on the table titled "Weapons of Mass Destruction for Dummies".

Hmmm…. This CAN'T be good.

"Okay! It's ready! OH YEAH!"

Having finished mixing the chemicals, Grenademan walks over to a large object covered by a sheet with a funnel sticking out of it. He takes the whole contents of the beaker and pours it into the funnel. A loud noise can be heard afterwards.

**POOMF!**

"All right! It's finished! It took me all day to put it together, but it'll be worth it! OH YEAH!" Grenademan grabs the sheet and pulls it off to reveal… a HUGE Flash Bomb!! It's three feet tall and three feet wide; obviously he's not going to stick THIS in his weapon arm. But what's that loony going to do with it?

"Ranma Saotome! You're gonna get it now! With this bomb, I'll not only destroy you but I'll get to wipe out half the city too! Oh, my heart pounds with anticipation! How I hunger for your destruction! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA! OH YEAH! Now, all I need is the bait for my trap…

Then Grenademan thinks of Ran Hayami, that girl Erick wanted him to capture before!

"And I know just "who" to get too. This time, I'll finish you off Ranma! MWA HA HA HA HA HA! OH YEAH!"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	37. Mousse VS HsienKo!

CHAPTER 37

_**-"MOUSSE VS. HSIEN-KO; THE BLAST KING BEGINS TO PLOT."-**_

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO, 8:30 pm…**_

Reaching Nerima, there was a young girl. She's dressed in a peculiar costume, wearing some purple Chinese pants, a red vest with long purple sleeves, a red Chinese hat, and her skin is a pale blue. Her name was Hsien-Ko. She was a Darkstalker, a _**Kuang-Shi**_ –(Chinese Ghost)-, along with her sister Mei-Lin. Their reason for their coming to Nerima is because they received a message from Donovan Bane about a strong energy flowing in Japan.

"We're finally here sister…Nerima." Hsien-Ko says.

Mei-Lin asks, _"So this is the place where Donovan told us about the dark energy?_"

"Yep…this is the place. Now, we've got to meet up with them and start investigating that incident, for I'll bet you that Dimitri will surely try to reclaim it."

"You're right. We cannot allow him to do it."

"Then let's go."

They began their march toward Nerima.

Meanwhile…

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO'S SECRET BASE:**_

M. Bison is in the command room, along with Tron Bonne, discussing about Erick's DVL Cells…when his intercom went off:

Bison speaks into the intercom. "Yes, what is it?"

Over the Intercom, the Operator replies, "_Sir, we've detected intruders approaching the Base, three miles north from here."_

"Really? Is that so?"

"_Yes sir, this is the image of the intruders that our hidden cameras got._"

"Show them to me."

"_Right away, sir._"

Then on his Wide Screen the image pops up…revealing to him…Dimitri, Morrigan, Bishamon, and a little girl dressed like Red Riding Hood. Along with seven weird robots…M. Bison is intrigued. He chuckles, "Well, well, well…look who's back?"

Tron Bonne recognizes who it is, "Hey, isn't that the vampire that you fought a while ago, M. Bison sir?"

"The same…looks like he's back for our "unfinished" business. Very well then, let's go and greet them."

"Hey, what's up with those robots? They look kinda old."

"Hmph, it's just like them… Why don't you come along with me and show them your "toys" Tron?"

Tron Bonne's only happy to oblige. "Sure Boss…I'd love to! Heh heh heh!"

Vega enters the room…when he heard it all and wanted to meet Morrigan. He pleads, "Lord Bison, I implore you that you allow me to come…I want to meet that lovely flower know as Morrigan!"

M. Bison sighs, "Fine, Vega…All right Tron, prepare your robots, 'cause we're about to give them a warm welcome!"

Tron Bonne salutes, "Yes sir!"

Vega chuckles with anticipation, thinking, "_Soon, my dear Morrigan, I will meet you!_"

* * *

_**THE STREETS OF NERIMA - 9:00 PM**_

Hsien-Ko was now walking in the streets of Nerima, looking at her surroundings… 'Boy, things sure have changed in over 320 years…haven't they, Mei-Lin?"

"_It sure has…being away from here for a long time kinda gets you lost._"

Not far away from them…Mousse was chasing Ranma for a fight –(as usual)-, yelling, "RANMA, GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME, SO THAT I CAN WIN BACK SHAMPOO'S LOVE!"

"Sorry Mousse, I don't have time! I gotta get home! Ran and Kasumi are making dinner, and I don't want to be late…so maybe next time!"

" DAMN IT RANMA! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!

Ranma then runs even faster, leaving Mousse behind…Mousse gets angry and decides to speed up…

Upon running, he runs into Hsien-Ko…

When Hsien-Ko got a good look at him –(as Mousse does likewise at Hsien-Ko)- she was intrigued at how he was dressed. He was almost dressed like her.

Both are thinking, _Who is this person…and why do his clothes look almost like mine?_

Hsien-Ko the first to ask, "Who are you stranger…and why are you dressed like that?"

"I'm Mousse."

Hsien-Ko chuckles, "Mousse…? That can't be your real name. That sounds like a hair product!"

Mildly irritated Mousse confirms, " It's the truth…it's spelled Mu Tzu…but it sounds like Mousse…and who are you?"

"My name is Hsien-Ko."

"Hsien-Ko! Chinese, right?" Then, Mousse realizes, "Hey…where is he?"

"Where's who?"

"Ranma."

Hsien-Ko blinks. "Ranma?"

"Yes, Ranma! He came this way! Where is he?"

"I…don't know…what you're talking about mister, you see…"

Mousse's mad now. "DON'T LIE TO ME! YOU MUST HAVE SAW RANMA…unless…YOU'RE TRYING TO HELP HIM ESCAPE FROM ME ARENT YOU?"

Hsien-Ko's confused. "Say what!? Listen here, I don't…"

"TELL ME WHERE RANMA IS OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"

"Are you crazy? I told you, I don't know who this Ranma is!"

"SO BE IT! ANY FRIEND OF RANMA IS MY ENEMY…PREPARE TO FIGHT! HYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Then Mousse unleashes from his long, white sleeves a barrage of chains, swords, spikes and all at Hsien-Ko. Hsien-Ko sees this and gasps…after she dodges them…

Hsien-Ko, shocked, thinks, What_ the…how did he do that_?

In her mind she can hear Lei-Lei's voice, " _I don't know sister!_"

Hsien-Ko asks Mousse, "How did you do that? It's impossible!"

Mousse smirks, "Not for me it ain't…for I am Mousse, Master of the Hidden Weapons Technique…you don't stand a chance against me!"

"Ha! That's so? Well buddy, I happen to have some surprises for you!" Hsien-Ko then releases her own attacks…she launches some chains with her claws at Mousse…now it was Mousse's turn to be surprised.

Mousse gasps, "No! How could you do that? Only I am capable of doing those things!"

"Yeah right! Now watch my true fighting attacks mortal!"

"Oh yeah! Bring it on lady!"

"And so I shall!"

And so it began…Hsien-Ko and Mousse launch their attacks at each other…It was the clash of the Hidden Weapon Masters…who would win?

Mousse releases a couple of swords and daggers at Hsien-Ko while she launched some iron spikes at him.

Mousse's thinking, _How is it that this woman knows the Technique that was taught by my people?_

Likewise, Hsien-Ko thinks, _I don't believe this! How could this boy know my secret Technique…only we have that knowledge sister_?

Mei-Lin mentally responds back, "_Yeah…that's weird!_"

Mousse warns, "GET READY FOR ONE OF MY MOST LETHAL ATTACKS, LADY!"

Hsien-Ko gets into her fighting stance. "I'M READY!"

Then Mousse runs toward Hsien-Ko. Hsien-Ko throws some spikes and swords at Mousse, but Mousse evades them. Hsien-Ko gasps when Mousse is only inches away from her and yells…"_**FIST OF THE WHITE SWAN KYAAAAAAAAAA**_…!" then, in a fast motion, he hit her with a blur of white. Hsien-Ko falls hard to the ground. When she recovers, she glares at Mousse, and then gasps big when she and her sister see the weapon in Mousse hands. For it was a white plastic swan…a…

Hsien-Ko blinks. " A potty…a baby's portable potty…" Mad, insulted even, she snaps, "THAT GUY HIT ME WITH A PORTA-POTTY!?"

Mei-Lin's equally confused. "_I know sis…kinda weird, but it hurt a lot._"

Mousse:" Had enough lady?"

Hsien-Ko "Never! Now I'm mad!"

And they resume their fight. It was an awesome battle of Hidden Weapons. Hsien-Ko, using her "Chireitou" (Ground Spirit Blade), then hits the ground with her arms…and giant blades rise up from the ground in a wave motion toward Mousse. Mousse sees the attack coming and evades them all. Hsien-Ko's impressed; in awe, she says, ":What the…how did he do it? No mortal has ever evaded that attack."

Her sister Lin-Lin agrees, "You're right…he must be very skilled to do that…could he be a Darkstalker?"

Hsien-Ko points at Mousse. "Hey you! Tell me! How is it that you know our Secret Hidden Weapon Technique?"

Mousse objects, "'YOUR' Secret Hidden Weapon Technique! You copycats! It's MY Secret Hidden Weapon Technique! It was taught by my people!"

"YOU LIE! IT IS FROM MY PEOPLE'S SECRET ARTS! YOU PROBABLY COPIED THEM OR WORSE…YOU STOLE THEM!!"

"YOU'RE THE LIAR! THIS SECRET ART HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN BY THE JOKETSUZOKU FOR MANY GENERATIONS!"

When Hsien-Ko and Lei-Lei hear that name they gasp, for they remember it:

Hsien-Ko gasps, "The Joketsuzoku…you belong to the Tribe of the Joketsuzoku?"

Mousse replies, "Yes…I see that you've heard of them?"  
"Tell me…who taught you those Arts?"

"Well, if you must know…it was my grandmother Rinse."

Hsien-Ko whispers, "Rinse…that name, sounds familiar hmmm…" She gasps, "NO! Impossible…!!" She then asks Mousse, "Tell me, was your ancestor's name –"Han-Soap?"

Mousse is confused. "Wha…yes…how did you know?"

Speaking from inside Hsien-Ko's mind, Mei-Lin says, "_Sister…I believe I know now why he knows those Techniques."_

Hsien-Ko nods, "Maybe…maybe he is…"

Mousse's preparing his weapons for another go. "You still haven't answered me on how is it that you know my ancestor's name."

Hsien-Ko stops him. "Listen…let's stop this fight and talk okay?"

"Talk? Now you want to talk? All right, I'm listening."

"Listen…what I'm about to tell you will be hard for you to believe, so please listen well"

"Very well…talk."

Hsien-Ko explains, introducing herself, "You see…My name is Hsien-Ko…I'm a Kuang-Shi."

Mousse blinks. "A Kuang-Shi! You mean a Chinese Ghost?"

"Yes."

Mousse snorts, "Yeah right…I don't believe it."

"As I feared that you wouldn't…you see, we…"

"We? Who's 'we'? I only see you."

"Oops…I forgot…this is my sister Mei-Lin … Mei-Lin, show yourself."

Then the ward hanging from Hsien-Ko's hat falls off, and with a –poof!-, Mei-Lin appears right next to her sister…! Mousse sees her and gasps as he jumps back in fright! "WHAT THE…!?"

Mei-Lin politely introduces herself too. "My name is Mei-Lin, Mousse. Nice to meet you."

Mousse, once again having the heebie-jeebies scared out of him, points at the girl with a trembling finger. "She's a…she's a…she's a…"

Mei-Lin giggles, "Yes, I'm a ghost, and so is my sister."

"So it is true…you ARE Chinese Ghosts."

"Now that you believe me in that part…allow me to tell you of our origins."

Then Hsien-Ko began to tell Mousse about her past life. She told him about the war that her village went through. Her mother's noble sacrifice. Their deaths…

-(Special Note: If you have seen the Darkstalkers OVA Anime…then you'll understand)-

…And how they were turned into what they are. Mousse heard it all…

After listening to Hsien-Ko's story, Mousse says, "Wow…that's some story…I mean, you, being a Ghost, wandering the Earth…don't you girls go crazy from being alone?"

Hsien-Ko sadly admits, "Well…sometimes…I mean…being immortal's not as cool as some people think."

Mousse's confused. "But why?"

It's Mei-Lin who explains, "Cause when you're immortal Mousse…you're destined to be alone…everyone around you will age and die…except you. You'll see them age and die before your very eyes…and you can't ever love someone, because they won't last."

Mousse is speechless. "Man…I guess you're right…that would be a fate 1000 times worse than death."

"I'm glad that you heard us out," Hsien-Ko says.

Mousse gets an idea, "Hey…why don't you come with me to the Neko-Hanten?"

"Neko-Hanten! What is that?"

"It's a Chinese Restaurant, where me, Shampoo and Cologne work there and…"

Hsien-Ko gasps, "COLOGNE!? Did you say Cologne, Mousse?"

"Why yes… Why, you know her?"

Mei-Lin says to Hsien-Ko, "Can it be…could it be her, sister?"

Hsien-Ko replies, "I don't know…it couldn't be her…" She then asks Mousse, "How do you know Cologne?"

Mousse tells them, "That's easy…she's one of the Elders of the Tribe and Shampoo's great-grandmother."

"So…she's still alive!"

Mei-Lin asks, "Mousse, can you take us to her? We want to see her."

"Okay. Just follow me." Then Mousse takes Hsien-Ko and Mei-Lin to the Neko-Hanten.

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick looks with evil joy at the Prototype Robot of Zero…

Pleased, he says, "Good, very good…now that I have it, it's time for my babies –(DVL Cells)- to do their job!"

Delia smiles. "That's good Erick."

"It is. Once they begin production, I'll have hundreds, even thousands of them, in all the corners of the world…giving me eyes and ears everywhere."

"Sounds awesome…now you'll be able to monitor all of your enemies Erick darling."

"Yes I will De-Chan. Soon, the game will begin…speaking of which…Delia, I've been thinking of taking on an apprentice."

Delia blinks. "An apprentice, Erick? Why?"

Erick explains, " Delia, my love…you have been working for me for a very, very long time…I was thinking that it is time that I have someone at my side to aid me in our work, so that you can have more free time for yourself. Like a Padawan –(Student in the Jedi language)-."

"You know Erick…that's not a bad idea…I like it!"

"I'm glad you do… here's the one I have in mind." Erick hands her a picture.

Delia looks at the picture, and is surprised at Erick's choice. "Him? You're…kidding, right?

Erick points to himself. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Erick, I've never doubted your judgment before, but…"

"Delia, Delia… I've been thinking…We're not making good use of the resources we have at our disposal."

"But… Bass?"

"In spite of our differences, he and I do have a common enemy – R. The sooner we can get rid of him and Lady Ran, the better. Therefore, I've decided that we will help Bass in his efforts to get the Phoenix Stone for the Cat Ghost King."

"So…you're really going be under that robot Bass's command?"

Erick corrects her, "Not quite, Delia. We will simply help him get what he wants, and in return, he will help us when the time comes.

"Ah, I see! He'll be in out debt."

"Precisely. Bass might be dense at times, but he is trainable. I want him on our team, Delia. We can use someone like him, especially when it comes to dealing with Wily. Besides, Wily hardly appreciates Bass these days. Surely you've seen how jealous he gets whenever Wily even mentions R's name?"

"Of course."

"You know, I once warned Bass that his jealousy of R bordered on insanity. Now, I see that it just might come in handy. Oh, the possibilities… Not only will I have an apprentice, but a powerful ally as well."

Delia complements him. "Clever, Erick. VERY clever."

"Indeed, Delia, indeed. Now, I need to check on Grenademan and see how he's doing on his plans to defeat Ranma. For his sake, he'd better not be wasting time. Two days have already passed. I'd hate to think I'd spared him from the Cat Ghost King's wrath for nothing.

* * *

_**NERIMA, JAPAN - NEKO-HANTEN RESTAURANT:**_

Mousse arrives with Hsien-Ko and her sister Mei-Lin. Mousse opens the door and began to look for anyone. "Hello! Shampoo, Cologne…anyone home?"

Suddenly, Shampoo jumps down and hits Mousse on the head with a frying pan.

**PONGGG!!**

Mad, Shampoo scolds, "Where were you stupid Mousse! Shampoo getting desperate you not come…!" She then spots Hsien-Ko and Mei-Lin. "…Huh! Who are they Mousse?"

Recovering from the blow to his head, Mousse groggily answers, "Ugh…Shampoo, this is Hsien-Ko and her sister Lei-Lei. They came here to see Cologne."

Shampoo studies the two girls. "Ummm…you no look like Chinese Amazons…what are you…and why you want to talk to Great-grandmother?"

Hsien-Ko explains, "You see…as your friend Mousse told you, my name is Hsien-Ko, and this is my sister Mei-Lin."

Mei-Lin bows, "Nice to meet you Shampoo-chan."

Shampoo returns the greeting, "Likewise…but you still no answer Shampoo question… What are you and why you want to talk to Cologne"?

Hsien-Ko tells her, "My sister and I are Kuang-Shi."

"Kuang-Shi! Chinese Ghost! You expect Shampoo to believe that?"

Then Hsien-Ko and her sister do a little demonstration for Shampoo. When Shampoo sees that they are indeed ghosts she gets scared and hides in the kitchen. Mousse goes to get her and explains to her that they are friendly.

Then, like they did for Mousse, they told Shampoo all of Hsien-Ko past life. Shampoo, in awe is impressed with the story. "Aiya, Shampoo very impressed, but, why you want to see Elder Cologne?"

"Someone mention my name?" an old woman's voice says.

They turn around and see Cologne in the doorway, hopping on her stick:

"Aiya, Great-grandmother, is you." Shampoo says.

Cologne chuckles, "Of course it's me Shampoo. Who did you expect?"

Mousse informs, "Hey Cologne…these people wish to talk to you."

When Hsien-Ko looks closer at Cologne, she got a little surprise. Cologne does the same thing:

Hsien-Ko, surprised, asks, "Cologne is that really you?"

Recognition dawning on her, Cologne remembers, "Hsien-Ko…my, oh my…I don't believe it! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine…but look at you! You're still alive!"

Mei-Lin wanted to know, "How is it possible?"

Cologne chuckles, "Well…I may be old, but I'm still kicking around."

Hsien-Ko asks, "But how?"

"I'll tell you, it's because of my Ki that has kept me alive until now."

Watching the ghost girl and her great-grandma chatting, Shampoo decides to ask, "Great-grandmother. You know them?"

Mousse likewise asks, "Yeah…how is it that you know them?"

Cologne casually says, "Oh that's easy…we were best friends once."

The shared reaction from Mousse & Shampoo to this is, "WHAAAAAAAAAT!?"

Hsien-Ko tells them, "She's right, she was our friend 300 years ago. When my sister and I were both students of our mother, she hung out with us, and was also our sparring partner!"

Mousse is in awe. "You don't say… Man, I knew that she was old…but not THAT old!"

Of course, that comment earns him a big smack upside his head from Cologne's wooden stick…

**THWACK!!  
**

Cologne regards the now-unconscious Mousse, then asks, "So, what do we have the pleasure of your visit here my friends?"

Hsien-Ko remembers, "Now that you mention it…we're here cause we're on a mission."

Cologne blinks. "Oh! A mission…what kind?"

Mei-Lin tells her, "One of our friends asked us to meet up with him here in Nerima. You see, we felt a dark energy flowing here."

"Dark energy here?" Shampoo wonders.

Hsien-Ko nods, her tone of voice becoming serious, "Yeah…of Chaos."

Cologne, unfazed, chuckles, "My, my…I wouldn't be surprised if it's related to Son-In-Law."

Mei-Lin blinks, wondering who Cologne is referring to. "Son-In-Law?"

"Yes…his name is Ranma Saotome."

"Saotome…" Hsien-Ko starts to think. "Hmmm…Saotome, Saotome, where have we heard it?"

Shampoo, fuming because this girl might be a potential rival for her Airen, confronts her. "Don't tell Shampoo that you more fiancées for Ranma, are you?"

Mei-Lin is offended by Shampoo's question. "I beg your pardon Shampoo-chan! Why do you think that?"

"Cause every time girl appear here in Nerima, is fiancée for Ranma."

Hsien-Ko assures her, "No, nooo, you got it wrong Shampoo! We aren't fiancées of this Ranma person."

Cologne steps in between them, preventing a scene. Looking in Hsien-Ko's direction, she says, "Listen… why don't we have a little talk, in regards to why you are here. Sounds good?"

Hsien-Ko smiles at her. "Agreed…besides, we have a lot of catching up to do my friend."

* * *

_**THE NEXT DAY:**_

We see Ran and Kasumi walking home from the store. Both girls are carrying bags of groceries.

"Thank you so much for helping with the shopping today, Ran."

"Hey, no problem, Kasumi. Glad to do it."

They walk home in silence. Kasumi glances over at Ran, who seems to be her usual cheerful self today. At least it was better than two nights ago, when Dr Tofu and Akane had brought her home, seemingly unconscious. Kasumi was worried that Ran was seriously hurt, but what she heard from her sister made her worry even more. How Ran had suddenly panicked in the mall, how sick and pale she appeared to be when Akane found her. Even after she and Tofu and put Ran in her room so she could rest, Kasumi still couldn't help but worry about her. The following day, Ran woke up, had breakfast, and ran off to school with Akane and Ranma as usual. She appeared to be doing fine; yet Kasumi wondered if Ran even remembered what happened that night. She decides to ask Ran about it.

"Ran, is there something that's been bothering you lately?"

"Huh?"

"Has something been troubling you?"

"Hm? No, of course not."

"Oh my, are you sure...? You know, if there's anything at all you want to talk to me about, I'll be there if you need me. Sometimes things can get better just by talking it over with someone you trust."

Ran hesitates for a moment, then says, "Well…um, there WAS something bothering me for a while up until now."

"Oh? What was it?"

Ran notices the concern in Kasumi's voice. She wants to tell someone, anyone, about that REALLY weird dream she had, but there were certain things, certain events in it that might upset some people, in particular, Ranma and Akane. Since she came to live with the Tendos and Saotomes, Ran became well aware of Ranma's fiancée troubles. He and Akane were getting alone so well, she didn't want to reveal her feelings of love for him. It would be devastating to their friendship, and what's worse it would ruin Ranma and Akane's engagement.

Then there were those dreams she had before, the ones where she is being ordered to kill Ranma. Thankfully she hasn't had them since that night, when she declared that she loved Ranma and roasted that mysterious shadow in her dream. (Who, of course, you readers and I all know now is Dr. Wily!) Ever since she realized her feelings for the pig-tailed boy, Ran seemed to be pulled in two directions. Should she tell Ranma the truth, or keep her true feelings a secret? Then, the order to kill Ranma still faintly lingered somewhere in her mind. Then on top of that, there was the true identity of Ran's brother, and how did R somehow get involved? Just thinking about it gave her a headache. What should she do?

In the end, Ran chose not to tell her about it; it might make Kasumi worry about her even more if she did. So she simply says…

"But I'm okay now. Everything's fine, so please don't worry."

Kasumi thinks, _Oh my, poor Ran._

"Anyway… let's get home," Ran says cheerfully. "I know Ranma and Mr. Saotome are gonna be really hungry, and everybody's waiting for us. C'mon!"

Kasumi sighs; she's still concerned for Ran. "Right…"

And so they head home. But unawares to them, they're being watched!

Across the street from where Ran and Kasumi are walking, there is an ordinary-looking soda machine. In the little display window where you can see the different drinks being offered, a concealed panel slides open and two eyes are staring out of it, watching, looking for something, someone…

Grenademan says, excited, "There she is! There's the girl that Erick warned me about! Now, I'll capture her and…"

But just then, he got a VERY good look at Ran walking by.

"How…how could I never see such beauty!? I'd thought I was just trying to capture some silly girl so I can set my trap for Ranma, but… seeing her in the flesh…I…I…I'm in LOVE!! OH YEAH!!"

In the background behind the soda machine, explosions go off in the shape of a heart! Then Grenademan's eyes look down at Ran's chest, watching as it gently bounces in motion. He stares at her bosom with a lusty look in his eyes. "Wow! They're great! Ohhhh yeahhhhh….!"

OH NO! What could Grenademan be thinking?

Just then, the sound of coins dropping into the soda machine can be heard.

**Ch-Ching! Ch-Ching!**

"Huh!?"

A man is trying to buy a drink from the machine. He put his money in, pressed the button, but…nothing happens.

"Hey! You stupid machine! Gimme my drink!" The man starts banging on the machine!

Grenademan reacts, "HEY!" _Stupid human! He's blocking the beautiful view!_

Now trying to get his money back, the man pushes the coin return. "C'mon! C'mon! At least give me my money back! Please?"

_Grrr….Foolish human! He thinks I'm a real soda machine. Note to self: Beat the suds out of Bubbleman when I return to the base. That's the last time I listen to him for disguise ideas!_

Now the man's kicking the machine. "C'mon! C'mon already!"

**THWACK!!**

One of the man's kicks to the soda machine unfortunately hit Grenademan in his crotch!

In pain, Grenademan voice almost goes up a whole two octaves from the blow! "YAAAARGH!!"

The man blinks. "Huh? It sounded like the machine said, "YAAAARGH!!""

Grenademan angrily thinks, _Grrr… First he blocks my view of that beautiful girl, and now he kicks me! ME! GRENADEMAN! No one attacks me and gets away with it! OH YEAH! I'll get that girl and finish setting up my trap for Ranma, but first this human shall pay!_

Then two arms burst out of the sides of the soda machine and grab the man!

"What the….!?"

In a squeaky voice, Grenademan growls, "Why you! NO ONE shall stand between me and the woman I love! OH YEAH!"

The soda machine shakes the man violently!

"HELP! HELP! The soda machine's attacking me!! AAAHHHH!!"

"GRAAAARRRHH!!"

During the struggle, the man somehow manages to get free! He gets away from that whacked-out machine as its arms flail about wildly. "Oh man! I'm calling the soft drink company and asking for a refund!"

But the soda machine's not done yet. To the man's horror, it breaks free from where it's standing and comes toward him!

"Kick ME, will you! I'll teach you not to mess with the mighty Grenademan! OH YEAH!!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" The man flees!

"HEY! Come back here!!" Grenademan chases after him.

The next scene we see is the man being chased all over through the city by Grenademan.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	38. Jack In! Enter Lan! Here's Yukime!

CHAPTER 38

**-"JACK IN! ENTER LAN! HERE'S YUKIME!"-**

_**A FOREST IN JAPAN, 5:34 P.M.**_

Walking in the forests of Japan was a boy wearing a sleeveless yellow jacket, white shirt, black shorts, and red tennis… For that boy's name was…LAN HIKARI.

Lan Hikari came to this world by a...oops! I almost gave it away, didn't I?

Right now, he was just walking with his PET (Personal Explorer Terminal) in his hand…

Lan moans, "Oh man…am I so tired, and hungry…" He sniffs himself, "…and smelly. I still can't believe how this happened."

His Net-Navi MegamanEXE, from inside his PET, talks with him. "I know, it's kinda hard."

Lan nods, "Yeah." Sadly, he admits, "I don't know where we are. This is a strange world we've landed in."

"You're right."

"Ever since that incident in Sci-Lab…"

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_**In another universe, on a parallel Earth… **_

_**THE YEAR IS 20XX. THE PLACE: SCI-LAB HQ, DENTECH CITY**_

There are lots of people gathered at Sci-Lab for a big surprise.

Inside the lab, five scientists are gathered in the room. Among them is one of the main scientists, Dr. Yuichiro Hikari, -(Lan's father)-.

The other people in the room are… Haruka –(Lan's mother)-, Ms. Mari, Mr. Higsby, Sal, Miyu, Masa, and the kid's crew consisted of Lan, Maylu Sakurai, Yai Ayanokoji, Tori Froid, Dex Ooyama, and some other school students.

Before them there was a state of the art machine just finished…the kids are excited that they were invited to this presentation…

Excited to the max, Lan says, "Wow! To think that our school trip would be HERE!"

Maylu nods, "Yeah, I know, this was so cool. We get to see what new projects they're working on."

Dex looks like he's about to burst. "I can't hold it! I want to know what it's about!"

Yai shushes him, "Cool your horses down Dex!"

"She's right, it'll start any minute now." Tori says.

In their PETs their Net-Navis are also excited:

Roll's excited. "Oh Megaman, this is so cool! We get to see what's new things Sci-Lab's been working on!"

"I wonder what will it be…hey Glyde, have any clue about it?" Megaman asks.

Glyde replies, "I'm afraid I don't have the smallest one Megaman, even Miss. Yai doesn't know"

"Well, whatever is it…it must be big." Roll says.

Gutsman's anxious to see this. "Gutsman's getting desperate! Gutsman want to see big surprise now!"

Iceman shushes the lumbering Net-Navi. "Oh, chill out big guy!"

Back with the crew.:

Miss. Mari asks, "When do you think they'll start guys?"

Masya assures her, "Oh don't you worry Ms. Mari, I'm sure that they'll start any minute now."

Sal turns to Miyu. "What do you think it will be Miyu?"

Miyu replies, "I have no idea, but whatever it is, it will be awesome."

Five minutes later, the presentation starts:

Dr. Hikari begins, "Hello everyone, and welcome to this presentation of our newest machine."

A round of applause follows; then, he reveals a machine… "What you see before you, is the hard work of everyone here in Sci-Lab, including yours truly. With the help of Ayano Corp, we were able to build this… –"The X-36 Molecular Transporter"-."

Dex is confused. "The –"Whatcha-ma-call-it"-?"

Yai scolds, "You dummy, he said –"The X-36 Molecular Transporter"-!"

Dex, with a nervous laugh, goes, "Oh yeah…I knew that… heh heh heh!"

"So Dad…what does it do?" Lan asks his father.

Dr. Hikari smiles. "I'm glad you asked son. This machine will allow us to transport people to other places."

Maylu's interested. "Really?"

"Yep…just like your Net-Navis inside the Cyber Net. Imagine, people able to go to anyplace in the world in a blink of an eye. We will revolutionize the way of transportation…what do you think of it?"

The crew is astonished and awed:

Miss. Mari comments, "That's one marvelous machine, isn't it?"

Higsby gasps excitedly, "It sure is…can you believe it? That will be one cool trip to take!"

Maysa chuckles, "That sure is one awesome invention since tuna fish."

Miyu coolly observes, "Impressive. To be able to go to any place in seconds."

Sal nods, "I know, it'll sure us lots of money on transportation, as well as time!"

Lan bursts out, "THAT'S THE COOLEST MACHINE I HAVE EVER SEEN…RIGHT GUYS?'

Maylu agrees, "You're right, that is awesome!"

Seeing the reactions of his audience, Dr. Hikari suggests, "Now…how about if we show you all a little demonstration on how it works? Would you like that?"

Excited, everyone's response is unanimous. "YEAAAAAAAH!"

"All right then." Dr. Hikari turns around to face one of the other scientists on the project and gives the OK. "Okay Professor, let it rip!"

The unnamed scientist says, "Right away, Dr. Hikari."

Then, they turn the machine on, later; they place an object in the center…

Dr. Hikari explains the process as it's being carried out. "Okay, look closer at the object that's in the machine…we will now transport it to Creamland, where the other machine connected to this one is…so, let's do it."

Then the scientist Dr. Hikari was talking to before begins to tap the buttons; then, the machine began to shine…the object is covered with lights; then it disappears…and appears on the other side of the world, in Creamland. The crew was in awe:

Lan exclaims, "WOW! Did you see that guys? IT DISAPPEARED AND APPEARED IN CREAMLAND!"

Maylu's astonished. "Yeah, I saw it! It was cool!"

Dex cheers, "WOO-HOOOOOOOOO…! That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!"

"I agree," Yai says approvingly.

Ms. Mari delightedly gasps, "Oh my…I'm very impress with that machine, I never expected to see that!"

Maysa shares Ms. Mari's sentiment. "I couldn't agree with you more Ms. Mari, that's one fabulous piece of hardware!"

Higsby geeks out, "I'M SO EXCITED! I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A MARVELOUS CREATION SINCE THE PET!"

Miyu's impressed, "That machine is very interesting, wouldn't you agree Sal?"

Sal nods, "I agree. I never could imagine a machine that would let you transport people! I thought only Net-navis could do that."

Haruka compliments her husband, "Yuichi, that was very impressive!"

Dr. Hikari smiles at his wife, "Thanks honey…!" He turns to the team of scientists, saying, "Okay boys, turn the machine off now."

Then, he sees that the Scientists have worried looks on their faces, and tapping crazily at the computer. "Guys, what's going on? Why haven't you turned off the machine?"

Scientist 1 is worried – duh. "Sir, there seems to be trouble with the machine!"

"Trouble…what kind of trouble?"

A second scientist panics, "It's not responding…the machine's overheating, we can't contain it!"

The crew begins to hear some strange noises coming from the machine:

Lan, growing concerned, asks, "Dad, what's going on?"

Maylu wonders, "And why is the machine making those funny noises? Is it part of the demonstration?"

Then, the machine began to shine in colors, shaking violently:

Now worried, Dr. Hikari takes action. "Oh no…we must shut it down now!"

"We can't… it's gonna blow!" Scientist 1 yells.

"WHAT!"

Then, the machine begins to shoot colorful laser-like rays everywhere. When one of the beams hits a chair and a table, they explode big time. Panic takes over the crew and the staff:

"EVERYONE, GET OUT OF HERE! IT'S DANGEROUS HERE! EVACUATE NOW!"

Obeying Dr. Hikari, everybody flees for the exit. Lan sees that Maylu and Yai are on the floor; they are frightened by the current situation. Lan then sees that one of the colorful lasers was heading right toward the girls!

"MAYLU, YAI, GET OUT OF THERE!" Then Lan runs toward them…and pushes the girls out of the line of fire. But unfortunately, the beam hits him. Then…everything goes white for Lan.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

Lan shrugs, disappointed, "Oh man…I don't know what happened, but that machine sent me to another world or something."

MegamanEXE nods. "You're right Lan. It seems that the machine actually worked. It transported our molecules through the fibers of time and space."

"And, I don't know anything about this world. And what's worse, this world is not as advanced as ours, they don't have Netops, Computers like we do, and, my money's worthless here."

"Yeah, that's too bad."

"Boy, I'm so hungry. I could eat almost anything and…" Lan then spots a tree. "Hey Mega, look!"

Lan and MegamanEXE see some apple trees. Lan's mouth began to water after seeing the apples. With tears in his eyes, Lan rejoices, "Oh wow, apples! I'm gonna get me some!"

"Lan, you're not thinking of taking those apples, are you?" questions MegamanEXE.

"Oh, come on Megaman! I'm starving!"

"But Lan, those apples don't belong to you. That would be stealing."

"I'll only take one! I haven't eaten in two days…pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

MegamanEXE is unsure. "I don't know Lan…what if you get in trouble? Remember what happened the time that you and Dex tried to get into Yai's mansion without permission?"

Lan sweatdrops, embarrassed. "You just HAD to bring that up, didn't you Megaman…just one, I promise!"

Then Lan climbs up the tree and grabs an apple, and begins to eat it like crazy, Megaman sweatdrops at seeing Lan eat like a pig…-"Mmmm…this apple tastes delicious…" Lan says while eating, then he grabs another.

MegamanEXE interrupts, "Hey Lan…! I thought you said only ONE."

Lan says while eating, "Well…I'm still hungry…"

"Excuse me young man, what do you think you're doing?" a man voice asks.

So startled is Lan that he almost chokes on the apple. Then, he turns around and sees a middle aged man standing before him. The man is dressed in white Shinto robes; has long, gray hair tied back in a ponytail, some glasses, and a wooden sword in his hand…Lan begins to get nervous, thinking, _Uh oh…busted!_

The man calmly says, "I'll ask again. What do you think you're doing?"

Lan, sweating, gulps. "I…I…I…I was…only eating…an apple."

"I can see that…those apples belong to those trees…and those trees belong to me, and you were eating from them."

Lan apologizes, " I'm sorry mister…I was hungry, I haven't eaten in two days."

The man scolds, "That still didn't give you the right to take what doesn't belong to you, young man…"

Lan at this point begins panicking. "…..…!"

The man's stern expression gives way to a smile; he chuckles, "If you wanted some…try asking for them."

Lan breathes a HUGE sigh of relief. "Yeah…thanks mister…um…"

The man introduces himself, "My name is Katsuhito Masaki, what's yours?"

"My name's Lan Hikari, nice to meet you sir."

"Well, it appears that you are hungry, am I correct?"

"Uh, Yes sir."

"Then why don't you come with me to my home, and have lunch with us, okay?"

"Really? You mean it?…YES! Thanks!" Lan nods happily.

"Follow me then."

Lan follows Katsuhito to his home. Later, Lan's in the house of the kind man. "This is where you live? Wow, sure is big, and pretty."

"Thanks. Why don't you sit on the couch."

When Lan sits down, a pretty young girl, with two long pigtails, enters the living room. "Hey Lord Katsuhito, you're back!" The girl notices Lan. "Oh, we have guests!"

Katsuhito sees her, then says, "Ah, Sasami, this is Lan Hikari…Lan, this is Sasami. He'll be staying with us for lunch."

Sasami cheerfully says, "How do you do? My name is Sasami, it's nice to meet you."

_She's cute, _Lan thinks. Aloud, he introduces himself. "Mine's Lan, it's good to meet you."

coughs, "Ahem…Lan?"

"Whoops…I forgot…and this is my friend Megaman."

When Sasami looks at the Net-Navi Megaman in Lan's PET, she squeals in delight, "Oh, that's a neat toy you have there… and look, there's someone inside!"

Lan explains to her, "Yeah…this is my PET…his name is MegamanEXE. He's a Net-Navi."

Sasami blinks. "What's a Net-Navi?"

Lan explains, "Well, it's short for Network-Navigator, a program that gives my PET its own unique personality - and allows us to talk to it, like we're kinda doing now.… anyway, Megaman's not only my Net-Navi, but also my best friend."

"It's nice to meet you Sasami-chan," says .

"Me too, Megaman," Sasami says.

Katsuhito chooses this moment to ask, "Sasami, is the food ready?"

"Hai, care to have lunch with us Lan?"

Lan replies, "You bet!"

About a half-hour later, everyone's seated at the table. Lan is sitting next to Sasami and Ayeka; he's feeling kinda nervous. Tenchi's in the middle, Mihoshi on the left:

Katsuhito introduces Lan to Tenchi and the others. "Everyone, this boy is Lan Hikari…Lan, this is my grandson Tenchi."

"Hello." Tenchi politely greets Lan.

Katsuhito then points to Ayeka, "…The young lady sitting next to you is Ayeka…"

Ayeka smiles,. "Pleasure to meet you."

Lan returns the smile. "Same here."

Pointing to Mihoshi, Katsuhito finishes, "…and the blonde girl is Mihoshi."

Mihoshi's smiles at Lan. "How you doing?"

"Um, fine, thanks" Lan tells her.

Katsuhito then asks, "So Lan, tell us where you're from?"

This gets Lan worried. "Um…wha?"

"Yeah, man, where do you live?" Tenchi asks.

Lan's now thinking, _Oh man, what can I tell them? They'll think I'm crazy if I tell them the truth!_

Ayeka tries to put poor Lan at ease. "Don't be scared, you can tell us."

Lan's sweating as he tries to explain, "Well…the thing is…I'm not from…around here."

Tenchi's like, "Well yes, we know that, but what country are you from?"

"Listen guys, I don't know if I can tell you that."

And why is that young Lan…? You can trust us." Katsuhito says.

_Well, what do I have to lose…?_ He sighs, takes a deep breath, and confesses, "The thing is… I'm from another world."

Ayeka blinks, a little surprised. "Another world…you sure?"

Lan nods, confirming, "Most exactly…another dimension."

"You are?" Tenchi asks.

"You all probably think I'm crazy for telling you this…if you don't believe me, I'll understand."

Sasami innocently asks, "And why we would think that you're crazy Lan?"

Lan blinks. "Be…because I just told you all that I'm from another dimension…! Don't you find that…weird?"

Then, everyone begins laughing:

"Why all the laughing?…" Lan wonders. Now sad, he realizes gloomily, "I was right…you DO think I'm crazy."

Tenchi grins, "Nope, Lan, not at all."

"Then, why did you guys laugh?"

"'Cause YOU think that WE haven't seen weird things."

Lan brightens up a little. "So…you have?"

Tenchi assures him, "Oh, believe me Lan…I have."

"How…?"

Then…Ryoko comes through the wall, floating to the table…Lan and Megaman gasp loudly.

Ryoko greets Tenchi, glomping him, "Hey Tenchi…missed me?" She then notices Lan. "Hey, who's the kid?"

Katsuhito introduces her to Lan. "Ryoko, this boy is Lan Hikari…Lan, say hello to Ryoko."

But, Lan's petrified by the scene before him… Still shaking from fright, he's pointing at Ryoko. "Tha…that…that…that girl just…came through the wall…!"

Ryoko blinks, "Um…yeah…I'm Ryoko."

Lan's left eyebrow twitches nervously as he sweatdrops. "I'm scared…ahem…I'm Lan."

Katsuhito sighs, "Ryoko, it would be wise if you didn't do that in front of visitors."

"What is she…is she a ghost?"

Ayeka snickers, "Close enough Lan, Ryoko here is as old as a mummy!"

Ryoko's mad now; Ayeka really knows how to get on her nerves. "WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME, YOU OLD HAG!"

Tenchi, as usual, has to play peacemaker between Ryoko and Ayeka. "Girls, please, don't fight in front of Lan."

"Sorry Tenchi." Ryoko & Ayeka both apologize.

Katsuhito says, getting things back on track, "Lan, why don't you tell us more about yourself, where you come from."

Lan hesitates, "Well, I suppose…"

Sasami smiles, saying, "And we tell you about us…whaddya say?"

"OK…but first, can I finish my meal please? I'm hungry."

Kautsuhito laughs, "Just like Tenchi."

* * *

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE – ERICK'S DARK DOMAIN:**_

Erick feels something in the air; Delia notices it too. "Erick, what is it?"

Erick reveals, "I just felt another presence coming to this world." An image of Lan Hikari crosses his thoughts as he uses his mental powers to search the astral plane.

"You did…who is it?" Delia wonders.

"Hmmm…I'm not quite sure, but…this is most un-expected."

"Will this stranger cause you any trouble?"

Erick ponders that. "Not sure…but, I'll look into it. In the meantime, we'll wait."

"Whatever you say, Erick darling."

* * *

_**MASAKI RESIDENCE:**_

Lan has just explained to the Tenchi crew about how he was transported to this world. Then, he began to show them his PET and his Net-Navi friend Megaman, as well as pictures of his friends back home. They are impressed:

Lan finishes, "And that's what happened until now."

Tenchi is like, "Wow, I find it cool knowing that you're from another dimension."

Sasami agrees, "Me too…but most of all, all those PETs that you have back home. They're cute! I wish I had one of those! it's too bad that Washu isn't here."

Lan blinks. "Washu? Who's Washu?"

Tenchi explains, "She's Ryoko's mother and…", he chuckles, "…the greatest Scientist in the Universe."

Katsuhito asks, "So Lan, what are your plans?"  
Lan shrugs, "I don't know, maybe try to find a way to get back home. But I don't know how to do it, or where to start."

"Well, there might be someone who could help you."

Lan brightens up. "Really! Who?"

"There is a person, who knows a lot of computers and stuff, and coincidentally, he's staying in Tokyo."

"Tokyo!"

"Yes, his name is Dr. Thomas Light."

"Dr. Light?"

"Yes, he might help you Lan. Why don't you go there and talk to him? Who knows, maybe he could help you get back home."

"I sure hope so…thanks a lot mister."

Sasami offers, "Why don't you stay here for today, and tomorrow you can go look for him."

"Sure, I guess…thanks."

Then, after that small talk, everyone calls it off for the day and rests.

Later, Lan's having a warm bath in the Masaki Residence. A lot of things have happened to him. As he's relaxing, Lan was thinking about his home world. "Mmmm…this is sooo relaxing, Megaman."

chuckles, "Yeah, it's about time that you had a bath, 'cause you were smelling pretty bad!"

Lan protests, "I was not! Well, I might, but that's not the question…" He cools down and sighs sadly, "Hmmm…"

"Hey Lan, are you alright"

"Yeah…it's just that…I was thinking about home. I wonder how everyone back home is?"

* * *

_**BACK IN "ANOTHER" 20XX, DENTECH CITY:**_

It has been three days. Three days after the incident in Sci-Lab, where the X-36 Molecular Transporter went rogue…and the 'fatal accident' of Lan.

Everyone's still shocked from the events that happened that day. When the machine began to overheat, the colorful laser blasts…And Lan's fatal accident.

They saw Lan get hit by those colorful lasers and…vaporized.

_**MAYLU'S HOUSE, 9:30 P.M.:**_

Maylu is in her room, lying on her bed. She's sad beyond belief, holding a burned blue headband in her chest and sobbing…It was Lan's headband…Maylu remembers that fatal day in Sci-Lab, the fatal day… that Lan died:

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Maylu just heard Lan's father ordering everyone to evacuate the room. She saw that the machine was throwing those colorful laser blasts that were destroying everything they touch. She began to run away, when Yai trips over and decide to help her. When she reaches her, she dodges a laser and is on the floor with Yai, afraid to move, afraid to be hit by those death rays…

Until she sees Lan running toward her and Yai! She heard him say to her…-"MAYLU, YAI, GET OUT OF THERE!"-…Maylu didn't know why, but when she turns around, she sees that a couple of colorful laser blasts were heading right toward her and Yai. She and Yai were too scared to move…then it happened…

They were pushed by Lan. Maylu realizes that Lan has pushed her out of the way…but…the laser got him…Maylu watched in horror as Lan was hit by that laser. She saw Lan covered in a white light, and… blown up.

Lan was disintegrated right in front of her…after the smoke cleared away, the only thing that was left of Lan, was his burned blue headband…

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Maylu's crying, "Oh Lan…if only I had moved, instead of being afraid, you wouldn't have…have…" She cries harder, "…DIED!"

Maylu's mother hears her daughter crying, rushes to her room, and comforts her…Maylu begins to sob on her mother's shoulder. "Oh Mother…why…why did Lan had to die…WHY, WHY…? IT WAS MY FAULT!"

Her mom shushes her, "Don't say that dear, it wasn't your fault…it was an accident, and…Lan did it to save you and Yai."

"Mother, how I miss him!"

"I know Maylu, I know"

Her Net-Navi is crying as well. She also saw how Lan was killed by that laser blast…. and also Megaman. Roll had a huge crush on Megaman, much like Maylu does on Lan.

Both girls lost the boys they loved with all their hearts. And now they were sad. 'Cause now they'll never get the chance to tell them how they feel about them.

* * *

_**AT LAN'S HOUSE:**_

The Hikaris were devastated…they lost their son in that accident…

Lan's mother was in a state of shock, and crying nonstop, her husband was trying to comfort her, but it was difficult. The pain was too great to handle:

"HE'S GONE…MY BABY'S GONE…WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN? WHY KAMI, WHY…?"–Haruka bursts in tears.

Yuichiro trying to be strong for his wife, but he's crying too. He whispers to her, "I don't know dear, I just don't know…" In his mind however, he's thinking and cursing, _It's my fault…if only I checked that damn machine for possible glitches or malfunctions, it wouldn't have gone overboard…DAMN! It was because of MY irresponsibility that Lan died!_

It was a dark day for them both.

Official Net-Battler Eugene Chaud came later that afternoon to pay his respects and to console Lan's mom. When he'd heard of Lan's accident, he was shocked to hear that Lan died.

Even though he would NEVER admit it, Chaud considered Lan not only as a Top Net-Battler, but also his friend. Chaud admired Lan, cause he was honest, brave, and had a good heart. To Chaud, Lan was one of a kind.

_Lan, you were the only Net-Battler that I respect, and my friend_, a silent Chaud sadly thinks.

He also went to Maylu's house, also to console her and be there as a friend, cause she really needed one.

In the Cyber-world, Chaud's Net-Navi does the same for . He visits her Home Page and consoles the poor sad Pink Navi over the loss of Megaman.

Protoman seems to share his Net-Operator's thoughts; he feels the same way about Megaman as Chaud does about Lan. _Megaman…You were the only Net-Navi that I considered my worthy rival, and my friend._

A sobbing Maylu whispers, "Thank you Chaud for your support. I don't think I can take this."

Chaud quietly says, "I know, Maylu."

"I can't believe that Lan died…" Maylu cries harder at the thought. "I wish that I was just dreaming, and hope that I could wake up."

"I know, but… it isn't a dream… I miss him too Maylu."

Maylu looks at Chaud, her eyes red from crying earlier. "Y-you do…? *Sniff, sniff*"

"Yeah…Lan was the only person I considered a friend…and now he's gone."

"What do you think happened to Lan, I mean, his spirit?"

Chaud guesses, "If I know Lan…I'm sure that he's in Heaven…I don't know why, but I have this feeling that Lan is in a happy place."

Maylu nods. "*Sniff*…So do I…it's like his spirit is…happy…"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, IN THE RANMAVERSE - MASAKI RESIDENCE, 10:00 P.M.:**_

We see Lan doing Karaoke with the Tenchi group in the living room, singing MC Hammer's** "Can't Touch This"-** Although he doesn't sing like a pro, he sang good and he also dances pretty good. Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, Ryoko and Tenchi are cheering him on:

Lan sings (or raps, in this case), "_**Can't touch this…can't touch this... can't touch this…Break it down**_…_**Stop! Hammer Time!" **_He then does some dance moves, proving he's got mad skills.

Sasami cheers, "YEAH, LAN! DO IT, DO IT!"

Ayeka likewise cheers, "WOOOO! GET DOWN LAN!"

Ryoko hmph's, grinning, "The boy's not a bad singer."

Mihoshi (being Mihoshi, of course) gets a LITTLE carried away."YEAH LAN! SWING THAT CUTE BUTT FOR MIHOSHI!"

Tenchi nervously tries to stop Mihoshi. "MIHOSHIII…cut that out!"

Then, each of the girls take their turn on the Karaoke machine and sing a song…Lan even sings some songs with Ayeka and Sasami; he was having a blast in that place…

* * *

The next day, Lan's on the front gate, with a bag of clothes –(provided by Tenchi)-:

Lan bows to the assembled group. "I just want to say thanks for your hospitality guys. I mean it."

"Don't mention it, it was our pleasure." Tenchi says.

Sasami asks, "So where are you going Lan?"

Lan replies, "Well…I'm heading for Tokyo, Mr. Katsuhito told me that I should find Dr. Light. He might help me with my problem."

Sasami eyes sparkle as she looks at him. "Promise that you'll visit us again Lan? You're a cool guy."

Ayeka, noticing Sasami's hopeful gaze at Lan, says, "Yes…you are. Sasami really likes you."

Lan smiles. "Oh, you bet!"

Tenchi tells Lan, "If Dr. Light can't help you…you can come back here and we'll talk to Washu. She could help you a lot."

Ryoko confidently says, "That's right…there's nothing she can't do, after all, she's the greatest scientist in the universe!"

Ayeka, frustrated by Ryoko's well… being Ryoko, mutters, "Like mother…like daughter."

Lan shoulders his bag. "Thanks guys, I will…well I better get going. See you all soon."

"Good bye guys!" bids the Tenchi crew.

"See you soon Lan!" they all say, waving goodbye.

Then Lan walks to the bus station, to his destination…Unaware that he and his Net-Navi will take part in a battle that will be awesome…

* * *

_**NERIMA BUS STATION:**_

A lovely young girl steps out from the bus. She's wearing a blue skirt, black shirt, white tennis shoes, and her hair is light blue and short. She only has one suitcase with her…Her name was Yukime.

"Well, here I am…a new place for a new start in my new life."

Then she picks up her luggage and starts walking…she was sad…

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: We interrupt this story for a little background on Yukime:

Yukime is a Yuki-onna, meaning she's a Snow Princess from the Snow Mountains. She used to live in Domori City, where she used to work in a skating shop. She was in love with a teacher called Nube. Nube was like a ghost-busting warrior, with his demon hand, he hunts down and destroys evil spirits. Yukime loved him a lot, but alas, she knew that Nube was in love with a cute teacher called Ritsuko. She tried everything to win him over, but with fatal results. So in the end, she decided to leave that place. Nube's students and her friends Kyoko, Hiroshi, Miki, Kasiya, Makoto, Moriko and Akira tried to talk her out of leaving, but she told them that she needed this, her heart was too hurt to stay there. They understood and wished her luck. She told them that she would send them mail to let them how she was doing. So she packs her things and heads up for Nerima for a new life.

And now, we return to our story in progress. Thank you!]

Upon walking, Yukime begins to make plans. "Hmm…first things first is that I've got to look for a job, but where? I don't know anything! Oh man, this will be a lot harder that I anticipated."

Then, by some miracle, she stops by a restaurant…Not just any restaurant:

Yukime's reading the sign, "THE MCD's **REAL BOUT** Martial Arts Bar & Grill. That's a funny name for a restaurant. Oh well, let's see if there's a job for me there."

Then she enters and is greeted by a waiter, who cheerfully says, "Welcome to our restaurant ma'am. May I offer you a table?"

Yukime tells him, "Oh no, I've come here to see if I can apply for a job."

"Oh? Very well, I'll take you to our sub-manager. Follow me please."

"Thanks."

Then he takes her to talk to the Sub-Manager for an interview:

The Sub-Manager introduces himself. "Hello, my name is Satoro, the Sub-Manager of this restaurant."

Yukime bows. "Nice to meet you, sir. My name is Yukime."

"Well, they told me that you needed a job. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay, in what area would you like to work with?"

"Oh I don't know…I'll settle for anything."

"Do you have any experience in anything?"  
"To tell you the truth… I used to work in a Skating shop in Domori as an assistant."

Satoro has an idea. "Tell you what…how's about as a waitress?"

Yukime appreciates this, nodding. "Great, sure!"

Satoro smiles. "Very well then…tomorrow you'll start working, and I'll introduce you to the owner of this place and the rest of the staff."

Happy, Yukime bows. "Oh thank you so much sir! I mean it!"

Satoro laughs, "Don't mention it and welcome aboard. See you tomorrow."

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	39. NetNavis and Duel Monsters, Oh My!

CHAPTER 39

**_-"NET-NAVIS AND DUEL MONSTERS, OH MY! LAN VS. KAIBA!"-_**

Lan Hikari is riding a bus heading for Tokyo. He was relaxing, trying to think how he was going to find Dr. Thomas Light. He's whispering, "Hmph…oh man… This'll be hard!"

MegamanEXE asks, "Hey Lan, what's on your mind?"

"Oh nothing, bro. Just trying to figure out how we're gonna find this Dr. Thomas Light."

"Don't worry Lan, I'm sure we'll find him." MegamanEXE says encouragingly.

"Yeah, but, the question…or better yet, my worry is that, will he be able to help us when we do find him? I mean, will he have the knowledge, or the equipment?"

MegamanEXE nods, admitting, "Good point, Lan…But cheer up, we can only pray."

Lan sighs, "Yeah… guess that's all we can do right now…ah well."

Three hours later, the bus stops. The driver announces, "Last stop, Domino City, I repeat, last stop Domino City."

MegamanEXE gets Lan's attention. "Hey Lan, that's the bus's last stop. Grab your things and let's go."

"Roger." Lan grabs his bag and steps down. From there he begins to walk.

Lan begins to see all his surroundings. Even though this world was not as advanced as his, it still had many beautiful sights…Shopping Malls, restaurants, Fountains…he was impressed. " Wow…! Maybe this world's not so dull after all Megaman. Check out all those shopping malls, and those Fountains, and…" He notices some cute girls passing by. "…those girls!"

MegamanEXE agrees, "You're right, those shopping malls look almost like the ones we have back home."

"Hey Megaman, where do we go from here?"

"I thought YOU knew Lan."

"WHAT? But I thought you knew Megaman?"

"Well sorry Lan, since this isn't Dentech City, I have no idea where to go."

Lan moans, "Oh man…now what do we do?"

Megaman-exe suggests, "Let's ask for directions Lan. Maybe someone will help us."

"Guess so." Then Lan begins to look for someone to ask for directions. He spots a boy, wearing a peculiar uniform. The Uniform was from a Private School. The boy's hair is black, in a spike-like hairdo…and he has a school bag…Lan goes toward him and stops him in his tracks. "Excuse me? Hi, can you help me please? I'm kinda lost here and I need some directions."

"Um…sure," the boy says. "What directions you need?"

Lan begins to explain, "Well…I need to get to Tokyo, but, I don't know how."

"Oh that's easy, you just take Bus 65, and it will take you straight to Tokyo. It should take you three days to get there."

Lan groans, thinking, _THREE DAYS? DAMN!_ "Well, thanks. By the way, my name's Lan Hikari."

"Nice to meet you, Lan. My name is Mokuba Kaiba."

"Well Mokuba, thanks again for your help."

From inside the PET, MegamanEXE says, "Yeah, thanks…let's go Lan, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Mokuba heard a voice and sees Lan's PET, and someone inside it, and talking…he's very curious. "Hey, what's that you're holding?"

Lan replies, "This? It's my PET."

Mokuba actually blinks. "PET…what's that?"

"It stands for Personal Exploration Terminal… the one inside is my Net-Navi, MegamanEXE."

"Pleasure to meet you Mokuba." Megaman-exe says, greeting the boy.

Mokuba is delighted by the device Lan's holding. He's never seen THAT before… "Hey that's cool…what's a Net-Navi?"

Lan explains, "How can I put it… well, a Net-Navi's sort of a live digital person. Megaman here is my most cool friend."

Mokuba's excited. "WOW…THAT'S A NEAT MACHINE YOU HAVE THERE…AND LOOK, HE CAN TALK, JUST LIKE THAT…OH, TELL ME WHERE DID YOU GET IT?"

Lan laughs, scratching the back of his head as he nervously replies, "Um…from there hehehe!"

"Oh come on…you're lying. Where're you from anyway?"

_Oh great…not this again._ "I'm…from a very, but very distant place."

Mokuba insists, "Tell me…from what country are you from?"

Lan tries to laugh off Mokuba's question. "I…hehehe…trust me Mokuba, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Why not…what? Are you from another planet or something?"

Lan admits, "Not exactly, but…listen, promise me that you won't laugh or call me crazy, okay Mokuba?"

"Alright, I promise."

And Lan tells Mokuba his story, just like before with the Tenchi crew, about how he was transported to this world by an accident. Lan's worried that Mokuba was gonna be scared of him, or call him a loony…but:

Mokuba comments, "Your story sounds kinda interesting. You're from another world? Wow…"

Lan blinks, surprised. "So… you believe me? I mean, don't you find it…crazy?"

"Well, after the events me and my brother have seen in Battle City, I guess anything's possible."

"Battle City!?"

"Hey, why don't you come to my place and meet my brother? He would love to know all about that PET you have there, and that Navi."

"Geez, Mokuba, I don't know. I have to get to Tokyo to find Dr. Thomas Light and…"

Mokuba pleads, "Come on, please? Listen, my brother can help you find him."

Hearing this gets Lan's hopes up. "How?"

Mokuba smirks, saying, "My brother has lots of connections. He can find anyone in the world!"

Lan's impressed. "Really…well, okay!"

"Great! I'll take you there." Mokuba spots the Limo. "Hey, there's my ride! Let's go Lan!"

Lan's eyes go wide at the sight of the stretch limo. "THAT'S YOUR RIDE!? YOU RIDE IN A LIMO!?"

"Yeah, kinda cool isn't it?"

_Kinda like Yai_, Lan thinks. "Yeah it is? Are you rich or something?"

Mokuba casually says, "Kinda."

So Lan gets into the Limo with Mokuba and heads for Mokuba's home. When they get there, Lan is even more in awe. Lan and his Net-Navi see a huge Mansion, covered with fountains, big gardens filled with flowers, many workers and staff. He was impressed. "WOOOOW! THIS IS WHERE YOU LIVE MOKUBA?"

Mokuba tells him, "Yes, that's right…you see, my brother's the CEO of Kaiba Corp. And he makes lots of money in making Duel Monster Cards!"

_Geez, just like Yai and Chaud!_ "Um…Duel Monsters Cards! What are they?"

Mokuba gasps, "You don't know?" With a little laugh, he then says, "Oh that's right, of course you don't. I'll show them to you once you meet my brother."

Lan agrees, "Okay."

So they step out of the limo and head inside.

* * *

Seto Kaiba is in his office working on the projects for the –"Kaiba Land Amusement Park"-. It has been five days since the Battle City Tournament ended and Yugi Moto won the tournament and all 3 Egyptian God Cards – Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. Kaiba's still mad about his loss against Yugi…

Kaiba's brooding – when ISN'T he! -, thinking angrily, _Damn that Yugi! He not only won the Battle City Tournament, but also all 3 Egyptian God Cards, I still can't believe it. _I_ should have won and claimed those Egyptian God Cards for my Deck. Next time Yugi, next time…!_

His thoughts were interrupted as his little brother Mokuba enters his office. Cheerfully, he asks, "Hey big brother, whatcha doing?"

Kaiba looks up, noticing him. "Oh, Mokuba. I was only reviewing the projects for Kaiba Land, that's all."

"That's cool, Oh, Seto, I want you to meet someone…" Mokuba calls for Lan. "Hey Lan, come on in."

Lan enters the office. Kaiba then gives a hard look at Lan. Poor Lan is almost petrified by Kaiba's icy glare:

"Who is HE Mokuba?" Kaiba asks in that same tone of voice whenever Yugi's around.

Lan, shaking a little, introduces himself. "My name's Lan Hikari, nice to meet you sir."

"Hmph!"

Mokuba speaks up for Lan. "Seto, Lan here has something that I figured you'd be interested in seeing."

Kaiba growls, "I doubt it…look I don't have time for this!" Then, toward Lan, he demands, "What do YOU have that I would be interested in?"

Lan replies, "Just this…my PET."

Then Lan shows his PET to Kaiba, who grabs it and begins to inspect it. "So what's so cool about this little toy?" he asks while shaking it.

From inside the PET, MegamanEXE yells while getting shaken and stirred, "HEY! CUT IT OUT!"

Kaiba's taken by surprise when he hears the device talking back to him. Taking a closer look, he sees talking to him, and blinks. "WHA…what's this? Who or what are you?"

Still shaking off the cobwebs, getting himself reoriented, MegamanEXE says, "My name's Megaman, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't shake the PET so much!"

Kaiba gasps, "You…you…you can talk?"

MegamanEXE sarcastically replies, "Yeah…not only that, but also sing and fight!"

Kaiba's still in awe. He's never seen something like this! (Well, almost…) "Tell me…what is this? Where did you get it?"

Lan explains, "It's my PET, it stands for PErsonal Terminal. This is , he's a Net-Navi…"

Lan proceeds to tell Kaiba all about his Net-Navi and his abilities. "You see… can enter the Cyber-world, or inside the computer and fix, fight or talk to other Navis, or Viruses."

Kaiba takes in what Lan's saying with a grain of salt. "Ha! And you expect me to believe that? That's bull!"

Lan objects, "I am not lying! He can do that!"

In that moment, one of his workers rushes into the office. In a panicky voice, he cries, "MR. KAIBA! MR. KAIBA!!"

Kaiba turns to face the man. "What is it?"

"PLEASE, SIR! YOU MUST COME WITH US RIGHT AWAY! THERE'S A BIG PROBLEM"

"What kind of problem?"

"THERE'S A VIRUS IN THE MAIN HARD DRIVE OF YOUR MAIN COMPUTER!"

"Is that all…just run Kaiba Anti-Virus and delete it!"

"WE'VE ALREADY DONE THAT…AND IT'S NOT WORKING!!"

Kaiba gasps, rising from his seat, "WHAT…!? ARE YOU SURE?"

"YES SIR"

"Okay, let's go." Kaiba and his employee head for the central computer room.

"Hey Lan, wanna come?" Mokuba asks.

Lan has a feeling he and MegamanEXE are gonna be needed for this. So he decides to go with the Kaiba brothers. "Yeah!"

* * *

Then they all rush to the main office where there are many engineers looking for the problem in a large computer. Also many female Kaiba Corp employees, specializing in sever maintenance and network security, are typing furiously at the computer terminals:

Kaiba immediately orders, "Alright crew, status report!"

One OL (Office Lady), a stunning blonde, reports, "Mr. Kaiba, we've detected some viruses hacking into the main drive of our computer! We've tried the Anti-Virus, but it seems that those viruses are very strong and the program fails to stop them!"

Anther OL, a pretty brunette, says worriedly, "Sir. If we don't do something, those viruses will break into your main program and start deleting all your files!"

Kaiba panics! "NO…!! YOU MUST STOP THEM, YOU HEAR ME!?…" All _my projects, ideas, finances, ALL of Kaiba Corp. is in there…!_ A look of desperate panic is in his eyes now. _If those damn viruses eat them all…I'LL BE RUINED! I'LL LOSE IT ALL!!_

Mokuba and Lan see everything that's happening. Mokuba can't bear to see his brother like this. He sympathizes, "Poor brother…I wish there was something I could do!"

Both MegamanEXE and Lan are thinking the exact same thing. And so they make a decision. "Hey Lan, We can help him!"

Lan grins, eager to "Jack-In" and do some serious Virus-busting! "Just what I was thinking, Mega…!" Then, to Mokuba, he says, "Mokuba, we can help your brother!"

Mokuba blinks. "Really…how?"

Lan's already whipped out a USB-looking plug and cable from his PET. "Just take me to a connection where I can plug this terminal from my PET!"

Mokuba nods, "Okay, let's go!"

Then he takes Lan to the front of the main computer and found a access port where he could jack-in. Lan's about to connect his PET when Kaiba sees him and:

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

Lan tells him flat-out, "Trying to save your files! I'm gonna send inside your computer so he can delete those viruses!"

Kaiba can't believe this! This is no time for games! "ARE YOU CRAZY!? I WONT LET YOU PLUG ANYTHING INTO MY COMPUTER! YOU MIGHT DAMAGE IT AND…"

Lan refuses to back down; he stands up to Kaiba. "WILL YOU TRUST ME ON THIS!? BESIDES, IF WE DON'T DO IT NOW, YOU'LL LOSE IT ALL!"

Mokuba urgently implores his brother to let Lan try. "Please big brother, let him do it! What do you have to lose?"

After some minutes of thought, Kaiba finally says in a cold voice, "Okay…but I'm warning you. If you fail, you'll regret it for the rest of your life…GOT IT!?"

Lan looks him right in the eye and says, "Alright, I'll do it…you ready Megaman?"

MegamanEXE replies, "Ready as I'll ever be Lan!"

"Then let's do it…JACK IN! MEGAMAN, Execute!

Then he connects the PET to the port and is sent into the computer.

He lands inside the Cyber-world of Kaiba Corp's computer. He begins to scan the area, when he spots the viruses, which are slug-like creatures. There were 9 of them, eating the data from Kaiba's servers.

Megaman-exe communicates with Lan. "Hey Lan, I found the viruses."

In the real world, Lan's communicating with his Navi via the PET. Kaiba, Mokuba and the rest of the staff are astonished to see an AI talking back from inside the computer.

"Great…okay, ow many are there…and do they look hard?"

MegamanEXE reports, "There are nine of them, and no, they don't look hard at all. Hey Lan, send me a Battle Chip so that I can finish them all at once okay?"

"You got it Megaman, here goes…" Lan then takes out a chip from his pocket; Kaiba and Mokuba see it and are intrigued:

"Here's one Megaman…Speader! Battle Chip in! Download!"

MegamanEXE's Buster Gun grows big. He smirks, "Alright viruses, its time for a clean-up!"

Then he blasts many shots at the viruses. The rain of shots released destroys the viruses…then they're gone…

After that everything's fine. The Computer display says…-"Virus Deleted, Systems Okay"-…

The Blonde OL's in awe. "Sir, I don't believe it, he did it! HE DID IT!"

The Brunette OL reports, "Sir, the viruses are gone! All systems are back to normal!"

Kaiba's impressed. "Well I'll be…he did it. That blue boy saved my life's work."

Mokuba cheers, "WAY TO GO, LAN! YOU TOO, MEGAMAN!!"

When Lan disconnects his PET, he's congratulated by the female employees; he blushes a little. Then, Kaiba and Mokuba approach him. Kaiba's the first to say, "Well I must say Lan, I am impressed. That blue Navi of yours really did an awesome work."

Mokuba nods, "Yeah…he was awesome!"

"Thanks," Lan says to the brothers.

"Lan, tell me where did you get that device! I must know!"

_Can I tell him? I did tell Mokuba. Ah well…_ Aloud, Lan says to Kaiba, "Well, um…you wouldn't believe me if I told you everything."

Kaiba hmph's, crossing his arms, with an impatient look on his face. "Try me. I want to know everything…where you come from, and most of all, how did you get that PET!"

Un-sure, Lan finally says, "All right…if you say so." He begins to tell Kaiba how he got here. He told him about the accident with the machine in Sci-Lab and how it transported him to this world…

Kaiba stops him, "Wait, are you trying to tell me that you're from another world!?"

"Yes," Lan replies.

Kaiba laughs, "And you expect me to buy THAT? That's nonsense!"

Mokuba, having heard Lan's story earlier, says, "Maybe not, big brother. Remember the Battle City Tournament, the duels with those Rare Hunters, the evil Yami-Marik and the Shadow Realm, and let's not forget the power of those Egyptian God Cards…anything's possible."

Kaiba grimaces, remembering past events in Battle City. "Maybe…but this is way too hard to believe. A person coming from another world? I'd rather believe that hocus-pocus from Yugi's ancient magic than this…but still, carry on."

Lan tells Kaiba and Mokuba all about the PETs back home, how they're used, all the Net-Navis, the many Battle Chips, he even shows Kaiba a video of some battles of Net-Navis against each other –(among them the battle between vs. in the N-1 Grand Prix Tournament)-. In the end, Kaiba's very impressed…

Lan finishes, "So that's all about Net-Navis, and how they fight…so what do you think?"

A teary-eyed Mokuba's in awe. He geeks out excitedly, "Wow, that's awesome! That's so cool!"

Kaiba comments, "I'm impressed. Those PET you have are something else."

Lan aw-shucks, saying, "Geez, thanks guys."

Kaiba, thinking Net-Battles are similar to Duels, starts talking strategy. "So tell me, Lan…in these Net-Battles, do Navis only Attack on Attack Mode when ordered, and stay in Defense Mode until they're called to Attack?"

Lan explains, "Oh no, they're independent. Once the fight starts, the Navis will fight each other. They can dodge, counter-attack, and many things. The fights last until only one Navi remains."

"Interesting." _I never thought of that. I wonder what would happen if Duel Monsters would act like that? _Kaiba thinks.

Mokuba asks, "Hey Seto, can Lan stay here for today? I wanna see more of his PET and his Net-Navi , so can he?"

Kaiba considers it, and then says, "Hmmm…I don't see why not."

Lan accepts, "Thanks, Seto. And…I'd like to ask you for a favor…Mokuba says that you have lots of connections and …"

"Get to the point, kid." Kaiba flatly tells him.

"Yeah, right… You see, I'm looking for a scientist who's staying in Tokyo. His name is Dr. Thomas Light."

"And you want me to find him…am I right?"

"Err……yes."

"Well, I can do that… All right, I'll help you, only if you let me study your PET. What do you say?"

Lan's thinking it over. "Weeeeeeeeeell…sure I guess."

Mokuba lets out a whoop of joy. "All right! Then follow me Lan. I'll take you to a room, and you can show me more of your PET!"

Lan follows Mokuba to one of the rooms on the Kaiba estate. Kaiba, meanwhile, is thinking up some ideas:

_That PET Lan has is awesome. But most of all, all that Technology he has in his hand - that "Net-Navi" he calls it - is very extraordinary, those Chips, those Battles. If I somehow were able to duplicate that same Technology and apply it to Duel Monsters, I'll be able to revolutionize the Duel Monsters Card Game. Even more, Kaiba Corp. will make millions. Profits would go through the rooftop! I MUST know its secret!_

* * *

20 minutes later, Lan was in Mokuba's room, chatting about stuff. Lan's telling Mokuba about his friends back home, and shows him a picture of them at his school:

Mokuba's looking at the picture. "So those are your friends Lan?"

Lan nods, "Yep, they are…the fat dude is Dex, the short haired boy is Tory, the little girl with the 2 long blonde ponytails is Yai, and the cute girl with the red hair is Maylu."

"Cool friends you have Lan…and those battles you have back home with the Net-Navis are pretty awesome, even as cool as Duel Monsters."

"So what exactly IS Duel Monsters anyway?"

Mokuba cheerfully says, "I'll show you. Here."

And now Mokuba's showing and explaining to Lan all about Duel Monsters; how the game works, the different Types of Monsters, the Trap and Magic Cards, everything. He even shows Lan a little Dueling Battle on the Holographic T.V. In the end Lan's in awe and so is his Net-Navi :

Mokuba finishes explaining, "So that's what Duel Monsters are all about Lan…what do you think?"

Now it's Lan's turn to geek out. "WOW…THAT'S ONE FABULOUS GAME! IT COULD RIVAL NET-BATTLE!"

"Glad you like it Lan!"

So Lan stays with Mokuba at the Kaiba Mansion. Kaiba later borrows Lan's PET for a complete study. He's having a really hard time deducing the program the PET uses; it's very advanced (DUH!), and so his staff is having trouble trying to figure it out:

Kaiba admits, "This is really complicated; this program this machine has is very advanced for my computers. But I will obtain it. I WILL know its secrets!"

Later that night, Lan's resting in a large bed in the room Mokuba offered him. He's getting sleepy, and ready to go to bed:

_So far, I've been doing well in this world, and, it's not as primitive as I first thought it'd be. It's almost as advanced as my world, well almost._ Lan yawns, "Yaaaaaaawn…I'd better get some sleep; tomorrow will be a new day." _I can't wait to get back home. Makes me wonder what's going on there right now?_

Then Lan falls asleep.

* * *

**_MEANWHILE, IN THE YEAR 20XX:_**

We see a memorial service being held in Dentech City Park. There are many people sitting in chairs. Attending the service are Mr. And Mrs. Hikari (Lan's father and mother), Maylu, Yai, Dex, Tory, Miss. Mari, Maysa (as Commander Beef), Miyu (as Misteriyu), Sal (as Black Rose), Mr. Higsby, Eugene Chaud, and some of Lan's friends from ACDC Elementary School. They're all dressed in black, because they were in mourning.

There's a coffin –(it's empty on the inside)-, with many roses atop it, and a picture of Lan Hikari is in front of the casket. Mrs. Hikari, Maylu and Yai are still crying and sobbing over the loss of Lan. A priest walks up to the front and begins the ceremony. After he finishes, some of Lan's friends walk up to the front and began to express their feelings toward Lan…the first one is Dex: "Lan was the best friend that I ever had, and even thought he was kinda hyper, he was always there when you needed him. I'll miss ya, Lan."

Next was Ms. Mari. "Lan was a very bright boy. And even though he wasn't the smartest student, he was very intelligent and dedicated to his work, and to his friends."

One by one they come up and express how they felt about Lan. The few remaining ones were Yai, Maylu and Chaud:

Yai sobs, "I admired and loved Lan like an older brother. He was always so cheerful, the kind of friend that any one would be lucky to have. I will really miss him a lot, so much…*sniff, sniff*"

Next one was Chaud. "I don't have much to say, except this…Lan was a special guy. He always had a way of seeing life in a different way. He always helps his friends, no matter how bad they were, and would even help an enemy, like those ex-WWW agents. He had a heart of a child, but at the same time, a heart of a warrior. He would never give up in battle, no matter how impossible it would seem. And, he would also help his friends by giving them advice and all…I should know, for he helped me in trying to communicate with my father. Now we have a good relationship. I will sure miss him."

Chaud steps down. Maylu was the last one to speak. "Lan was very special to me. He was my friend since childhood. He was always there for me when I needed him. He always helped me when I was in trouble, and even thought he acted like an immature child sometimes, he was a man." She starts to sob, "He was caring to my friends and me; he respected me and treated me nice. He was more then my friend, I…like him more then my friend…I loved him…I loved him with all my heart." She's crying, "But now he's gone. Now I'll never get to tell him that I loved him, now my chance with him is lost!"

Maylu breaks down and starts crying hard, her mother goes to console her. Even Commander Beef, Misteriyu, and The Black Rose went up to pay their respects:

Commander Beef laments, "I was very shocked to hear that Lan had died. He was a very brave boy, he and his Net-Navi Megaman; they were a very marvelous team. Lan had the heart of a warrior, and the dedication to help his friends, so much that he sacrificed his life to save his friend Maylu. That was the noblest thing anyone can do for their friends. I had my sights set on him, Lan and his Net-Navi would have been great Net-Agents. Lan, you will be missed."

Princess Pride from Creamland also came to Lan's funeral. She also gives a little speech. Though tears are streaming down her face, she calmly says, "I am very sad. Sad to find out that Lan died. I consider Lan as one my most noble Knights, 'cause even though he was young, he was very brave, braver then some of the knights in my kingdom. When I heard that he died by sacrificing his life to save another, there was no doubt that he, Lan Hikari, was a true, brave and noble Knight. And, I…loved him so much, for though he was young, in my eyes he was a man that captured my heart." She starts to cry.

Raoul from Net-Topia also attended the service. Sad yet strong, he nobly pays his respects. "This is a terrible tragedy when I heard that Lan died. I knew Lan; he was a special boy. I met him in my home and in the tournament, he was a fierce and brave boy, and so was his Net-Navi , I admired Lan, he was a cool kid."

There was even a service held in the Cyber-world too, for MegamanEXE. Many Navis were there to say goodbye to and pay their respects…

ProtomanEXE confesses, "I will miss Megaman. He was a very brave Net-Navi. He would always fight, and never back down from a challenge, no matter how difficult it was, and he never gave up. He always helps those in need and never surrenders. He was the only Net-Navi that I considered my greatest and worthy rival, but most of all…my friend."

WakkomanEXE –(yes, THAT Wakkoman)- also gave a speech. "Tis the day that the clown won't laugh. Tis a sad day for everyone, a sad day 'cause someone dear to us has gone away. Megaman's gone, and I'm sad about it. He was a good Net-Navi, he helped me and my Net-Operator Maddy to believe in second chances and to believe in ourselves, while others didn't. Megaman, I'll miss you."

The next one was MagicmanEXE. "Oh, Megaman, you have gone away from us. Which door did you enter? Which door will you come out of? Will you appear in a cloud of smoke and greet us? I'm afraid not…there isn't any magic that will get you back. Megaman, we'll miss you."

RollEXE was the last one to speak, sobbing, "Oh Megaman, you were the best friend that I ever had…your bravery amazed me…Megaman, he was the NetNavi that I admired a lot, and now… he's gone. Now I wont be able to tell him how I felt about him –(started to cry)- Now I wont be able to tell him that I care for him more than as a friend…I won't be able to tell him that I loved him…I loved Megaman with all my digital heart and soul…!" Roll breaks down in tears, crying.

* * *

**_BACK IN THE RANMAVERSE – KAIBA MANSION, 9:00 A.M.:_**

Lan wakes up, -(with the help of his NetNavi MegamanEXE, as usual)- and has breakfast with Mokuba. When they're finished, Kaiba asks him if he could come with him to Kaiba Corp. for a test of his PET, Lan accepts and goes with Mokuba to Kaiba Corp.

* * *

**_AT KAIBA CORP. – KAIBA TEST LAB SIMULATOR:_**

Oncde Mokuba and Lan arrive, Kaiba gets things started, "Alright Lan, I called you here 'cause I want to test out your PET."

Lan blinks. "My PET?"

"Yes. You see, my staff and I have been working around the clock trying to duplicate the technology you have in your PET…and, we were able to master it."

Lan gasps – out of surprise or worry, we don't know. "You mean…!"

Kaiba proudly smirks, "Yes…I was able to duplicate the system that you have in your PET."

Mokuba's happy. "Really, Seto? That's so cool!"

Lan admits, "Wow…I can't believe it!"

Kaiba confidently says, "Well, there's no impossible for me…now Lan, I have a favor to ask you."

"What favor is that Seto?" Lan wants to know.

Kaiba points to Lan, challenging him. "Lan…I want you to face me in a DUEL!"

"A duel?"

"Yes…! Your Net-Navi Megaman against my Duel Monsters…the reason for this is that I want to try out the program that I've installed in my Duel Disk System…now my Duel Monsters will act, fight, and defend, just like your Net-Navi, on their own!"

"Well… you got it Seto, we accept."

"Good, then let's go to the Lab for the fight…Mokuba, I want you to monitor the fight in the control room."

"You got it big brother." Mokuba says.

And so, the duel starts…

Lan and Kaiba are in the middle of a white room, above them there's a control room, where Mokuba and some Kaiba Co. engineers are controlling the room.

Kaiba asks, "Ready Lan?"

"You bet! Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!!" Lan uses his PET's wireless port to jack into the simulator.

Now inside the simulator's Cyber-world, stays alert, ready to face whatever Kaiba might throw at him.

"All right…Mokuba, start the game…start Virtual Program now!" Kaiba calls to the control room.

From the control room, Mokuba says, "Got it!"

Then Mokuba presses some buttons, and the room begins to change. It changes into a holographic setting of a Roman Coliseum, the same one Kaiba used in the final rounds of the Battle City Tournament against Yugi, many virtual people cheer for him.

Suddenly, appears beside Lan in the arena! Lan looks surprised, while Megaman does it in a different way, by looking around, only to find himself surrounded by the cheering crowd. He turns around to face Lan, which makes them amazed to see each other in a place like this.

Lan's impressed and in awe. "WOW…HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"

Kaiba explains, "It's simple, we're in a Virtual World created by me…this is my favorite…now let's get it on!"

"Right!"

The battle starts:

Seto: 4000 LP.

Lan: 4000 LP.

Kaiba makes the first move as he draws a card from his deck. "I summon Battle Ox…!!" Aa Bull-like warrior with an axe appears. "Now, Battle Ox! Attack him!"

Lan regards his opponent. "Ooooh…that's a nasty bull…ALRIGHT MEGAMAN, GO FOR IT!"

The Battle Axe goes for the attack. Unlike the regular ones, this Duel Monster didn't wait for any order…'s dodging the Bull Axe:

"Alright Megaman, here's something…CYBER-SWORD! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!"

Megaman's Buster changs into an Energy Sword and blocks the Axe from the Battle Ox. Now they're fighting with weapons; Megaman has experience with Sword-to-Sword battles, so he has the upper hand:

Lan says to Kaiba, "Your Duel Monster fights great Seto!"

Kaiba in turn says, "I could say the same for your Net-Navi."

Then Megaman slashes the Battle Ox in half and destroys it:

Seto: 3200 LP.

Lan: 4000 LP.

"Not bad Lan, but I've got more where he came from…" Kaiba takes another card. "I place one card face down and I SUMMON VORS RAIDER…ATTACK HIM!"

A Humanoid monster appears with a strange sword…it began to swing its sword at Megaman. After several blocks from Megaman's sword, it broke up leaving Megaman defenseless, or so Kaiba thinks, but Megaman jumps away:

Lan encourages, "Hang in there, Megaman…CANNON M! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!"

MegamanEXE's Buster changes into a big Red Cannon and he points it at Vors Raider. "Okay bub, try this on for size!"

Then he fires! However, before the blast reaches the Duel Monster…

Kaiba grins. "HA! I ACTIVATE THE TRAP CARD MIRROR FORCE!"

Lan blinks, not expecting this. "MIRROR FORCE?"

"THAT'S RIGHT…MIRROR FORCE REFLECTS THE ATTACK RIGHT BACK AT YOU!"

Lan gasps, "WHAT!?"

The attack crashes into a crystal wall, and returns back at MegamanEXE. He gets hit by his own cannon. "AAAAAAAAAH!"

Seto: 3200 LP.

Lan:" 3000 LP.

Lan checks on his Net-Navi. "MEGAMAAAAAN…! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"

MegamanEXE replies, "Yeah, Lan…ugn…I'm okay."

"Good…man, this Duel Monster Card Game is something else…but we're not gonna give up right buddy?"

"No way!"

Kaiba thinks he's already won this Duel. "So Lan, are you ready to surrender?"

Lan's like, "Us…! No way, we'e just getting started, and like you said before…you ain't seen nothing yet…like this…ZAP RING! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!

Megaman throws a yellow electric ring at Vors Raider. When it connects, Vors Raider can't move, for he's paralyzed. Kaiba gasps, and Megaman blasts it away with his Mega Buster Attack.

Seto: 2500 LP.

Lan: 3000 LP.

"Yeah! How's that Seto!"

Kaiba's irritated, but then he cools down. "Pretty impressive Lan. My move…! I draw Pot Of Greed! This card allows me to draw two more cards…-He notices the cards and brightens up. " NOW I SACRIFICE ARMOR LIZARD AND SANGA, TO BRING FORTH THE BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!!"

The two monsters disappear and out comes Kaiba's favorite monster. Roaring loudly, it looks down at MegamanEXE, who gasps at seeing the big Dragon:

Lan steps back. "Woah!… That's some Dragon!"

Kaiba accepts the compliment. "Thanks…that's my favorite Duel Monster, now let's fight…BLUE EYES, ATTACK HIM WITH WHITE LIGHTNING ATTACK!"

The Dragon charges a white hyper beam in its mouth and launches it toward .

But Lan's ready for it, and uploads another Battle Chip. "FORCE FIELD! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!!"

A Blue Barrier covers MegamanEXE and blocks the attack; however, the attack was too strong, which destroys the Force Field and MegamanEXE receives damage:

Seto: 2500 LP.

Lan: 2200 LP.

"NO WAY! THAT ATTACK DESTROYED THE BARRIER!!"

Kaiba says to Lan, stating the obvious, "I told you. My Dragon's Attack power is stronger then your Navi's!"

"Maybe, but we're not out yet…MEGAMAN! STYLE CHANGE…WOOD-SHIELD STYLE ACTIVATE!"

MegamanEXE begins to change to another form, with green and brown armor; on his right arm a Shield appears . Kaiba's in awe. "That Navi changed! But how?"

Lan tells him, "Style Change…this one's called Wood-Shield Style!"

Kaiba snorts, "Doesn't matter, he's still gonna lose…BLUE EYES, WHITE LIGHTING ATTACK ONCE MORE!"

Obeying its master's command, the Dragon lets loose another attack at Megaman-exe. However, he was able to block the attack using his Shield…

Lan cheers, "Way to go Megaman!"

Kaiba's in awe of Lan and Megaman's skill. "You were able to block my Dragon's Attack! Very impressive Lan, but can you stand against it?"

"Let's find out, shall we…WOOD SWORD! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD…go for it Megaman!"

A Green Glowing Sword appeares in Megaman's hands and he began to dash toward Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon. The Dragon throws another White Lightning at Megaman, but he dodges it, and slashes the Dragon in his chest…and destroys it…

Seto: 1400 LP.

Lan: 2200 LP.

Kaiba gasps, "NO WAY…HOW COULD YOU HAVE DESTROYED ONE OF MY MOST STRONGEST MOSNTERS?"

"There is always a way to defeat an opponent! You just gotta have faith and never give up!"

"Well said, Lan." Kaiba takes out a card, looks at it and smirks. "But now your luck has just run out, cause I'm about to beat your Net-Navi!"

"Oh yeah…bring it on Seto! We're ready!"

"Get ready Lan, for now it's my turn…I SUMMON LORD OF DRAGONS TO THE FIELD!"

A Knight, dressed in Dragon Armor appears:

"…NEXT, I USE THE CARD KNOWN AS MONSTER REBORN…"

"Monster Reborn?"

"YES, IT ALLOWS ME TO BRING BACK A MONSTER THAT WAS DESTROYED FROM THE CARD GRAVEYARD, AND I CHOOSE MY BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON…"

Once again, the Dragon appears:

Lan's worried now. "Oh man, not that Monster again!"

Kaiba continues, "AND WITH THIS MAGIC CARD KNOWN AS FLUTE OF SUMMONING DRAGONS, IT ALLOWS ME TO BRING FORTH 2 MORE DRAGONS TO THE FIELD! I SUMMON 2 BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGONS!"

Two more Blue Eyes White Dragons appear, now there were 3 on the field:

_Oh man…this is gonna be really tough now…but we can take them!_ Lan thinks.

"OH, BUT I'M NOT DONE YET…FOR NOW, I SHALL USE MY NEXT MAGIC CARD KNOWN AS POLYMERIZATION TO FUSE MY THREE DRAGONS INTO ONE POWERFUL DRAGON…COME FORTH…BLUE EYES ULTIMATE WHITE DRAGON! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

The three Dragons merge together, creating a huge three-headed dragon. Now 's facing one of the most powerful creatures in all of Duel Monsters. "I don't believe this…now those three dragons merged and created that monstrosity! Lan, this is gonna be one tough battle!"

Lan says, "I know Megaman, but we can do this! I know we can!"

Kaiba orders the great beast, "BLUE EYES ULTIMATE WHITE DRAGON, ATTACK HIM WITH NEUTRON BLAST!"

The three-headed Dragon combines its three blasts into one and launches it toward . used his Shield to defend against it, but, when the blast collides into the Shield, it destroys it and blasts , sending him flying away. The Dragon's attack was too powerful for the Shield:

yells out in pain, "YAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!"

Seto: 1400 LP.

Lan: 580 LP.

"MEGAMAN! CAN YOU STILL FIGHT?"

MegamanEXE, though weakened and in a small amount of pain, says, "Yeah, Lan…ugn…I can manage."

Kaiba wants to know, "So, what do you think about my new Dragon Lan?"

Lan thinks, worried, _Man, that Dragon sure packs quite a powerful blast…I gotta think of something fast, or Megaman will lose!_

Kaiba's on the verge of winning the match. The Dragon tries to bite MegamanEXE, but he desperately tries to avoid the bites from each of its three heads. Then, Lan takes out 3 battle chips…some Special Battle Chips:

Lan looks at the Chips. _All right…these'll help us win this battle!_ "Hey Megaman, I've got the chips that will allow us to win!"

MegamanEXE's about to say, "You mean…"

Lan confirms, nodding, "Yeah!"

"Heh…then let's do it Lan!"

"Right Megaman!"

Then Lan & Megaman both yell, "PROGRAM ADVANCE!"

Kaiba asks, "What are you babbling about?

Lan smirks, "You'll see!"

-(BGM: Theme From Megaman NT Warrior)-

Lan uploads the first chip. "CYBER SWORD! BATTLE CHIP, DOWNLOAD…"

One sword appears on Megaman-exe's right arm:

Lan continues, "… WIDE SWORD! BATTLE CHIP, DOWNLOAD…"

Megaman-exe's left hand turns into a big sword:

Lan makes the final upload. "…LONG SWORD! BATTLE CHIP, DOWNLOAD"

Then lifts both swords into the air and combines them, creating one big purple-white energy sword. Kaiba's impressed with that maneuver… In the Control Room, Mokuba analyzes the energy Lan's now-completed Sword Attack is putting out …when the scan was complete, the energy of the sword is…

Mokuba's tapping the computer. "I don't believe this…according to the computer…Lan's energy sword attack power is…" Now shocked, he gasps, "WHAAAAAT!? NO WAY!!" Grabbing the microphone, he calls his big brother. "Seto, listen!"

Kaiba talks back on his earpiece radio. "What it is Mokuba?"

Mokuba sounds desperate. "Big brother, you got to be careful of Lan's attack!"

"Careful of what little brother? My Monster has 4500 AP, and 3500 DP, how much damage can that attack do to it?"

"Brother…the attack power that Lan has in his Net-Navi is…7500 AP"

Kaiba screams, "WHAAAAAAAAAT…!! ARE YOU SURE?"

"Positive!!"

"BUT THAT MEANS…OH NO!"

Lan prepares to unleash the final blow! "OH YEAH…LIFE-SWORD ATTACK!!"

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Megaman-exe slams the Energy Sword down, releasing a huge purple Sonic Wave:

Desperate to seize victory at any cost, Kaiba commands, "BLUE EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON! COUNTER IT WITH NEUTRON BLAST!"

Then the Dragon releases his attack. But, Lan's attack overpowers the Dragon's attack and slashes the mighty beast into millions of pieces in seconds…

"MY BLUE EYES! NOOOOOOOO!"

Seto: O LP

Lan: 580 LP.

Lan's cheering, "ALRIGHT MEGA, YOU DID IT! WAY TO GOO! WOO-HOOOO!!"

Kaiba's shocked! Losing to Yugi was bad enough, but this...! How _can that be! How could that Navi defeated my Ultimate White Dragon!?_

In the Control Cabin, Mokuba, as well as the rest of the staff are also shocked. "No way! My brother lost to Megaman! How?"

Later, when the duel was over, Lan is with Seto and Mokuba Kaiba in the living room:

Mokuba compliments Lan's battling skills. "Wow Lan, you fought great, and so did your Net-Navi!"

Lan aw-shucks, "Geez, thanks Mokuba, but I was just lucky that I won. Your brother sure is an awesome player!"

Kaiba half-frowns, saying, "Well, thanks…" _If I still had my Egyptian God Monster, Obelisk the Tormentor, I would have won that Duel in a flash, but still… he sure put up quite a fight_… "…and you'weren't bad either Lan, you've got the potential to be a good Duelist…you too ."

Lan smiles. "Thanks a lot Kaiba, I mean it."

agrees, "Ditto."

Kaiba, intrigued, wants to know something. "But tell me Lan, what WAS that power your Net-Navi used to defeat my Blue Eyes Ultimate White Dragon?"

Lan explains, "Well Seto, that was the Program Advance known as the Life Sword."

"Program Advance…Life Sword?"

"Yeah…you see, when you have certain special Chips, you can combine them to create one powerful attack. The Program Advance is one of the most powerful skills in Net-Battles."

"Really? That's very interesting…." _I'm impressed. I'll definitely try to do that with my Duel Monsters._

Later, Lan has dinner with Kaiba and Mokuba, then he had a good time swimming in the indoor pool Kaiba had his mansion. At night, Lan's playing pillow fight with Mokuba, and having a blast.

Kaiba returns to work on the new program he managed to copy from Lan's PET.

The next day, outside Kaiba Mansion, Lan's all packed and ready to go. The Kaiba brothers are there to say goodbye to Lan:

Mokuba smiles. "Lan, I guess this is it, eh?"

Lan smiles back, "Yeah, but I just want to say thanks for your hospitality, I mean it, and for showing me the Duel Monsters Card Game, it rocks!"

"And thanks for showing me your PET…it was awesome, kinda like Duel Monsters!"

Lan turns to face Kaiba. "And thank you very much for locating Dr. Thomas Light for me, Seto."

Kaiba has his usual scowl on his face; still, he says, "A deal is a deal, but you're welcome."

"I must be going, thanks again guys."

"Take care Lan, and you too Megaman." Mokuba says.

"You too Mokuba!" says.

"Wait, Lan. Here." Kaiba tosses Lan what looks like a credit card.

Lan catches it, asking, "What's this?"

"It's a Debit Card, with enough cash for you to make it for a while…consider it payment for the services of your PET."

"WOW…! Thanks so much, Seto…well, good bye guys!"

Mokuba waves goodbye. "Bye, Lan! Write to us will you?"

"You bet Mokuba!"

And so Lan begins his journey to find Dr. Thomas Light in hopes of returning to his home world.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	40. Demitri VS Bison, Round 2!

CHAPTER 40

_**-"DEMITRI VS. BISON, ROUND 2! THE SEARCH FOR DR. LIGHT BEGINS!"-**_

_**ABOUT 30 MILES AWAY FROM SHADOWLOO'S BASE…**_

The Vampire Lord Demitri was heading toward M. Bison's secret base to confront him once again. Along with him were the sexy Succubus Morrigan, the ghostly samurai Bishamon (who, as we all know, is actually the cursed armor Hannya impersonating Bishamon), the Darkstalker Hunter B.B. Hood, and seven Huitzils:

Demitri alerts the others. "Get ready. We're very close to him," he says, referring to M. Bison. "I can feel and smell his hideous blood."

Morrigan taunts, "Oh I'm ready, Demitri; the question is, are "you" ready? Remember what happened last time?"

Demitri harshly scolds, "DON'T YOU EVER REMIND ME OF THAT INCIDENT MORRIGAN!" Cooling down, he sneers confidently, "Now I'm prepared for anything. He will die by my hands!"

"I am ready for the challenge," Bishamon says, ready to do battle.

"I'm locked and loaded!" B.B. Hood says as she releases the safety pin on her Uzi. "Bring 'em on, I'll waste them all!"

When they were walking over a hill, Demitri begins to feel a presence near them. Then, in the middle of the road stands M. Bison himself! "YOU!"

M. Bison chuckles, "Well hello there, Mr. Vampire. What do I have the honor of your visit here?"

Demitri snarls, "You know why I'm here. I've come here to do one thing only…TO KILL YOU AND DRINK YOUR BLOOD!!"

"Ha! Is that so? And here I thought you'd came for tea and cookies."

Morrigan comments, "He sure likes to be sarcastic."

Demitri declares, "This time Bison, I've come with a army of robots that will crush you and all your followers…behold my robots…THE HUITZILS!"

Then the Huitzils appear behind Dimitri. M. Bison sees them and comes up with a response:

He laughs, "Hahahahaaa… !! THAT's your army of robots? HAHAHAHAHA!! Look at them! They look very old; no surprise there…you are old too."

"Laugh all you want Bison…but my robots and my team of Darkstalkers will destroy you!"

"Well, sorry to disappoint you Demitri…But I have also brought some robots of my own…and my team of fighters…behold!"

Then Sodom and Vega jump down and stand behind M. Bison. Sodom is armed with two swords, while Vega has on his favorite claw.

Demitri ridicules, "You think that those worthless mortals can stand against my dark warriors? Ha, they look weak!"

M. Bison warns, "Don't judge your opponents just by their looks…Remember what happened the last time."

"YOU ONLY WON THAT TIME OUT OF PURE LUCK! BUT NOW, YOUR TIME IS UP, SO PREPARE TO DIE!"

"Is that so…WELL, COME ON! I CRAVE A WORTHY MATCH!"

"Say good bye Bison…!" Demitri then commands the robots, "HUITZILS! DESTROY THIS MISERABLE MORTAL!!"

The Huitzils begin to point their hand cannons toward M. Bison and began to charge up:

Demitri laughs, "My robots will destroy you Bison, so get ready!"

M. Bison is unimpressed. "Ha! Give me your best shot bat boy."

"Ready…Aim…"

"FIRE!!" a girl's voice shouts.

Then many blasts came from behind M. Bison and destroy all the Huitzils. Dimitri and company are shocked.

Demitri can't believe how things just shifted in Bison's favor! "WHAT THE!? WHAT HAPPENED!? WHO DESTROYED MY ROBOTS!?"

"That would be moi!" Then, Tron Bonne appears in her –"New and Improved"- battle robot (Similar to the one she rode in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2, but bigger and more powerful). Behind her are her newest creations, Shadowloo's new mecha. They appear to be identical in design to the Gundam Heavyarms from Gundam Wing. The only difference with these that…they were black and white, and in their chest is the Shadowloo insignia, a skull with wings. They stand in front of Demitri and company:

Demitri gasps, "What the!? What are those creatures?"

M. Bison answers, "Those would be "MY" robots Demitri. As you can see, they've already destroyed yours. And the girl's name is Tron Bonne, my personal assistant."

Tron Bonne waves at her foe. "Pleasure to meet you Bat-Boy!"

Demitri and crew are shocked to see such powerful machines, and worse, they destroyed the Huitzils:

Demitri growls, "Your robots may have destroyed mine…BUT I WILL STILL DESTROY YOU BISON! GET READY!"

M. Bison answers in kind, an aura of Psycho Power surrounding him. "WELL, COME ON!"

Demitri orders, "Bishamon, Morrigan and B.B. Hood…dispose of these miserable mortals!"

And so the fight begins…

Demitri's duking it out with Bison, while Bishamon's fighting against the Mad Gear Samurai Sodom, Vega's against Morrigan, and last, B.B. Hood was fighting Tron Bonne with her machine.

Demitri's launching Chaos Flares toward Bison; Bison evades them and launches some of his Psycho Shots against Demitri. Then Demitri disappears and appears above Bison delivering his Bat Spin. Bison blocks it and counters with a punch in Demitri's gut:

M. Bison chuckles derisively, "Ha ha haaa…you didn't think that I would fall for that attack of yours, did you?"

Irritated, Demitri spits, "You may have blocked that attack…but I'm just getting warmed up!"

"So am I!"

Then they resume the battle…next Bison and Demitri begin to trade punches…

It was a battle of Dark Energy vs. Psycho Power. Demitri lands a couple of punches on Bison, but Bison delivers a powerful hook kick to Demitri's stomach that lifts him up and slams him into the ground hard. Demitri's panting a little; so is Bison, but Demitri had a confused look on his face:

_What's this mortal made of? Never have I seen a mortal who could actually give ME trouble! I don't believe this…a MORTAL who's giving me trouble! That's impossible!"_

M. Bison thinks to himself, _Demitri is a worthy opponent for me. It's been a long time that I've had a great battle. Perhaps once I destroy him, I'll take away his powers and add them to my Psycho Power!_"

Bishamon and Sodom are duking it out with their Samurai skills. Their blades clash, making sparks whenever they hit each other's.

Bishamon regards his opponent's skill. "You're very good with your swords. I haven't seen anyone who could match me."

Sodom responds back, "Same with you, but enough flattery…let's get it on!"

Morrigan is facing Vega. Vega (of course, no surprise there!) is delighted; facing a beauty like her excites him:

"Hello, my pretty. Allow me to introduce myself…I am Vega." He bows. "Pleased to meet you."

Morrigan snorts, "Whatever…don't tell me that you want to fight me, do you?"

"Why, yes…I want to have the honor of having a match with you…and your heart."

Morrigan laughs, "Oh, please! What could a worm like you do to a gal like me? That's a joke!"

Vega gently warns, "I wouldn't gloat like that, my dear Morrigan…it is not wise to underestimate your opponent. It could be fatal."

"HAHAHAHA…please, I am a Darkstalker…one of the best of Makai! What can YOU do against my Dark Powers?"

Vega's turned on now. "Confident aren't we my pretty? Tell you what. If I win against you, you'll have a date with me. What do you say?"

Morrigan's response to that, "I say you're a nut ball! But whatever, IF you can survive against me."

"So be it…" Vega assumes his fighting posture. "En garde my pretty!"

"Ha! You're dead meat!"

And so Morrigan launches a Soul Fist at Vega, but Vega, with his Spanish Ninjitsu Skills, jumps up and evades the attack. Morrigan launches two more Soul Fists, but Vega manages to block them with his Claw…

Morrigan's impressed. "Well, I'm impressed that you managed to block my attack."

Vega blushes under his mask. "I am flattered that you say that, my lady."

Morrigan smirks, "Don't get too cocky slim…I've only begun to warm up, now get ready!"

Then Morrigan's wings extend, and like spears they launch to strike Vega, but Vega jumps and moves away fast, and none of the wings hit him…Morrigan's shocked! _This mortal moves very fast…how can it be? _She starts to get mad._ But I won't let him make fun of me!_

Then Morrigan launches more Soul Fists and uses her wings as Spears to hit Vega, but Vega's too fast and evades all her attacks. Morrigan's losing her temper. "DAMN IT! STAND STILL, WOULD YOU!"

Vega says while dodging, "I can't…that wouldn't be so gentlemanly of me…now allow me to show you my skills, my lady."

"HA HA! I'd like to see that!"

"As you wish my pretty…get ready."

Then Vega starts to run toward Morrigan with skill that impresses Morrigan herself…but she begins to launch many Soul Fists…but Vega keeps evading them all…when he gets close, Morrigan takes to the sky with her wings:

Now airborne, Morrigan taunts, "Let's see if you can hit me from up here. Unless you can fly pretty boy, you won't touch me!"

Oooh, she's playing hard to get. That just makes Vega want her even more. "Oh, how I love a challenge…very well, watch me!"

Vega then uses the rocks to jump up and reach Morrigan. Morrigan gasps when she sees Vega come near her. Vega thrusts his claw forward while in air, attempting to strike the succubus with his Sky High Claw, but Morrigan moves away…Vega then landss on the ground once again:

Morrigan laughs, "Ha…you missed me!"

Vega smirks, "I think not my lady."

Morrigan is confused by Vega's statement, until she looks at her dress and gasps…she had a slash on the bottom of her breast! _What the…he managed to hit me, but how?_ "ALL RIGHT BUSTER, YOU'VE JUST MADE YOUR LAST MISTAKE! NOW I'LL RIP YOU TO PIECES!"

Vega, stung by his prey's reaction, says, "Don't get mad my pretty…it makes you look ugly!"

"GRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Morrigan then unleashes many punches at Vega, but Vega's dodging them one by one… he's waiting for the right moment to put Morrigan out…Then…it happens…

When Morrigan misseswith a punch, Vega ducks over and…

Vega:" Now allow me to show you this…RED IMPACT!!"

Then Vega strikes Morrigan with a punch on her chin…then when she was up…he nails her with his claw on her body –(the image of a Rose appeared in the attack)-. Morrigan spins in the air and lands hard on the ground…when she gets up, she's in pain:

Morrigan, weakened and hurt, pants, "You…miserable…slime! I'm…not beaten yet…"

Vega says with a bit of sorrow in his voice, "I know…forgive me for this… Now I'll finish it…this will hurt me more than it will hurt you…HYOOOOOOOH!!"

Then Vega jumps to the air and lands on top of Morrigan…then he grabs her from behind and applies to her his Rolling Izuna Drop super attack. On the final Izuna Drop he jumps high in the air, carrying Morrigan with him…and slams her hard into the ground…Morrigan's down for the count:

Vega bows. "I am so sorry my lovely lady…but I promise to treat your wounds right away."

B.B. Hood's facing Tron Bonne:

B.B. Hood laughs, "Well, well, what do we have here…a silly girl with a funny dress!"

Tron counters with a snappy comeback of her own, "Ha, look who's talking, a little girl who's dressed as a fairy tale character!"-

B.B. Hood gets serious. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you brat! Now surrender before me, or I'll fill that sweet body of yours with lead!" she threatens, pointing her gun at Tron.

Tron pretends to be scared. "OOOOOH…! Please girly, don't hurt me with your silly toy guns!"

B.B. Hood's hopping mad! She rages cutely, "TOY GUNS!? HOW DARE YOU! THESE ARE MY SUPREME GUNS, AND YOU'LL NOT MAKE FUN OF THEM!"

Tron laughs, "Supreme Guns? HAHAHAHAHA…girl, you are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outta date, and those Guns are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay old!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU OLD…TAKE THIS!"

B.B. Hood fires her Uzi at Tron, but the mecha Tron's riding blocks the attack; it's armor is made of quadruple-reinforced Titanium, so the bullets didn't even make a scratch …B.B. Hood gasps, "WHAT THE…!? What happened? Why didn't my bullets make any damage to it?"

Tron, bored, yawns. "Oh please girl, this is Titanium! Your bullets are useless against it, like I said before, you are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outta date, now give it up!"

B.B. Hood's enraged. "YOU HUSSY! I WONT LET ANYBODY INSULT ME, NOW BEHOLD THIS!!"

She uses the "Smile & Missile" technique, raising her Picnic Basket on her shoulder and launches a missile. The missile connects with Tron's machine and explodes…

B.B. Hood lets out an evil giggle, "How do you like that, eh? Who's laughing now? Hahahahaha…?"

B.B. Hood's laugh disappears; for when the smoke clears, she sees Tron and her mecha…are unharmed!

B.B. Hood's left eye twitches, now afraid, she's exclaims, "NO, NO…HOW!? THAT WAS MY POWERFUL MISSILE! HOW COULD YOU AND THAT THING STILL BE STANDING!? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!"

Tron Bonne says to her opponent, "You got a lot to learn Little Red Riding Hood…it'll take more then a miserable missile to take down MY machine!"

B.B. Hood snarls, "Is that so? Well…this time I'll kill you! Nobody, I mean NOBODY MAKES FUN OF MEEE!!"

"As much as I like fairy tales, I have to finish this story, so say good night!"

Tron Bonne presses a button on her mecha and the antenna on the machine's back releases a sonic wave that strikes B.B. Hood hard and sends her flying:

B.B. Hood screams in pain, "GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" She lands on the floor and passes out.

Tron dusts off her hands. "That took care of her…I wonder how Bison and the other guys are doing? I'd better go and check on them and see if they need my help."

Bishamon and Sodom are getting tired, but they continue the fight; both of them respect each other as Samurai Warriors:

Bishamon respectfully says, "I must say that you are very good for a mortal, it has been a long time since I had a good match."

Sodom accepts the cursed swordsman's compliment, "Thanks…same to you…but now let us end this fight!"

Then both warriors stand with their swords drawn…ready to charge against each other…then it happens…

They run toward each other, and when close, clash their swords…a white light explodes…then…they were on opposite sides…

Bishamon and Sodom stood there without moving…suddenly…they both fall to the ground. A double KO!

Meanwhile, the fight between Bison and Demitri is now reaching its climax…

Both Demitri and Bison are covered in bruises and small cuts, and panting a lot…but neither of them were gonna quit:

Demitri grins at Bison. "For being only a mortal, you've really given me a lot of trouble, but I will win this match!"

M. Bison replies, "Same to you Demitri…it's been so long that I have a fight that I really worked so well…but like you said, I won't lose!"

"So be it…time to end this match…BE PREPARED!"

"YES…LET'S END IT!"

So both fighters rush toward each other, and began to fight with all their might. Trading punches and fire blasts…Demitri nails Bison with a punch on his chin, but Bison counters with a hard kick in Demitri's stomach, then later connects with an elbow on Demitri's jaw…they separate to rest a little:

Demitri, mad, pants, "Curse this! This mortal is really hard to beat…but I am the Supreme Vampire! I refuse to lose to a mortal!" To Bison, he says, "You have fought well for a mortal…BUT THIS IS THE END! I WILL VANQUISH YOU!"

M. Bison replies, "IS THAT SO? WELL COME ON BAT-BOY!"

Then they try to finish the battle…in the middle of the combat, Demitri hits Bison's head with his hands, forcing Bison to kneel on the ground. "I have you now worm…prepared to be killed! GRYAAAAAAAAAA!"

Preparing to use his Demon Billion, Demitri then transforms into a flaming human bat and ready to release his attack on M. Bison…

However…Bison just chuckles, "Mwa ha ha ha ha…that's what you think!" Then Bison teleports away…!

"WHAT THE…!? HE DISAPPEARED!" Demitri then laughs, "PERHAPS HE WAS FRIGHTENED BY MY POWERS!"

A voice from behind says, "Guess again Bat-Boy!"

Bison appears behind Demitri… covered in blue flame!

Demitri is shocked by THIS display of power! "WHAT THE…"

"Now allow me to show you this power…PSYCHO DRAIN!!"

Then Bison hits Demitri back with a flaming punch…once it connects, he grabs Demitri and begins to suck away all of his energy…-(similar to Heidern's Final Bringer SDM –"Go to Hell"- from KOF)-

"NO! LET ME GOOO! I'M LOSING ENERGY…RELEASE ME AT ONCE!" Dimitri cries out in pain, "GRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

But Bison doesn't let him go…he drains him so much that Demitri's getting weaker by the second…until he collapses to the ground:

A triumphant M. Bison snorts, "Well now…it's over. I've won."

Dimitri weakly whispers, "Curse…you…you mi…miserable…mortal…!" He gathers all his remaining energy and crawls away from there. "You may have won this battle…but I will return…until next time!"

Then he changes into a bat and flies away.

B.B. Hood's on the ground, weak and hurt. She sees Demitri flying away and weakly calls out to him, "Demitri…don't leave me here…come back!"

But alas…he didn't hear her…and even if he did, he wouldn't have helped her. She saw that her boss abandoned her and left her to die in that place… Then, she loses consciousness and passes out.

Tron Bonne comes and congratulates her boss. "Way to go boss, you did it!"

M. Bison accepts, "Thanks…now let's get away and head to the base…I need to rest, I'm so tired."

Tron smartly salutes, "Yes sir!"

Then Bison and Tron hear someone clapping. When they turn around they see ERICK (!) walking toward them:

Tron's the first to say, "Hey, Boss…it's that High Priest Erick!"

Bison grimly notices, "I see."

Erick smiles at the High Lord of Shadowloo. "Congratulations, Bison…you've managed to defeat yet again the Vampire Lord Demitri. Well done."

Something just occurs to Bison. "Thanks… but…just how long have you been here?"

Erick casually says, "Quite some time I'd say…long enough to see all the matches that happened here."

Bison hmph's, "So I see!"

Vega approaches them; carrying Morrigan in his arms… in a scene like something off the cover of one of those sappy romance novels. Sodom too came also, a little weak:

Erick notices the mad matador. "Ah Vega, I see that you won against Morrigan."

Vega nods, "Yes…she put up quite a fight. She is as fierce as a tiger."

"Yes, she is Vega…but don't get too cocky, for when she wakes up, she'll be in a VERY bad mood."

"I'm not worried."

Erick turns to Sodom. "And you, Sodom, you fought against that Demonic Samurai Bishamon and came out okay?"

Sodom responds, "Hai…that Samurai is truly a warrior."

Erick then smiles at Tron. "And you Tron Bonne, you sure put that Little Red Riding Hood in her place."

Tron boasts, "Quite right! She sure was one spunky girl…and kinda old fashioned, especially those guns of hers…" She looks over to Bison. "Bison sir, what shall we do with her?"

Bison immediately says, "Dispose of her and…"

Erick interrupts, "No wait…I have a better idea. An idea that you'll love, Bison."

M. Bison raises an eyebrow. "Oh! And what is that?"

Erick, with his Evil Smile (tm), reminds him, "Remember the "Ryoga Project" Bison?"

"I do…why?"

"Well…let's just say that this girl will be the next subject for my babies…my DVL Cells!"

"But…I thought that Ryoga boy failed because of those Cells of yours."

Erick admits, "Yes…but that was only a test…with this girl, it will be different."

Bison asks, having a feeling he knows what Erick will say next, "And why will it be different?"

Erick says, imitating Xelloss, "That, Bison…is a secret…but you'll see…and you'll love it, I guarantee it."

"If you say so."

* * *

Lan, alongside his NetNavi Megaman-exe, is eating some burgers from a Restaurant. With the money Kaiba gave him, Lan could buy some stuff he needed for the road, on his quest to find Dr. Thomas Light. Once finished, Lan starts his journey…

Lan, satisfied from the meal he'd just ate, says, "Mm-mm…that sure was one goooood burger!"

Megaman-exe snorts, "I'll bet. You ate about FIVE of them! Hope you don't get sick, Lan."

Lan protests, "Hey, I was hungry, okay!"

"Okay, okay. It's a good thing that Seto gave you that money, 'cause it would have been a lot harder to buy stuff without it."

"You're right Mega…now, Seto gave us this address in order to find Dr. Light, which will make our journey a lot easier."

"That's right…but, how are we gonna find it? Even with the address, we still don't know how to get there."

"We'll think of something, bro."

And so they walk and walk, until nightfall arrived:

**6:45 Pm**

Lan's getting very tired. "Man, we've being walking for five hours! I'm thinking we should find a hotel or something to spend the night, what do you say Mega?"

Megaman-exe snickers, teasing, "Wow… That's about the smartest thing you've said all day Lan."

Lan, accepting the compliment, says, "Thanks," Now hurt, he realizes, "…HEEEEEEEY!"

Megaman-exe laughs, "Just kidding, Lan! Just kidding!"

"OK! Then let's go find one!"

But a problem occurs for Lan and Megaman-exe … All the hotels were full…Signs marked -_"No Vacancy"_- were at every one Lan went to. So he continues trying to find a place to stay, but with no luck…

**8:55 PM**

Lan's getting desperate, and also tired of not finding a hotel. It's getting very dark and they were the only ones on the street…until…

Lan and Mega see some Apartments… Both brighten up on seeing them:

Lan points, overjoyed, "Mega, look! Apartments…maybe we can spend the night there."

Megaman-exe's unsure. "Are you sure about that Lan?"

"Yeah…besides, I'm getting tired of all that walking, and we DO need a place to sleep."

And so Lan heads toward that place. Once he arrives, he presses the button for the bell… About 20 minutes later the door opens, and a beautiful woman greets them, it's the Landlady named Hibiya Chitose. She cheerfully says, "Good evening, how can I help you?"

Lan politely introduces himself. "Hi, my name's Lan Hikari, and I was wondering if you had anyplace where I can crash for the night?"

Hibiya sadly apologizes, "I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid that I don't have any rooms, they're all occupied."

"WHAT!? Are you sure? Please…" Lan pleads, "I'm…new in town, and I don't want to sleep on the street, can't you help me? Please..."

"Oh my…I don't know."

"Look, I'll pay."

Hibiya considers it. "Hmmm…there MIGHT be a way…perhaps you want to bunk with Hideki? Come with me, we'll see if he'll let you stay with him."

Lan bows. "Thank you very much Miss. Hibiya-San."

Hibiya giggles, "Call me just Hibiya, okay Lan? I'm not THAT old."

Lan tries not to look embarrassed. "Err…Yeah you're right, you are cute.." He then blushes, quickly adding, "But…but I…I meant it as a compliment, hehehe!"

"Why thank you Lan, you're cute too."

They go inside to look for Hideki, when they find him coming from the store:

"Hideki!" Hibiya calls out toi him.

Hideki waves back at her. "Oh, Landlady Hibiya! Hi, what can I do for you?"

Hibiya introduces Lan to her tenant. "Hideki, this boy is Lan Hikari. He needs a place to spend the night, but since I don't have any rooms to spare, I was wondering if he could spend the night in your room, if you don't mind of course."

"Please, mister?" Lan asks

Hideki thinks for a moment. " Hmmm…sure, why not?"

Lan lets out a whoop of joy. "OH THANKS A LOT MISTER! YOU JUST SAVED MY LIFE!"

"Oh, don't sweat it kid…Well, c'mon in with me. I was about to prepare dinner."

So Lan follows Hideki to his room. Once they arrive, the door opens and a cute, blonde girl receives him, for that girl is Chii:

Chii, of course, is happy to see him. "Okairi Nasai Hideki" –(Welcome home)-

"Hello Chii." Hideki responds to her.

_Wow…that's a cute girl_, Lan thinks.

Hideki introduces them to each other. "Chii, say hello to Lan, Lan say hello to Chii."

Chii bows. "Hello Lan, I'm Chii, Chii glad to meet you"

"Um…" Lan returns the bow. "I'm Lan. Pleased to meet you."

From inside Lan's PET, Megaman-exe ahem's, "Lan, aren't you forgetting something…or someone?"

Lan sweatdrops, apologizing, "Oops… sorry Mega! And this is my Digital Friend Megaman."

Chii looks at the PET. "Chii sees a little blue man inside machine."

"Glad to meet you Chii." Megaman-exe says.

Chii giggles, "Chii also glad to meet Blue Man."

"Chii, Lan will spend the night with us, okay?" Hideki says.

Chii happily nods, "Okay."

20 minutes later, Lan was in the table eating a dish of chicken and noodles Hideki made. He's seated next to Chii…

As they eat, Hideki asks his guest, "So Lan, tell me, where you're from?"

Having been though this situation twice before, Lan mentally groans, _Ah man, not again! Oh well, guess I'll have to tell him._ "I'm from…from…Kasagi, yeah that's right, I'm from Kasagi Town."

"Kasagi? Never heard of that place before. What country is it located?"

Lan with a nervous laugh, says, "Heh heh heh…it's a…small country, very few people know of it."

"Hmph… well, guess you got a point. I'm from a small town myself. So, tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm 11 years old, I like to Net-Battle and…"

"Net-Battle…what's that?" Then, he sees Lan's PET. "And what's that thing you're holding?"

As before with Seto Kaiba, Lan explains all about what Net-Battle is, what Net-Navis are…except that he was from another world…in the end Hideki and Chii were impressed:

Hideki's response to Lan's story is, " Wow, those Net-Battles sound awesome, as well as that PET you have."

Chii agrees, "Chii likes it very much."

Lan's noticed something unusual about Chii even since he first saw her. He decides to ask Hideki, "Say, that girl Chii sure is cute, but tell me, why does she have those weird antenna on her head?"

Hideki says, "Oh, that's because she's a Persocom."

Lan blinks, "A Persocom? What's that?"

"Yes, a Persocom is a Special Android that acts and look almost like a real human being."

"Really?"

"Really, but Chii is the most important Persocom of them all, for she's a Chobit…"

Now it was Hideki's turn to tell Lan all about the Persocoms and about Chii. How he found her in the garbage, the adventures he and Chii had, her past and all…Lan was listening to it all, taking it all in.

"Those Persocoms sure are extraordinary, so Chii is a Chobit? She sure acts like a human being."

Chiii accepts Lan's compliment. "Chii thank you."

"It makes me wish we had those back home. By the way, the food was delicious Hideki."

"Thanks, Lan…oh it's getting late, we should get to bed so that we can rise tomorrow"

Lan agrees, "Good idea, I'm tired."

"Since I don't have another bed, you'll be sleeping with Chii, Lan."

Lan gulps, now worried. "W-with Chii? Err…okay, if you don't mind, Chii?"

Chii simply says, "Chii doesn't mind. Chii likes company with Chii."

Everyone goes to bed. Poor Lan, having to sleep next to a cute girl -(even though she's a robot)- makes him kinda nervous…

_Wow…an Android who acts like a real human, almost as humans, that's so cool. Maybe this world isn't as low-tech as I first thought. When I get home, I'm definitely telling Dad about desinging these Persocoms, that'd be an awesome idea. They could really help many people… _Lan then yawns._ Oh well, better get some sleep._

His last thoughts before going to sleep were…-" _I bet everyone back home is waiting for me._"-

* * *

_**BACK IN THE YEAR 20XX – AT LAN'S HOUSE:**_

Everyone who attended Lan's funeral was now at Lan's house, still grieving. They were serving some drinks and meals for the guests. It was a rather sad environment; they were still sad and mourning over the loss of Lan. Likewise, in the Cyber-world at the loss of .

Dr. Yuuichiro Hikari was with his wife, trying to console her. The poor woman couldn't stop sobbing and crying. Lan's friends were also sad and not in a good mood, even Chaud(!) was sad. Raul, like Chaud, tries to act tough, but it was just too hard to do so.

Suddenly, the phone rings, Dr. Hikari picks it up. "Hello, Dr. Hikari speaking."

A collegue of his, Dr. Senkyo, is on the other end. "_Dr. Hikari, please! You must come to SciLab immediately!_"

Right now Yuuichiro's in no mood to discuss work. He politely says, "Look, I don't think I'm in the mood right now, so if you'll…"

"_Please, sir. It's about your son's accident!_"

THIS gets Dr. Hikari's attention. "What about it?"  
"_Sir, you must come and see something interesting. Lan's accident was not as it seems!_"

"What do you mean?"

"_Come to the Lab and we'll explain. Trust me sir, you won't regret it. In fact, bring everyone!_"

"Very well, we'll be right there." Then he hangs up…

His wife Haruka, her eyes red from crying earlier, asks, "Honey, who was it?"

"It was from Sci-Lab. They told me to bring everyone to the Lab; they said that they have something very interesting to see about Lan's accident."

"What is it?" Commander Beef wanted to know.

"They didn't tell me…but, they said that they'll show it to us once we are there."

Raul pretty much says what everyone's thinking at this point, "So we should go right?"

And so they heads toward Sci-Lab.

When they arrived they were directed right to the testing area for the failed X-36 project. Some of them didn't feel comfortable being there, especially Lan's mother and Maylu, since it was the place where Lan died:

Dr. Senkyo gets things going, "I'm glad that you all could make it."

Dr. Hikari, in a serious tone of voice, says, "Now tell me what this thing that you wanted to tell me is. It'd better be important or else you'll be fired, got that?"

Dr. Senkyo gulps nervously, "Y-yes, sir. Now, I have some good news and bad news regarding the accident involving your son Lan."

This news took the guests' interest:

Dr. Senkyo continues, "Before I can tell you …I want you all to look at this video and look closely." He then speaks into a microphone, instructing a techinician, "Play the video."

Then they watch the monitor as a video recording shows up. It was the video recorded during the accident with the machine. The part of the video that they saw was the part where Lan runs and pushes Maylu and Yai to safety and is zapped by the laser… Haruka, Maylu, Yai and Princess Pride began to cry and turn away. Furious at this, Dr. Hikari grabs Dr. Senkyo by the throat and picks him up. Dropping his professionalism, his restraint, at this point he's no longer Dr Yuuichiro Hikari the famous researcher at Sci-Lab, but just Yuuicho Hikari, a father grieving over the loss of his child. Seeing that footage just reopened the wounds that would have healed.

With pure rage, Yuuichro roars, "IS THIS SOME KIND OF A JOKE? HOW DARE YOU SHOW US THAT VIDEO OF LAN'S DEATH! WE JUST CAME FROM MY SON'S FUNERAL AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SHOW THAT!?"

Commander Beef harshly scolds the poor fellow, "HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?"

Dr. Senkyo's suffocating, as his superior's almost about to choke him to death. "Please…it's not…what you think! If you let me go I'll explain!"

Releasing Dr. Senkyo, Yuichiro glares hard at him. "Explain!"

Dr. Senkyo massages his throat as he says, "First of all, I'm very sorry, I knew I shouldn't have done that, but the reason I wanted you all to see this is because of THIS part… look closely now …Crew, repeat the video in slow motion now"

Then the video was shown again, now moving very slowly, when it reaches the part where Lan is zapped by the laser:

"STOP IT RIGHT THERE!" Dr. Senkyo orders. Then, to everyone else, he says, "People, look at this scene."

Then everyone sees that Lan is covered in a white light…then…Lan's body transforming into a ball of light and shooting straight into the sky, then the explosion occured:

Dr. Hikari blinks. "What was that?"

Dr. Senkyo explains, "That what I wanted to show you…according to our theories, Lan was hit by the laser and was somehow able to transport somewhere else, milliseconds before the impact."

"You mean…Lan was…sent to another place?"

Dr. Senkyo steps away (afraid that Dr Hikari might flip out and actually kill him) before answering, "Yes."

Haruka, her hopes getting raised, dares asking, "You mean…that my son…is alive?"

Dr. Senkyo nods, "We believe so, ma'am."

Maylu gasps, realizing, "He's alive…!" She's crying happily, "Lan's alive!

Princess Pride, happy, rejoices, "Thank God!"

After hearing this, everyone began to feel happy as hope shines on them:

"Please tell me. Where is my son?" Haruka wanted to know.

Dr. Senkyo frowns when he tells her, "Unfortunately, the bad news is that we don't know."

Commander Beef blinks from behind his visor-ed helmet. "You don't know?"

"I'm afraid so. You see, before blowing up, the X36 sent your son to another place, a place in which we do not have the location."

Dr. Hikari puts a reassuring arm around the visibly shaken Dr. Senkyo. He tries not to laugh out loud as his colleague breaths an audible sigh of relief over not being killed – or at least, not being fired. But he realizes how he acted earlier, and makes a mental note to apologize to Senkyo later for well… almost killing him.

Finally, Dr. Yuuichiro Hikari, says, "But he's alive, that was important…" He then takes command. "All right people, listen up! I want you all to try to find my son. Use any and all means necessary! Use the satellite to track him down, understand?"

All the Sci-Lab employee salute, "YES SIR!!"

Commander Beef orders his two suboridfantes, "Misteriyu, Black Rose, contact all Net-Agents from around the world and form a search party to find Lan Hikari A.S.A.P!"

Misteriyu & Black Rose both salute, "YES SIR!"

Princess Pride lends her support. "I will also help. I'll order all my subjects of Creamland and we'll search for him."

So does Raul. "So will I. My people will spread the word to find Lan."

"I'll use all my power to find Lan. Ayano Corp has the best Investigators and Trackers in the world!" Yai says.

And it's Chaud, Lan's rival / friend, who says, "Me too. Our company has many connections around the world and contacts in the Pentagon."

Genuinely touched by their offers of assistance, Haruka says, "Thank you all for your help!"

And so, the search for Lan Hikari is about to start.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE RANMAVERSE:**_

**7:59 am.**

Lan Hikari is still asleep; he was nice and comfortable under the covers, when suddenly… somebody somewhere blew a whistle!

**PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!**

Hearing this, Lan wakes up like lightning out of his bed…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!!" he's looking everywhere like crazy. "WHAT!?…WHO!?…WHERE!?"

"Hey, rise and shine sleepy head!" a little girl's voice says.

Lan turns around and sees no one there…

"Hey down here!"

…it was the voice of a little girl. Lan looks down and sees something that shocks him. It's a little girl wearing Pink Arabian-Style clothes, a funny hat and some earrings –(Sumomo)-…Lan did what anyone else might have done:

His eyes bug out at the sight and he screams.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Sumomo, equally scared, does likewise, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

All that noise woke up Hideki and Chii:

Hideki mumblies, "Hey, what's going on?"

A frightened Sumomo climbs on his shoulder. "Hideki, help me!"

"Hey Hideki, what in the world is that thing?" Lan says, pointing at Sumomo.

Hideki realizes, "Oh this…this is Sumomo."

"Why is she so small?"

"I guess I didn't introduce her…You see Lan, there are many types of Persocoms, gender and size."

"Size!?"

"Yes…Sumomo here is a Pocket Persocom."

"Pocket Persocom!"

"That's right…Sumomo, meet Lan Hikari."

Sumomo bows, introducing herself, "Hello, my name is Sumomo."

Just when Lan thought he'd seen everything in this world so far, he encounters something new yet again. "How do you do? I'm Lan Hikari, sorry for the outburst back there. I was just taken by surprise, that's all."

"Okay, I'm sorry too."

Chii's just now waking up. "Good morning Hideki, Good morning Lan-Kun."

Lan notices the girl Persocom. "Hey, good morning Chii, sleep well?"

"Chii sleep well, did Lan sleep well?"

Megaman-exe is surprised that Chii would ask something like that. HE knows Lan (and his ways) better than anybody. "Are you kidding Chii? Lan slept so well, a TRUCK couldn't wake him up!"

Lan objects, "Hey, nobody asked for your opinion!"

"Alright people, its time for the morning exercise." Sumomo says.

Lan blinks, "The… what?"

20 minutes later, Lan's doing pushups and sit-ups along with Hideki and Chii. Sumomo acts like the coach. "Good! More…One two, one two, one two, one two…!"

Lan's sweating as he works out. "Hey Hideki…pant pant…what's the big idea of this?"

Hideki says, also working up a sweat, "Sumomo forces us to…pant pant…do a little workout in the…pant pant...morning, says it's good for the body and to…start a new day."

Sumomo's cheering, "Come on, a little more…" She blows her whistle again.

**PRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!**

Lan's PET is next to Sumomo, so Megaman-exe was watching the morning exercise routine. "You know, that's not a bad idea at all. Hmmmm, maybe I should do that with Lan when we return."

Lan's crying out, "OH NO, MEGAMAN! PLEASE, YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS ARE YOU!?"

"And why not Lan? You could really use the exercise."

Lan groans, "THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

Megaman-exe flatly says, "Yeah I know, Life's not fair at all…but deal with it."

Over the course of the day, Lan is having a good time with Chii and Hideki. Likewise, was having a great time with Sumomo, joking around and all, and Lan and Mega both like Sumomo's special dances a lot. Lan is beginning to understand Chii more and more. Chii's beginning to like Lan (As a friend of course). Later, when Lan goes with Hideki to go shopping, he takes the opportunity to do some shopping of his own for the road.

When they came back to Hideki's place, they see a frightened and desperate Sumomo. "HIDEKIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!"

"Hey Sumomo, what's going on, why are you acting like that?"

"ITS CHII! THERE'S SOMETHING VERY WRONG WITH HER! SHE'S SICK!!"

Hideki gasps, "WHAT!? CHII! NOOO…!!"

Then they rush to his room and see Chii in bed, with a very high fever and moaning in pain. "OH NO! CHII, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? TALK TO ME!"

In pain, Chii weakly says, "Hideki, Chii not feeling good. Chii body hurts a lot."

"SUMOMO, WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER? WHY IS SHE LIKE THIS!?"

"SHE HAS, LIKE, A BIG PROBLEM INSIDE HER! I DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD IT BE, MAYBE SHE HAS A VIRUS, OR AN INFECTION!"

Hideki curses unders his breath, "Damn, and Hiroshi and Minuro aren't here."

Lan overhears Hideki and asks, "Who?"

"Hiroshi Shinbo and Minoru Kokubuji. Shinbo was Sumomo's owner and a friend of mine. He was my next-door neighbor and knew things about Chii, and Minoru was a creator of Persocoms. They're the only ones who can help with Chii…" He starts to cry. "…without them, Chii is doomed!"

Lan brightens up. " Hey, Mega and I can help!"

"Sniff…how?"  
"I can plug Megaman into Chii and he'll go inside her and fix the problem."

Hideki remembers what Lan told him about the works of Net-Navis of going inside the Cyber-World. "Yeah…YOU'RE RIGHT! LET'S DO IT!"

"OKAY!"

Then Lan took out the extension cord from his PET. "ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO THIS! JACK IN! MEGAMAN…Um…say…where can I plug this guys? Where does Chii have her terminal?"

Then Sumomo points at Chii's …crotch!

Lan's face turns three shades of red as he blushes. Scared, he gulps, "WHAT!? THERE? NO WAY! ISN'T THERE ANOTHER WAY!?"

Sumomo sadly admits, "No, I'm afraid there isn't."

"BUT, BUT, BUT…THERE!? I'M NOT A PERVERT, I CAN' T TOUCH…gulp… THERE!"

Hideki pleads, "PLEASE LAN! YOU HAVE TO!"

"BUT…!!"

Chii moans in pain, "Chiiiii!!"

Lan sighs, "All right…Sumomo, can you help with this please? Just take this cord and say "Jack in! Megaman, Execute!", and plug it in."

"Okay!" Sumomo grabs the cord and yells…-"JACK IN! MEGAMAN, EXECUTE!!"-…and she plugs it in.

Megaman lands inside Chii's mainframe. He looks around for the problem, and then he spots something. He sees some computer bugs eating some of Chii's data. "There you are!"

Meanwhile, outside:

"Hey Mega, found anything?"  
From inside, reports back to Lan, "Yeah. There appear to be some electronic bugs damaging Chii's data."

Sumomo panics, "OH NO! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?"

"No problem! Lan, send me a battle chip and I'll fix it!"

"You got it Megaman…get this…-"_**SPREADER! BATTLE CHIP IN, DOWNLOAD!**_"

Lan slips the chip into the PET and Megaman's buster fires a shot that covers the entire area deleting all the bugs. Then he fixes the damaged data.

Hideki and Sumomo see Chii's fever die down and Chii begins to feel better:

Hideki breathes a silent prayer of thanks, then checks on Chii. "Chii…thank goodness, how are you feeling?"

Chii replies, "Chii feeling all right. Chii is happy."

Lan smiles. "That's good."

Hideki bows to Lan. "Thank you so much Lan, you saved Chii! I don't know how to pay you."

"Hey,don't worry about it. It was nothing, happy to do it!"

Sumomo jumps on Lan's head happily. "THANK YOU LAN! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

Lan laughs, "You're welcome Sumomo."

The rest of the day Lan and Hideki take care of Chii. When Chii felt good enough, she fixes a delicious meal for Lan as her way of thanking him for helping her. Lan has a good time with Chii and Sumomo.

The next morning Lan is ready to go. The landlady Hibiya, Hideki, Chii and Sumomo are there to say good bye to Lan at the doorway:

"Thanks for allowing me to stay with you guys."

Hibiya smiles. "It was our pleasure Lan."

"I want to also thank you again Lan, for if it weren't for you, Chii wouldn't have been able to survive." Hideki says.

Chii shyly says, "Chii wants to thank you, Chii owes her life to Lan."

Lan grins at the girl Persocom. "No problem Chii. Happy to do it."

"So Lan, where are you going from here?" Hideki asks.

Lan explains, "I'm heading for Tokyo, to try to find Dr. Thomas Light."

"And do you know how to get there Lan?" Hibiya asks him.

"Well…I have the address, but it's gonna be hard to find it, since I don't know much about this city," Lan admits.

Hideki then gets an idea. "I know! Sumomo can go with you."

"Sumomo?"

"Yes, she's an excellent navigator. Take her along, and you'll be able to find your way all around Tokyo."

"Oh no, I couldn't ask for that!"

"I insist. It's the least I can do for you saving Chii. Sumomo will be your traveling companion, and once you finish your mission, just send her back by mail!"

Then Sumomo jumps onto Lan shoulder. "Sumomo is ready for your journey Lan-Kun!"

Lan's glad for their help. "Gee, thanks guys…thanks Sumomo."

Sumomo's happy. "Hai!"

Lan turns to go. "Well, good bye everyone."

"Goodbye Lan. Chii wishes you good luck."

"Yeah, you too Chii."

"Don't be a stranger Lan, and do come back to visit us sometime." Hibiya says.

"I will…okay, let's go Megaman and Sumomo!"

Sumomo cheerfully says, "OKAY!"

And so, with a new traveling companion, Lan travels to Tokyo, hoping to find Dr. Light. He has high hopes ahead of him. What new challenges and friends will Lan encounter? Nobody knows.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	41. The Blast King Wants To Be A Romeo!

CHAPTER 41

_**-"THE BLAST KING WANTS TO BE A ROMEO! ERICK COOKS UP YET ANOTHER SCHEME!"-**_

Aw, man! This narrator can't BELIEVE what happened in the last chapter! Why does LAN get to do that, and not ME! First, it's Dan and Mai, then Ran between Ranma and R, then R and KODACHI, of all people, for cryin' out loud! You know, I'm going to say something to the authors when this chapter's over! I don't get paid enough for this! Hmm, maybe I should ask them for a raise…

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please excuse the narrator's ranting. He's just a sad, lonely man who wishes he could be cool like Erick and me. Kinda like Dan, when you think about it. We now return you to our story in progress. It'll get good, folks, trust me!]

* * *

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

In one of the rooms of the base lies Grenademan… where he's writing something on a piece of paper. What is it, you ask? Well…he's trying to write poetry…

"Uuuh…lets see, what should I write for that lovely chick –(Ran)-, it has to be something nice, something pretty, some garbage that girls love, but what, what can I write? Let's see…" He starts writing. "_Roses are Red_, -(Butt-Head idiotic moan)- uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, _Violets are like Blue, or something, I am pretty and so are you_…hmm, not bad, not bad at all, OH YEAH! But before that, I need some opinions, but who to ask? I think I'll ask that weird priest guy Erick, maybe he'll know something…now let's go find him!"

But Erick wasn't in the Red Cat Base….

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO H.Q. – IN A LABORATORY:**_

We see Erick, with Delia by his side, M. Bison, Tron Bonne, and the rest of Bison's followers. In front of them there was a large glass tube filled with water and bubbles. B.B. Hood is floating inside of it, with no clothes on, except her bra and panties, and a breathing helmet on her face to breathe.

M. Bison says to the RED CATS' High Priest, "Tell me again Erick about this project of yours. You said that it was going to be interesting."

Erick grins at him. "Oh, and it will be, Bison. You just have to be patient."

"Why, if I may ask?"

"Well, first of all, the subject known as Baby Bonnie Hood must be healed. After all, she took quite a bit of damage from Tron's sonic wave attack."

Tron blushes. "Um…sorry, my bad."

"Not to worry girl, that's why she's inside this healing tank, and once she's healed…" Erick flashes a wicked smile. "…that's when you guys are gonna see my project."

M. Bison says, "Very well, but how long will it take?

"Not too much longer. I'd say about three hours."

* * *

_**BACK AT THE RED CATS' HIDEOUT:**_

Grenademan wanders around, trying to find someone to help him with his 'so called' poems, and on his way he bumps into Bubbleman:

Bubbleman waves at him, greeting him. "Hey Grenademan, how're you doing? Um, what ARE you doing?"

Grenademan replies, "Just here trying to make a poem for someone."

"A poem! YOU?"

Grenademan glares hard at Bubbleman. "Yeah, ME! What? Don't think I can write a poem?"

Bubbleman's waving his hands like crazy, trying to avert Grenademan's explosive fury. "Oh nononononoooo! Sure you can…!" Seeing that the Blast King's not going to blow him up, he calms down and asks, "So why ARE you writing a poem, and who's it for?"

"Oh that's easy…it's for the lovely girl known as Ran!"

Bubbleman, with a kawai face – how can a robot that looks like a scuba-diver / frogman look cute? – says, "Oh, for Ran? How cute and…" He then gasps loudly, his mouth wide open, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!?"

"Yes, for Ran…you have a hearing problem or something?"

"No, it's just that…Grenademan, are you sure about that? Lady Ran is wanted by the Cat Ghost King for treason!"

"Don't care…I will make her mine! OH YEAH!!"

Bubbleman is worried. "I don't know man…what if you get into trouble?"

"Well that's MY problem…anyway, I want your opinion of my poem…read it and tell me what you think."

"Oh, you don't want my opinion, I don't know anything about poems…Hey, why don't you ask the High Priest Erick? Maybe he can help you."

"Good idea…where can I find him?"

Bubbleman remembers, "Oh, he's not here at the moment."

"Drats…oh well, maybe later, thanks…OH YEAH! I almost forgot! HWAH!" Grenademan then socks Bubbleman hard below the belt!

**THUMP!**

Poor Bubbleman drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes, crying in a pinched voice, "OWWWWWWW…!! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"

"THAT's for your stupid –'Vending Machine Costume'- idea that you gave me! I had lots of trouble with it, and some stupid human hit me in my groin!"

Then Grenademan leaves, leaving Bubbleman on the floor…

* * *

_**BACK AT THE SHADOWLOO LABORATORY – 3 HOURS LATER**_**:**

M. Bison and his crew are with Erick and Delia in the lab…in front of them was B.B. Hood. She's still in the tube…

M. Bison has his arms crossed, waiting for the good news. "Okay Erick, I hope that you are ready to show me what you've promised."

Erick confirms, "Oh, it is Bison."

"Well…what is it?"

"You said something about your using your creepy Cells for a project?" Tron asks.

Erick gives a polite reply, "Quite right Miss. Bonne." He clears his throat, "Ahem… Okay, first of all, Bison, what would you say about acquiring B.B. Hood's services?"

M. Bison wonders, "Her? Why?"

"Well, I was thinking of suggesting you recruit this young lady in your service."

OK, Bison's confused. "But her? Now why would I want to do that"?

"Why not, Bison? She, like Tron Bonne, could be a very important member for Shadowloo."

"Explain."

"Gladly…you saw first hand Ms. Hood's skills in battle, her expertise with weapons, and her fierce battle against Tron."

"Well, yes…"

"Now imagine if she works for YOU Bison…she could be your hit-man, or hit-girl."

Bison's intrigued by Erick's idea. "How?"

"Think about it. Suppose that you have someone that you want to get rid of, like a judge, prime minister, general, etc. This girl can be your assassin, and she will eliminate them."

M. Bison objects, ridiculing the notion, "But, come on, look at her! She doesn't look like she could pose any danger! She's just a girl."

Erick just smiles his evil smile. "Ah, but that's 'her' biggest weapon…her looks."

Tron blinks. "Huh? Why?"

"Easy…who would ever suspect that a sweet little girl could be a deadly assassin? Nobody!"

M. Bison thinks it over, reconsidering, "That's so? Hmm, interesting…"

Erick assures Bison, "It is…believe me. This girl, what she lacks in innocence, she more than makes up for it in insanity."

M. Bison thought it over for 5 minutes and came up with his answer. "I think I like your idea, Erick."

Erick's pleased. "Excellent! Now, I've taken the liberty of programming some commands into her mind, commands that you'll love Bison."

"Oh!"

"Yes…let's see them, or rather, hear them…"

Then Erick presses a button on the computer and, picking up a microphone, starts to talk to B.B. Hood. "All right. B.B. Hood, please tell us your Prime Directives."

B.B Hood was still asleep inside the tube, but still she answers, in the unsettling monotone of the hypnotized, "_**Serve Shadowloo'. 'Protect Bison'. 'Uphold his Law.**_"

Erick turns to Bison, awaiting his ally's approval. "What do you guys think?"

M. Bison, as Erick hoped, indeed approves. "That's fascinating Erick. I like it a lot."

"That's so cool!" Tron gushes.

Erick then offers, "Now, Bison…before I unleash the Cells, care to put more commands into her, or will those three be fine?"

Bison thinks a little… but then, "Hmm…wait, I have some commands I want to put in!"

"Good. Put them into the computer."

Then Bison began to tap in the commands as he verbally commands, "_**Obey M. Bison. No one else'. 'Receive orders from M. Bison only, with no questions asked'. 'All enemies of M. Bison and Shadowloo must be destroyed'**_."

Erick raises an eyebrow at this, but maintains his cool. "Wow, Bison, those were cool."

"Thanks."

"Now…what you guys are going to see may shock you." Then Erick takes out a canister, filled with the DVL Cells. The others look closer into it in awe:

Tron's in awe. "Those are the Cells? They look kinda creepy!"

Erick humors her, "They do, don't they? Now…to place them inside the tube, and they shall merge with B.B Hood…observe!"

Then Erick connects the canister into a pipe that connects to the tube, presses a button, and he fills the holding tank with the Cells! The Cells enter the water like a dark red fog and cover B.B. Hood up head to toe. "Now guys, you're about to see firsthand how my babies work."

They see the Cells merge with B.B. Hood inside her mind. Then they're gone:

M. Bison complements, "Remarkable, Erick. That was impressive."

Erick accepts, "Thank you."

"But tell me something. Why do you think THIS project will be different than before with that boy Hibiki?"

Erick is only happy to explain. "I'm glad you asked. You see, the DVL Cells invade the host's mind and take over. Unfortunately, if the person's soul and mind are strong enough to resist, the Cells will have a hard time controlling him or her, but they will. In THIS subject, however, the Cells will have no problem."

Tron's confused here. "Why?"

"Easy, the soul and mind of THIS girl are full of hate, greed, and ambition. So the Cells had no problem whatsoever controlling her. In other words, the weaker the person is, the easier it is for my Cells to dominate them."

Having heard the process explained in detail, Bison has a wide grin on his face. He secretly thinks about his own uses for the Cells once he gets access to them – for example, with those Cells, plus a sizable dose of Psycho Power, he could reactivate the DOLL Project… By having immutable loyalty programmed into a small cadre of perhaps a dozen or more young women Bison could not only take power but he would become un-seatable because after the flawless, selfless lady guardians had removed the "others" (i.e. his many enemies, of which Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, Charlie, and Cammy (who was once the first of his DOLL Agents) have been at the top of THAT list. AND certain other people, like that pathetic Dr. Wily, that ridiculous Cat Ghost King, or that annoying vampire Demitri) they could be conditioned to take certain "commands" from him which they would never, ever, ever plot against Bison and would reflexively choose to die themselves rather than see any harm come to him.

Bison's smile grows even wider. His partnership with Erick and the RED CAT GANG is proving to be quite beneficial both now… and in the near future. "Impressive. Those Cells are really something Erick."

Tron compliments Erick too, "Yeah, those are very cool."

Erick beams up. "Why thank you, Bison. It's so good that someone recognizes the hard work of a fellow genius…now, why don't you go and have a drink while Delia and I prepare Baby Bonnie Hood and come back to our base later."

"Why?"

"We need to prepare, tend, clothe, and feed this girl, so that she's ready when I hand her over to you."

M. Bison considers that ('cause who knows what else Erick might program into B.B Hood's already deranged little mind?), then says, "Very well, I'll trust you, but she'd better be as good as you've told me Erick."

Erick assures him, "Oh, she will Bison, I promise." To Delia, he says, "Let's go, Delia."

Delia nods, "Okay Erick-san." Then, to a group of RED CAT Soldiers who've accompanied Erick and Delia to Shadowloo HQ, she orders, "Pick up the girl and let's go."

A RED CAT Solider salutes, "Yes ma'am."

The soldiers carry the tube and head for Erick's personal Airship to return to the RED CATS' Base.

* * *

_**THE NEXT DAY – AT THE MCD's REAL BOUT MARTIAL ARTS BAR & GRILL:**_

Yukime arrives in time to the restaurant for her first day on the job. The Sub-Manager greets her and then takes her to meet the owner. Yukime was kinda nervous. Then it happens. They arrive at THE MCD's office, where he was sitting at the desk, doing his work:

Satoro knocks on the door, "Excuse me D, but here's the girl for the job."

THE MCD looks up. "Oh! Send her in."

"Yes, sir." Satoro then calls Yukime, "You may come in now."

Then Yukime enters the office and sits down. The MCD politely introduces himself, "Hello there, young girl, my name is The MCD."

A little nervous, Yukime replies while introducing herself, "Um, nice to meet you sir, my name is Yukime."

The MCD smiles, complimenting her. "A lovely name. So…are you ready to start your job here?"

Yukime nods, "Yes sir. I'm ready."

"Good, but let me tell you; sometimes, this work will be very hard. Do you think that you can handle it?"

Yukime is determined. "Yes sir, I will give it all my will and dedication."

The MCD's smiling – he likes that answer. "Good, that's all I wanted to hear. So then… its settled. Welcome aboard Yukime, we're so glad to have you on our team."

"Thank you so much sir," Yukime happily says while bowing. "I promise to work very hard and I won't let you down!"

The MCD chuckles. "That's okay Yukime. Once again, welcome aboard."

Then he shakes hands with Yukime. When they touch each other, he begins to feel something from her, a strange aura; so does Yukime:

Intrigued, The MCD's thinking, _Hmm, the aura this girl has…It's very weird, its like she's a…no! Can it be? I'd better keep a good eye on her._

Yukime softly gasps, thinking, _Oh my god, the aura and strength of will this man has! It's very powerful, so full of energy. Just like… _She shakes her head, not believing this is possible. _…no, even more stronger than Nube! How can it be_?

After they finish shaking hands, The MCD then says, "Well, Yukime, I'll take you to meet the rest of my staff and you can begin working."

Yukime expresses her gratitude. "Thanks a lot."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

Erick's personal Airship landed on the base docks…Erick steps down, followed by Delia. Some RED CAT Soldiers are carrying the Tube where B.B. Hood lies inside.

Erick's ordering the Cat Soldiers, "Take B.B. Hood to my room, and fix and clean her clothes, while you two inform our personal chefs to fix a delicious meal for me, Delia and B.B. Hood…NOW!"

RED CAT Soldier 1 salutes, "Yes sir."

RED CAT Soldier 2 risks asking his boss, "Okay…but…what meal do you want us to tell the chefs to prepare, sir?"

Erick's response to that, "Tell them to surprise me…Now go!"

"We shall obey you, sir!"

Then the soldiers take B.B. Hood inside. Erick is heading for his private chamber with Delia, when Grenademan spots him walking down the hall and goes over to him:

Grenademan gets happy. "All right, there he is! OH YEAH!!" He waves and yells to Erick, "HEY ERICK! HEEEEEEEEY!!"

Erick turns around and sees Grenademan running toward him. "Grenademan, what do you want? I'm kinda in a hurry."

"Don't worry, man, this won't take long, I just need your help on something."

"Well tell me already. What is it?"

Grenademan tells him, "Erick…can you help me? I want to write a poem for someone."

Erick and Delia are confused and gasp at Grenademan's unusual request. The crazy-happy bomber wanted to write a poem.

Erick (having gotten over the initial shock) manages to speak. "Excuse me, you said that you want to write a POEM, and for someone?"

Grenademan replies, "Yep, that's what I said. OH YEAH!"

"Well…you really took me by surprise there…but WHY do you want to write a poem…and most of all…for who?"

"Aw shucks…that's a secret, but, are you gonna help or what? I KNOW that you know all about these things!"

"Well…alright, I suppose I can help you a little."

"GREAT! OH YEAH! Look, this is what I wrote. Read it and tell me what you think!"

Erick read the so called poem that Grenademan wrote and…

Grenademan eagerly wants to know the High Priest's opinion. "So, what do you think? Is it cool? Is it romantic? What, what, whaaaaaaaaaat?"

Erick sweatdrops. "Um…" Then, he says, "… well, do you want the truth or sarcasm?"

"Uh…the truth!"

"Okay… Don't quit your day job, Grenademan."

"So that means that it WAS romantic! OH YEAH!"

"Not unless you were addressing this poem to Beavis and Butt-Head."

Grenademan STILL doesn't get it. "Uhh… and that means…"

Delia bluntly explains it for him, "It means that your poem doesn't have anything romantic in it."

Hurt by Delia's criticism, Grenademan objects, "HEY! I put a LOT of work into that!"

Erick reminds Grenademan, "Well, you said you wanted the truth, didn't you!?"

"But not like that! Well… can you help me, help me to make good poems!"

"I suppose I can give you some assistance… Okay, here's what I'll do…"

Then Erick chants a spell and a book appears. "Here Grenademan, take this."

Grenademan wonders, "But, how's this gonna help me?"

"Simple…that book contains the works of great writers, like Shakespeare, Cervantes, etc. Read it."

The "Blast King" whines, "But…I don't wanna read! It's BORING! Can't you just tell me how to do it?"

Erick shakes his head no. "Sorry buddy, but poetry is something that one must do on their own. It's a special art that must come from the heart, because when it's written from the heart it's more romantic."

Delia adds, "That's right…if you put your heart, or whatever you have inside, into it, your poem will truly spark feelings of love"

Erick concludes, "So Grenademan, read that book and you'll be able to write your poems for that person. Also, you can write Love Letters, that also help to conquer girls, isn't that right Delia-chan?"

Delia smiles at her beloved, "Yes!"

Grenademan frowns, but he accepts the advice Erick's given him. "Okay…but I still wanted you to help me, since you're the High Priest."

Erick admits, "I COULD, but then your poem wouldn't be special now, would it? Speaking of which Grenademan, how are your plans for destroying Ranma? Remember, you only have two days till your deadline."

Grenademan assures, "Don't worry, I've just finished it and I'll be putting into motion soon. That Ranma boy will get what's coming to him! OH YEAAAAAH!"

Erick seems pleased. But in a serious voice, he warns, "Good, for YOUR sake that is, because second opportunities don't repeat again, got it?"

"*Gulp*…got it, sir."

"Good, now good luck." To Delia, Erick says, "Let's get going Delia."

Then Erick walks away, leaving a worried Grenademan…

"Oh man, I'd better prepare my plan to eliminate that cursed freak Ranma! OH YEAH! But first, I must read this book for my poems for that lovely creature Ran."

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO - TENDO DOJO:**_

Alone in the Dojo, Ran was having difficultly dealing with her strange crush on Ranma. She knew that it couldn't be true, yet deep in her heart she felt otherwise. After all, she didn't have the guts to tell Ranma that:

Worried, Ran's thinking, _Oh man, what am I gonna do? Is it love what I'm feeling for Ranma? Do I tell him? But what would he say…?_ Something occurs to her, and the thought scares her. _What would Akane say?_

"Hey, Ran," a girl's voice says.

"WHA…!?" Startled, Ran turns around and sees Akane entering the Dojo. "Aka…Akane, how you are doing?"

Akane replies, "Fine… say, Ran, are you alright?"

Ran nervously laughs, "Fine! I'm doing fine! Hahahaha…"

Akane blinks. "Are you sure? Kasumi told me that you weren't acting like you usually do."

Ran assures her friend. "I'm fine Akane. Don't worry about it."

Akane smiles. "That's good. Just remember Ran that if you want to talk about it, or if you're having a hard time with something, you can count on me. After all, you're like a sister to me too, okay?"

Ran nods, "Okay."

Then Akane walks away. Ran's feeling REALLY guilty now! Way to twist the knife into her, Akane!

Interrupting the narrator, the author says, "HEY! Enough already! We get the picture! GET ON WITH IT!! Geez… stupid narrator…"

Oh, right. Anyway… Meanwhile, poor Ran was now hit with guilt. She moans, "Oh man, now it's gonna be even harder to tell them my problem."

* * *

_**RED CAT' SECRET BASE – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

B.B. Hood woke up weakly and looks at her surroundings. She was feeling very strange:

"Where am I? What is this place?"

"You're in my room little girl," a man's voice says.

B.B. Hood blinks, "Huh!?"

She looks at Erick standing in the doorway, along with Delia:

B.B. Hood greets them, "Hello!"

Erick smiles at her. "How're you doing Bonnie-chan?"

B.B. Hood admits, "Kinda weak. Where am I anyway?"

"You're in the Red Cat Gang's Base, in my room. Tell me girl, do you remember anything?"

The psycho Little-Red-Riding-Hood thinks it over, recalling, "Um…not much, except serving Bison and this and that."

Erick grins, thinking, _Good, it looks like my lovely DVL Cells are in control of this girl's mind forever_. "Okay, but before we talk more, how's about if you put some clothes on girl…" He chuckles, "…not that I don't mind the peek show."

B.B. Hood's confused by his statement, but when she looks at herself she gasps big time, for she was wearing nothing but her lovely pink Bra and Panties. She blushes, crying out, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!"

Then Erick walks away from the room to allow B. to change. 30 minutes later he enters again and sees that B. is changed into her clean clothes. "Now that you're all dressed up, I want to welcome you to your new life. Now you'll be working for M. Bison, isn't that right B.?"

B.B. Hood nods, remembering the suggestions planted in her mind. "Yes, that's right…hey, where's Harry my dog?" she remembers, looking for her pet.

"Oh yes, Delia if you please."

"Yes." Delia waves her hand and a little brown dog appears…

"Bark bark bark!", the dog, erm.. barks.

B.B. Hood squeals, "Harry, there you are!"

Erick mentions, "Your puppy was also healed, 'cause of the battle you were in, but now it's okay." With a wicked smile, he adds, "…and, as a bonus, Delia and I gave Harry a little…modification."

B.B. Hood blinks, "Um… modification? What do you mean?"

Harry begins to glow and is cover in blue flame and changes into a….-(Not yet dudes!)-

B.B. Hood is in awe and impressed with her puppy's "new" form. Harry then reverts back to his original form.

Erick wants to know what she thinks. "So tell me, did you like your mascot's new form?

"WOW, THAT WAS AWESOME! I DIDN'T KNOW HE COULD DO THAT!"

"Well, with a little incantation and a little will, anything is possible. But back to business; are you ready to serve your new master B.?"

B.B. Hood nods obediently, "Yes I am."

"If so…tell me, what are your Prime Directives?"

"To serve M. Bison and Shadowloo only, and destroy all enemies."

Erick pulls a C. Montgomery Burns, as he says, "Excellent. Before we take you to him, we'll have lunch, how about that?"

B.B. Hood 's tummy rumbles. "Good idea, I'm starving!"

"Then let's go and eat, just follow me."

Later, Erick, Delia and B.B. Hood are seated at the main table having a meal. B.B. Hood's eating like mad. Erick and Delia just sweatdrop at the girl's appetite:

Erick chuckles, "Boy, she wasn't kidding when she said she was hungry!"

Delia observes, "Yes, poor girl. It's as if she hasn't eaten in a long time."

After lunch, Erick takes B.B. Hood to a secret door. When he opens the door they are in a white room:

B.B. Hood risks asking, "Where are we? Why have you brought me here?"

Erick explains, "I brought you here so that you can arm yourself…now take your Special Picnic Basket and grab any weapons you like."

"But, I already have my weapons…" B.B. Hood looks into her basket but finds nothing. She freaks out, "HEY, WHERE ARE MY WEAPONS?"

Erick snorts, "Oh, those old things? We threw them away."

B.B. Hood looks liks she's about to cry. "B-BUT WHY!?"

"Listen, you won't need those old guns, for I'll give you Real Weapons. Weapons of mass destruction…now grab all the weapons you like."

B.B. Hood looks everywhere. "But…what weapons, I don't see anything here!"

"Look again."

Then Erick snaps his fingers…and in a millisecond, lots of weapons appear, filling the room from wall-to-wall…-(Just like in the movie The Matrix)- B.B. Hood sees all those weapons and is delighted…she's like a little girl in a candy store. The weapons are State-Of the Art. Vulcan guns, Hyper Rocket Launchers, Supreme Heavy Machine Guns, and many types of Laser Guns…the works:

B.B. Hood 's teary-eyed. "NO WAY…!! LOOK AT ALL THOSE WEAPONS! OH MY GOODNESS, I'M IN HEAVEN!!"

"Glad you like it, now pick as many as you wish," Erick instructs.

B.B. Hood realizes, "But…they won't ALL fit inside my basket."

"About that…I also made a little modification to that basket of yours."

"What did you do?"

"Simple…with a simple spell I installed a sub-space inside your basket…now you can put as many things as you like inside it."

"REALLY? I CAN?"

"Yes…and, all you have to do is think of the specific weapon you want and just pull it out of your basket."

"SUPER!"

Then B.B. Hood begins to grab all the weapons she liked the best and puts them inside her Basket. She was impressed when she sees that she could really put lots of weapons inside her small basket. Like a shopaholic during a big holiday sale, she almost cleans out the place. Now, she was prepared. Prepared to serve her new Master… M. Bison, the leader of Shadowloo.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	42. Former Friends Clash! THE MCD VS Erick!

CHAPTER 42

_**-"FORMER FRIENDS CLASH! THE MCD VS. ERICK! ENTER SHADOWLOO'S SECOND NEWEST MEMBER, B.B. HOOD!"-**_

(…………): Speaking Telepathically

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO SECRET BASE:**_

Erick's personal airship lands in Shadowloo's Air Bay. As before, a 20 line division is formed by the RED CAT Soldiers…Erick steps out, followed by Delia, and last but not least…B.B. Hood, followed by her faithful dog Harry. They walk toward M. Bison's throne room.

* * *

_**BISON'S THRONE ROOM:**_

M. Bison is sitting on his Throne, besides him is his loyal assistant Tron Bonne. Below them are Bison's fighters…Zangief, Balrog, Vega, Rolento, Sodom, Sagat and his student Adon.

M. Bison greets his partner, "Erick, so nice of you to visit."

Erick grins. "Hey to you too Bison."

"So! What happened to the girl that you were supposed to bring here to Shadowloo?"

"Oh, that…she's right here…" Erick clears his throat, then says, "Bison, allow me to introduce to you the newest member of Shadowloo…Baby Bonnie Hood."

Then…B.B. Hood enters the Throne Room. Her clothes are the same, as she's dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, with her dog, carrying her picnic basket. On her chest, though, is a beautiful necklace, of the familiar winged skull emblem of Shadowloo.

B.B. Hood bows before her new lord and master. "Hello M. Bison sir."

Erick further explains, "As you can see Bison, B.B. Hood is now your loyal follower."

Bison is pleased. "Splendid… B.B. Hood, are you ready to serve me and Shadowloo?"

B.B. Hood replies, "Yes sir…my mission is to Protect you and Shadowloo with all my might. And all enemies of you and Shadowloo I will destroy, along with the help of my puppy Harry."

Harry barks, "Bark bark!"

"Excellent, good work Erick. She will do wonders," Bison says.

Erick repsonds in agreement, "I know."

Balrog snorts, "Oh please…a little girl? What can she do? This must be a joke!"

Erick politely warns, "It is not wise to judge things just by their looks, Balrog. B. may LOOk small to you, but she's a deadly assassin, and so is her dog."

The boxer laughs, "That little fleabag? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AND HOW IS IT DANGEROUS? WHAT'S HE'S GONNA DO? BITE MY LITTLE FINGERS? BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Suddenly…Harry is covered in blue flames, then transforms into a big, black-brown, evil wolf. His paws are covered in blue flame, and his tail is made of the same stuff, and he's got sharp teeth and claws (Almost like Kirara, that pet cat of Sango's from Inuyasha). Next, it jumps and tackles Balrog, pinning him to the floor. Balrog's shaking his pants off in fear, the demon wolf growling in his face just inches away…

Evil Harry's growling, "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Balrog panics, "AAAAHH!! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

B.B. Hood whistles, "Harry, come here boy!"

Obeying her master's call, Harry walks away from Balrog, and reverts back to a little puppy:

Erick chuckles, "Not so small and miserable Harry is, eh Balrog?"

"What did you do to it Erick?" M. Bison wanted to know.

"Oh, just a little modification on the dog's DNA, with the help of Magic, I was able to give B.B. Hood's dog a little boost, so to speak."

"That's very impressive…you really have done excellent work there."

"Thanks…but that's not all, Bison. For you see, B.B. Hood's picnic basket is like a walking armory."

"What do you mean?" Tron asks.

Erick explains, "Easy…B.B. Hood's picnic basket can carry any weapon thanks to a Sub-Space Pocket I installed inside of it. She can draw any weapon she wishes to…B.B. Hood, if you can do us the honor?"

B.B. Hood reaches into her basket and draws a big weapon, a 12 mm Powerful Assault Gun. The crew's in awe to see a weapon that big come out from a small basket. Then she draws a Hyper Bazooka…she draws weapon after a weapon, in the end, everyone's impressed about such marvelous things:

Tron's excited. "WOW! THAT'S THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"

Bison agrees with Tron, "Indeed it is Erick, and…is she's good with those weapons?"

Erick smiles, eager to show off B.B. Hood's skill. "Why don't we find out…B., why don't you show Bison your weapon skills."

B.B. Hood cheerfully smiles, "Sure!"

Erick then takes out 8 pennies and tosses them into the air. B.B. Hood quickly pulls out a gun from her basket and fires at the pennies in mid-air with several shots. Erick catches the pennies and shows it to the crew, the pennies had clean shots right in the center:

Sagat's impressed. "Remarkable, right in the center."

Adon, who usually butts heads with his former mentor, also agrees, "What a shot!"

Zangief's in awe. "Troshka…little girl good with guns, good aiming!"

Erick:" Glad you like it…B.B. Hood's learned to be a great sniper. Why, she could even hit a fly at a 200 foot range. Plus, with little training she has mastered such skills, such as Weapons and Tactics, Infiltration, Martial Arts, Explosives, Urban Combat and, her deadliest of them all…her cuteness! Show them, girl."

Then B.B. Hood gives the crew a kawai smile, and bats her eyelashes fast, with the face of a cute little girl. But to the others:

Scared silly, Tron eeps and hides behind Bison. "Boss, I'm afraid! That's scary!"

Balrog's hair stands on end, frightened by B.B Hood's overwhelming cuteness. "You said it!"

"Well I'M convinced Erick. She will do great as a Body Guard and Hit-Girl." Bison says approvingly.

Erick replies with a dramatic bow, "Thank you. And now if you'll excuse us, Delia and I must be going."

"Where are you going Erick?"

Erick casually tells the CEO of Shadowloo, "Oh…just to visit an old friend Bison, that's all."

Then Erick and Delia board their private transport and head off.

* * *

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE – WITHIN THE DARK SHRINE OF THE CAT GHOST KING:**_

The Statue of Lord Kamusaru, the Cat Ghost King glows with a burning red aura. "Soon, very soon I will obtain that stone…then I'll have my revenge on that cursed Ranma Saotome meow! Just you wait Ranma, I'll make sure that you suffer a LOT! MEOW!"

* * *

_**THE MCD'S REAL BOUT MARTIAL ARTS BAR & GRILL:**_

Business was good at the REAL BOUT.

Yukime had begun to work as a waitress and making good money too. Her charms and polite manners make her customers give her good tips. Even though the work was hard, she loved it and enjoyed working in that place. Little by little she began to forget her crushed heart and started being happy again. The MCD looks at Yukime work and was pleased with her good work, so much that he promoted her to Head Waitress in such a short time. She was happy, but she was still intrigued at the MCD's hidden aura, it was unique. She finds out that he was a seven-time world Martial Arts Champion, but that didn't bother her.

The MCD, after finding out that the last tournament he promoted at the opening of his restaurant –(see Chapter 11)-, where he offered a year's worth of free food, turned in major profits, he decided to throw another one. So he spread the word in flyers, and, the next day many fighters from Japan came to the place to challenge him…

The place was packed to the max…many customers were there to eat and watch the fight…

The MCD, in his battle outfit, was taking out all the challengers. None of them could beat him in the ring:

The MCD in rare form tonight. He taunts his opponents, "Come on folks, surely there is one out there who can beat me…or are you all weak?"

One fighter, enraged, goes, "WHY YOUUU!"

Another fighter declares, "I'm gonna shut his mouth off!"

Then motivated by their anger, the fighters go to fight the MCD, but, the MCD was just too good for them…

Three hours later:

All the fighters that came to challenge the MCD were KO'd…The MCD didn't even break a sweat:

Impressed with her boss's skill, Yukime thinks, _Wow…he sure is a great warrior, and I can tell that he hasn't used all his strength, now I see why he's a seven-time world champion!_

The MCD regards his beaten opponents. "That's it? Boy, I was expecting a good match, but none of you guys gave me a workout…COME ON! ISN'T THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WILL TAKE ME ON? WHO WILL TAKE MY CHALLENGE!?"

"I'll take you on," a man's voice calmly says.

Then The MCD turns around and sees something, or someone (!), and he gasps.

In the entrance of the restaurant was ERICK.

Michael Angelus sees Erick walking inside the restaurant with his girlfriend Delia. Needless to say, he's NOT pleased to see his former friend.

Not wishing to alarm the people gathered in the REAL BOUT, The MCD telepathically says, (YOU!)

Erick greets him back, (Hey Michael!)

(What in the hell are you doing in my restaurant!?)

(Why, to take your request of course! You did ask for someone to take you on right?)

(You? HA! As if you could fight? You can't fight you evil man! You only use your evil magic!)

(Oh you'll be surprised, my friend. Heh, heh, heh… you'll be surprised.)

Their conversation had lasted all about two, maybe three minutes, but fortunately the audience didn't hear a word of it – since Angelus and Erick were communicating telepathically - and so they'd thought that a moment of dramatic tension was building between the two men.

Erick begins to walk toward the ring. When he passes by Yukime, she feels an immense evil energy coming from him and Delia. She gets a big chill. _What was that…that weird energy I sensed from him? It's unlike any I've ever sensed before in my life! And the energy of that woman, I don't know why, but I felt…nothing from her…I don't understand!_

Then Erick jumps into the ring:

An announcer says, "Well, it looks we have another participant! What is your name sir?"

Erick, not wishing to give the fool who's sticking a microphone in his face his full name, just says, "Just call me Erick."

Unfazed, the announcer continues, "We have Erick versus our undefeated Martial Arts Fighter and owner of this restaurant, The MCD…"

Then Erick takes off his clothes and reveals his battle outfit, which is nearly identical to The MCD's. The only difference was that Erick's outfit was a dark sleeveless Chinese shirt, with Red trim and Dark Kung Fu Pants, and had a Kanji of the word Death on his back…Erick then assumes his battle stance:

The announcer (who's also the referee) takes his position between the two combatants. "Fighters ready…set…FIGHT!"

The MCD sizes up Erick, thinking, _Hmmm…_Can_ Erick fight!?_

Erick then dashes toward The MCD with such speed that even The MCD is shocked. He strikes him hard with a punch to his chest, sending him flying and crashing hard on the mat. The MCD's shocked to feel that blow, it was like being hit by a Heavy Truck traveling at a hundred miles per hour.

Rubbing his chest, a hurt MCD thinks, _What the…how did he do that?_"

Erick projects his thoughts, (Surprised, my friend? You're not the only one who knows all about Martial Arts! Hee hee hee hee!)

The MCD rises. (So I see…so you CAN fight…but I have many years of experience, so let's get it on! See if you can defeat me!)

(All right…but you'll be even more surprised later on!)

-(Insert Music _**–"Reptile Battle Theme Song**_"- from _**Mortal Kombat the Movie**_)-

Then they took their defense poses…then it starts…

The MCD and Erick begin to duke it out. The MCD throws a barrage of Punches and Kicks at Erick, but he blocks them all. Then Erick jumps into the air and spins around toward the MCD, striking him with a spinning Kick to his jaw sending him to the floor. The MCD quickly gets up and blocks another kick and strikes Erick with a roundhouse kick to his chest, followed by an axe kick, but Erick blocks it and jumps away…

(You fight well Michael. For being an Angel, you've really learned a lot.)

The MCD has a grim expression on his face. (I see that you've also learned some new tricks.)

Erick just smiles. (As before Michael…you'll be surprised.)

The crowd is excited and roaring high for the fight…the fighters were moving so fast. It's like watching the fight of Neo vs. Agent Smith from Matrix Reloaded…The MCD is really impressed at Erick's fighting skill. _How did Erick get to be so good? I'd thought that he only used those powerful spells and…_

Erick lets him know, (Well, you thought wrong my friend…I've been watching and learning from the best from the past, and…in the process, I've created a style of my own!)

Watching the fight, Yukime was in awe…same with the audience. "I've never seen two people fighting like that…that Erick person fights like a master."

An excited person in the audience yells, "YEAAAAAH! LOOK AT THEM GO! THIS IS A GREAT FIGHT!"

Another cheers (for Erick or Angelus, we don't know), "COME ON, KICK HIS ASS! WOOOOO HOOOO!"

A third member of the audience says, "THIS IS ONE EXCITING MATCH! IT'S BETTER THAN ANY I'VE EVER SEEN!"

In the fight, Erick jumps toward MCD spinning upwards and releases a kick at him, but The MCD grabs and tosses him away. Erick, using his other leg, kicks him back in the chest. Later, The MCD punches Erick in his stomach with a Palm strike, followed by a two-strike snake punch… The battle lasted for about 30 minutes…when…

Erick pants, faking exhaustion. (Remarkable buddy, you truly are a good warrior. It's been AGES since I fought someone so good.)

The MCD not trying to hear it. (Enough with the flattery Erick.)

Erick agrees, (Indeed, my friend…I see that your audience is truly impressed with out fight, so why don't we put an end to it and give them a finale they'll love. What do you say, old friend?)

The MCD grits his teeth. (Bring it on! I'll defeat you!)

Then both warriors stand there in their battle stances, and began charging their Ki. Then, they charge toward each other with incredible speed, like bullets. The audience was screaming for it…when they get close, the MCD releases a fast punch toward Erick's face…however…

When his fist makes contact, the blow passes right through Erick…

The MCD blinks, thinking, _What the…? What happened…?_ He then realizes in shock, "OH NO! AN AFTER IMAGE…!"

(Right you are, Michael!) Erick declares from behind him.

The MCD turns around and sees Erick behind him; his fist glowing with dark-purple energy…

(It's over, Michael.) Erick yells, "JIGOKU-NO-KEN –(The Fist of Hell)-!"

Then Erick hits the MCD in the back, sending him flying away into the ropes like a bullet. The MCD hit the ropes hard, the force so strong that it tears up the ropes and he still keeps on flying away, finally crashing hard into a wall…

-(Think of Kid Muscle's –"Muscle Millennium"- personal move from Ultimate Muscle)-

The Fight was over…Erick has won:

The announcer can't believe it! Still he says, declaring, "THE WINNER IS ERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!"

The audience roars from the excitement…Erick steps down from the Ring and walks toward The MCD, who was getting up…

Erick smiles, then says aloud, "Well Mr. MCD, Looks like I won the match, yes?" (Wouldn't you agree Michael?)

The MCD was mad on the inside, but out of respect for his opponent, he shows humility, and accepts his loss and shakes hands with him…

The MCD flatly says, "Looks like it. Congratulations, Mr. Erick, you've won the One Year Certificate to eat here free for a year." Then, switching to telepathy, he says, (Damn you Erick. You won this time, but don't let it go to your head, cause I was holding back.)

"Thank you Mr. MCD, I'm very happy." Erick telepathically replies, (Oh, don't be such a sore loser Michael. After all buddy…I too was holding back. But don't worry; our REAL fight will take place very soon!)

Then Erick turns around and walks away from there, with Delia following him. They pass Yukime, who says to Erick, "Congratulations, sir. You were great."

Erick smiles at the snow-girl. "Thanks a lot, I'll be seeing you."

When Yukime shakes hands with him…something happens. An image of an evil demon appeared in Yukime's mind for a millisecond, causing her to gasp big-time. When Erick walks away, Yukime's shaking, fear chilling inside her. _What was that…? I don't know what it was, but it was something I've never felt in all my life. His…energy, so full of evil, like no other. Who is he? What is he?_

Then, she resumes her work, but still with that question on her mind.

* * *

_**AT THE REAL BOUT – LATE NIGHT:**_

Everyone finished their jobs and went home after a hard day. Only The MCD and Yukime stay behind to clean up some stuff…

After the MCD locks the place up, he walks home with Yukime …

The MCD, tired from a good day's work, breathes a satisfied sigh. "Another day, another group of satisfied customers."

Yukime giggles, "You're right!"

The MCD admits, "I must say Yukime, you really are a hard working girl."

Yukime blushes, flattered. "Why, thanks a lot Mr. MCD."

"So tell me Yukime, tell me about the place were you used to live."

"Well, I don't have much to say, except I used to have some wonderful friends. Their names were Kyoko, Hiroshi, Miki, Moriko, Makoto, Kasiya, Akira… they were all students from Domori High, their teacher's name was Nube. He was a cool teacher, dedicated to his students. I worked in a Skating Shop…"

The MCD listens attentively to what's she said. "Sounds like you have good friends…so why did you leave that place Yukime?"

Yukime gets a little nervous. Apparently, her boss' innocent question brought up some old memories. "I…don't want to talk about it, please."

The MCD apologizes, "Oh… I'm sorry Yukime."

"No, that's okay, it's just that…it hurts me to talk about that."

"Well Yukime, if you ever want to talk about it, I'll be there."

Yukime smiles genuinely. "Thanks MCD, that's so nice of you…well, I must be going." She waves good bye. "See you tomorrow."

The MCD returns her smile, waving. "See you tomorrow."

Then he begins to walk toward his home…when he sees someone seated on a bench at the park...Erick:

"YOU again…what are you doing here?"

Erick notices The MCD, calling him by his real name. "Hello Michael. Just here admiring the beauty of this park, that's all."

The MCD's not stupid – he KNOWS Erick's up to something. "Cut the lies…why are you here?"

Erick chuckles, "Nothing gets by you, does it? Don't tell me that you're still mad about losing to me are you? That's SO not like you."

"Listen, I don't have time to deal with you, so if you don't tell me why you're here I'll…"

Erick sighs, "Always so impatient, Michael… Okay, I'll tell you… but first, what are YOU fighting for?"

The MCD cocks an eyebrow disbelievingly –what's Erick getting at? "What kind of question is that!?"

"Just answer it."

"Okay…I'm fighting to stop you and that cursed Cat Ghost King, to save two souls, and to save mankind."

"Is that right? For mankind? Heh heh heh…HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!"

"What's so funny?"

Erick, still laughing, gives him the no-no gesture. "Michael, Michael, Michael…as before, as I once told you…You're still living in a fantasy."

"And why is that?"

"Fighting to save mankind…do you ACTUALLY believe in mankind Michael?"

The MCD, with genuine conviction and purpose, declares, "Yes!"

Erick's response to that however is, "Then you're more stupid and stubborn than I suspected…Why try to save mankind, when it is mankind that's destroying itself? You believe that mankind will change Michael? No. I'm telling you this by experience …Humans are like a plague, always destroying things, like the Earth, the same Earth that nourished them. And killing each other, worse then animals."

"That's not completely true Erick."

Erick admits, "Oh, well, there may be a few good ones, but ONLY a few. The rest of them are filled with greed, ambition, vanity…some of them will even betray each other, even kill each other."

"You're exaggerating Erick."

Erick's more than willing to prove his point – and prove Michael Angelus wrong as well. "Am I, Michael…? Let me tell you a little example about the loyalty of Humans…Remember Jesus Christ? I would think YOU, of all people, do…Well…Jesus was betrayed by a Human, and worse, by one of his _**OWN**_ followers named Judas. He betrayed Jesus to the Romans for a few Silver Coins…there's your loyalty of Humans! They'll kill, betray and lie for money. And THOSE are the ones you're fighting for Michael."

Michael Angelus listens to every word Erick was telling him…but he would not fall for his Psychology Attack.

"You may be right Erick, but there are also good humans, who've helped many in the past, many of them dying to save others…Think what you want about human beings, but I'm going to fight to save them, and nothing you tell me will change my mind…YOU GOT THAT!?"

Erick is not surprised – Angelus can be so predictable at times. "My, oh my…You DO have some backbone… Very well, I see that you will not change your mind. That's okay…however, you'll regret it later on, believe me. Oh, by the way, congratulations Michael."

The MCD blinks. "What for?"

Erick hints, "Well… I heard that you were reunited with an old love of yours, right…um…Belldandy is her name right, your fiancée?"

The MCD is shocked! "WHAT…HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

Erick flashes his old friend a knowing grin. "That's a secret for another time…gotta go. Say hi to her for me will you? HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Then Erick vanishes, leaving the MCD confused and shocked. He wonders aloud, "No…! How did he know about that? And worse… How does he know Belldandy, and that she was my fiancée? Nobody on Earth knows about her, and my relationship with her…only God, Belldandy's sisters and…"

A terrible thought crosses The MCD's mind… There's only ONE other person that knew of Angelus and Belldandy's relationship, and the last Angelus had heard of him, that individual was branded a fallen angel, banished from Heaven, and imprisoned in Hell.

_It can't be him! It can't!_ Angelus thinks, concerned not only for Belldandy, but Ran, R, and possibly every living soul on the planet! He shakes his head, denying, "NO! Impossible! I must investigate more about him. I don't like this at all…!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	43. Erick's New Apprentice!

CHAPTER 43

_**-"ERICK'S NEW APPRENTICE! THE RETURN OF KUNO!"- **_

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

After delivering B.B. Hood to M. Bison, Erick begins to put into motion one of his plans…To take Bass and train him to be his assistant – (Although, in truth, Erick will just use him for his own purposes)-

Bass is out in the shooting gallery. He's involved in target practice, firing at dummies which, by the way, all look like Megaman:

"Soon Megaman, very soon I'll defeat you for good…!" A frustrated Bass then complains, "But why do I lose to him every time I go up against him? What does that blue boob have that I don't?

"Skills," a man's voice says out of nowhere. Oh come on, go ahead and guess who it is!

Bass is briefly startled. "WHA…!? Who's there? He turns around and sees Erick. "Aw, it's just you, Erick. What do you want now?

Erick notices, "I see that you like to spend your time here, shooting targets to release all that frustration that you have inside, am I right Bass?

"Um…yeah…so what do you want?

Erick gets serious. "Bass, I've come here to talk to you. I have a proposition that I think you'll like."

"A proposition? What kind?

"Bass, how would you like to be my Padawan?

Bass blinks. "Pada-what?

Erick: My Padawan. In other words, my apprentice.

Bass sarcastically says, "OK, this is gonna sound silly, but I'll ask anyway… "Why"?"

Erick counters, "Why not? I could teach you many things. Skills, wisdom, knowledge…. after all, you will need them all once you get your kingdom."

Bass is unsure, exhibiting what those in the sales profession call buyer's reluctance. "Hmmm, I don't know…"

Erick, like any good salesman, throws in an added bonus. "Plus…with my training, you will be able to defeat Megaman!" _Hook, line…_

Now, this part wins Bass over. He brightens up, burning with determination! "To defeat Megaman…! ALL RIGHT, I'LL DO IT!!"

_Ha…and sinker!_ Aloud, Erick confirms, "A wise choice, Bass. Now come with me so that I can properly tell you everything."

* * *

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL - 7:00 A.M.:**_

Ranma, Akane and Ran are reaching their school for their classes, Ran is still haunted by her –'strange feelings' she has for Ranma, the guilt is really making her confused…Ran walks quietly:

Ranma checks on her. "Hey, Ran, why so quiet? Are you sick or something?"

Ran gasps, a little startled. She then briskly says, trying to cover up her melancholy, "Me? Oh no, Ranma! It's just that…I'm still…sleepy. Yeah, that's right! I didn't sleep well last night."

Ranma's unsure that's the case, but says, "Okay…if you say so." _Why do I have the feeling that she's lying, and something is really bugging her?_

When they enter the school grounds…a swarm of boys run toward Akane and Ran…it was the –"old Hentai Boys"- who Akane used to fight in school before Ranma showed up. Now, they return once again to defeat Akane and go on a date with her:

Hentai Boy 1 cries out, "AKANE! DATE ME!"

Hentai Boy 2 yells over the crowd, "NO! DATE ME!"

A third boy yells, "AKANE, I LOVE YOU! GO OUT WITH ME!"

While a fourth objects, "NO! GO OUT WITH ME!

Needless to say, Akane's not pleased to see them. She groans, "Oh man…not them again!"

Ran's confused. "Why do those boys want to fight you Akane?

Akane explains, "Back before Ranma showed up, Kuno told all the boys that by defeating me in a fight, they'll have the right to date me."

"Say what!? Are you serious about that?"

"Afraid so…," Akane sighs. "I thought that they got the message and understood that it's over."

Ranma flatly says, "Well, looks like that they DIDN'T get the message, and they're back like the old days…Guess I'll just have to refresh their memories…" He cracks his knuckles, ready to dish out some punishment. "…the hard way!

Akane stops him. "Wait, Ranma…let me do it. This is MY problem and I'll remind them that I won't go out with them.

"Okay, Akane, go for it. But if you need any help…"

Akane winks. "Don't worry Ranma, they never had a chance with me in the past. Surely they won't stand a chance against me now!

Akane's ready to face the Hordes of Hentai. They were about to reach Akane, when suddenly two huge waves of air come from behind Akane and friends at top speed and strike the Hentai Hoards of Boys sending them all into the sky. Akane and Ranma are confused by this, and then they turn around and see someone walking through the front gates, wearing a black and blue kendo outfit, with a Japanese straw hat covering his head…

Ranma points at the newcomer. "Hey guys, check it out! Is that who I think it is?"

Akane agrees, "Yeah, Ranma, I think it's…

Then when the stranger approaches them, he lifts his straw hat and reveals himself to be:

Kuno (!), who cheerfully says, "Greetings, my friends!"

Ranma happily says. "Hey, it's Kuno!

"It is!" Akane says.

"Hey, how's it going?" Ran asks.

Kuno replies, "I'm doing fine. It's good to see you all again.

Ranma starts up a conversation with his former rival turned friend. "So Kuno, how did your training trip go?

"Perhaps it would be wise if we talk more about this later after class."

"Guess you're right. Let's go!"

* * *

_**RED CAT SECRET BASE – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

We see Bass with Erick and Delia in a weird, dark library. "Hey, Erick, why are we here?"

"To start your training Bass," Erick tells him.

"But…why all these books?"

"Why…to teach you many things for you to learn."

"Oh, come on! I don't need to learn all this junk! What I want to learn is how to fight! That's what I want!"

Erick gets serious. "Bass, you must learn that knowledge is more powerful that brute strength."

Bass is confused. "Huh!? I don't get it."

Erick says through clenched teeth. "I rest my case…" Then, calmly, he says, "First, I'll have to teach you manners, followed by history, grammar, swordsmanship and martial arts."

"Swordsmanship, Martial Arts….why would I want to learn that? Weapons and fists are useless; they don't stand a chance against my Buster!"

"Don't be a naïve fool Bass. A true warrior must master any and all types of weapons and fighting skills."

Bass snorts at the idea, "Bah! That's just for weaklings!

"Is that so Bass…? Well…how about a little bet?"

"A bet!? What kind of bet?"

"It's simple. We'll put your theory to the test. Let's see if you can defeat an Armed Warrior and a Martial Artist with only your weapons. If you win, I'll give you the necessary things for you to find the Phoenix Stone so that you can be rewarded by the Cat Ghost King."

Bass is interested now. "REALLY!?"

"Yes, really. However, should you lose, you'll obey every instruction I give you, understand? So, are you up to it Bass?"

Without hesitation, Bass says, "Okay…I'm in. Bring 'em on Erick. I'll show you AND them!"

"Very well then…Let's begin…GOGANDANTESS, AKUMA, COME FORTH NOW!!"

Then, from the shadows, two persons jump out and land in front of Erick and Bass… The first one is a man, with pale white skin (except for his jaw, which looks like it's been painted in red) and split-in-half hairdo, dressed in black samurai armor and wears a black cape (Special Note: Gogandantess is the demon samurai who appears in the game –"Onimusha 2: Samurai Destiny"- for the PlayStation 2). The second one is dressed in a Dark, Sleeveless Karate Gi with the crimson mark of "Ten" on his back, has red hair done in a small pig tail, and red eyes.

Gogandantess bows before Erick. "I'm here, my lord."

Akuma likewise bows. "You called?"

Erick smiles. "Nice to see you guys… Gogandantess, Akuma, this is Bass. Bass, this is Gogandantess, a demon swordsman from Hell."

Gogandantess pleasantly (well, for a demon, that is) says, "Nice to meet you Bass…I am Gogandantess…" He does some poses as he declares himself, "….The greatest swordsman of them all!"

Erick then points to Akuma, "And this warrior is Akuma…Deadly Martial Artist of the Shotokan Karate and wielder of the dreadful art of –"Shun Goku Satsu"- or "Raging Demon""

Akuma just bows to Bass. "………………."

Bass laughs, thinking, _What a bunch of jerks! Looks like this is gonna be an easy fight for me!_ Aloud, he says, "Nice to meet you."

Erick turns in the direction of the two warriors he's summoned. "Gogandantess, Akuma, your task here will be to defend yourself against Bass's fire power, because Bass says that Weapons and Fists are for weaklings."

Gogandantess gasps, insulted. "He said that? Surely he must be ignorant!"

Akuma snarls, "So he did…what an idiot."

Erick explains, "That's why you're here. You're going to prove him wrong, so, are you up to it Gogandantess, Akuma?"

"Yes my lord, " Gogandantess then chuckles, "The question more likely is…," pointing at Bass, "…is HE ready?"

Bass counters, "HA! I'm more then ready Samurai-Boy, Devil Boy, you don't scare me!

Erick says, "In that case, take your positions. Gogandantess will go first, then Akuma. If that's clear, then let's begin…Ready…Set…FIGHT!"

Bass immediate fires his Buster at Gogandantess, but Gogandantess evade all the shots with no problem. Bass gasps at this, but it doesn't stop him; he began to unload lots and lots of fire-blasts, but none of them manage to hit Gogandantess. Bass is getting frustrated. _What the heck, I can't even hit him, this is getting on my nerves!_

Gogandantess taunts, "Come on Mister Bass, don't tell me that you're quitting, are you?"

"NO WAY! I'M JUST GETTING WARMED UP! TAKE THIS….. LIGHTNING BOLT!!"

Using Dynamoman's weapon, Bass points straight up into the air and four lightning bolts rain down from the sky and strike the ground, but Gogandantess quickly moves out of the way and none of the Bolts hit him:

Bass gasps – he can't believe this. "WHAT THE…! OH, THAT'S IT! NOW YOU'VE MADE ME MAD!!"

Gogandantess taunts, daring Bass to strike. "A little word of advice Bass; The Warrior who loses his calm, loses the match!"

"OH YEAH, WELL YOU'RE GONNA LOSE YOUR HEAD! PREPARE YOURSELF…HYPER BUSTER SHOT!!"

Bass charges up his Bass-Buster, then locks on onto Gogandantess, and fires a rain of purple fire shots. What Gogandantess does next shocks Bass big time…Using only his sword, Gogandantess blocks every one of Bass's shots very fast, just like a Jedi Master out of Star Wars. Bass can't believe what he was seeing. "NO WAY, THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULDN'T HAVE STOPPED MY BLAST…HOW'D YOU DO THAT?"

Gogandantess laughs, "Hahaha…What's the matter, not so confident in your theory? As you can see, a true warrior relies only on his skills, not on his weapons.

"SHUT UP!! I AM THE BEST, AND I'LL SHOW IT TO YOU, CHUMP, 'CAUSE I'M PACKIN' HEAVY FIRE POWER!!

Once again Bass cuts loose with lots and lots of Buster Shots, but as before, Gogandantess blocks them all with his sword.

Bass angrily curses, "DAMN IT!! STAND STILL, YOU SAMURAI FREAK!!"

Gogandantess regards his opponent; Bass's offensive power is passable yet his defense is sorely lacking. "How foolish you are Bass. Weapons don't make a warrior strong, but his skills. Your vanity makes you weak!

"SHADDUUUUUUUUUUP!!"

"Now that you've had your chance, it's MY turn now to show you my skills, so get ready Bass, cause here comes Gogandantess!" Gogandantess charges up his sword, which begins to glow with a bluish-black aura, then…

Bass blinks. "What the…!? What the heck is he doing?"

"DARK SERPENT WAVE OF HELL!!" Gogandantess release a blue-black wave of fire toward Bass, similar to Kyo Kusanagi's Orochi-Nagi SDM from KOF, only more powerful and with a very long range.

Scared by the power of this unexpected attack, Bass's eyes go wide. "WHAT IN THE WORLD…!?"

Bass tries to deflect it, firing at the rushing flame to stop it, but to no avail, and then he's blasted away by the mighty dark flames of Gogandantess. He lands on the floor hard. Bass is all bruised up and charbroiled:

Bass moans weakly, "Ohh… What…in the…world was…that?"

"The fight is over, Gogandantess is the winner…" Erick approaches Bass and picks him up. "Looks like you lost against Gogandantess, Bass. A pity."

Bass protests, "HEY! I didn't think he could do that!"

"So you see that Weapons are not useless, right Bass? Now, are you ready for Round 2, against Akuma?"

Bass shakes his head, shrugging off the dizziness, then says, "Well, yeah! This time I won't lose! After all, I have my trusty Buster, while he's unarmed!"

Erick warns, "Once again Bass, don't assume anything…Okay…Akuma get ready…FIGHT!"

Switching to his Force Buster, Bass shoots purple energy bursts at Akuma, but Akuma, using his Ashura Senkuu (Ashura Sky Flash), teleports out of firing range:

Bass is shocked! "WHAT THE…!?" He looks everywhere. "WHERE DID HE GO!?"

An ice-cold voice says out of nowhere, "Right here."

Bass turns around, only to be hit in his face by Akuma's fist. Bass goes flying and lands on the ground, he felt like he'd been hit by Gutsman's fist…only with about double the power:

A hurt Bass is rubbing his jaw. "Man, ouch…such power…but how can it be…" He glares at Akuma, "All right buster, you only got lucky! I won't fail again!"

Not one for conversation, Akuma just says, "Luck is only for losers…A true warrior relies on his skills and power."

Bass growls, "Shut up!"

He then charge up his Buster and fires a big purple blast at Akuma. "Try on that for that for size!"

"Gladly… MESSATSU GOU HADOU!!" Akuma fires a big dark purple fireball. Both attacks collide, but Akuma's attack destroys Bass attack and hits him hard… Bass is on the floor, shocked and confused. _I don't believe this…this guy has NO weapons, yet those weird attacks he throws at me can actually hurt me! I don't get it…but I won't lose to this guy!_ Getting up, he says, "Heh… You're pretty tough, for a human, but I'm the supreme robot! I WILL win, so get ready!"

Akuma grins evilly. "Is that right…then come!"

Bass continue to fire more Buster Shots at Akuma, but Akuma dodges them all by teleporting away. Bass is getting desperate; he's trying anything he can to defeat the Master of the Fist. Then Akuma teleports in front of Bass and yells…-" GOU SHORYUU KEN"-…and strikes Bass with a heavy uppercut that send Bass flying high into the air…

But Akuma's not through yet. He jumps up and is inches away from Bass…

"TENMA! GOU ZANKUU!!"

…and releases a big fireball, sending Bass down to the ground like a falling meteor…Bass was weak from that beating he's taken, but unfortunately for him, Akuma isn't finished. Bass gets up and sees Akuma coming toward him…then…Akuma unleashes one of his most powerful Arts upon him…

"KONGOU KOKURETSU ZAN!!"

Akuma slams the ground with his fist, creating a huge geyser of purple-white energy around him. Bass is hit hard by that Art and is sent back into the air and lands hard on the ground.

Bass is lying on the ground…all burnt up, bruised up… defeated…

Erick claps his hands, delighted. "Well done Akuma, you've won this round."

Then some RED CAT Soldiers arrive and pick up the unconscious Bass. Erick orders them, "Take Bass to Brightman and have him fixed; I'll be there later on. Go."

The soldiers salute, "At once, Lord Erick!" Then they carry Bass away.

Erick complements his two associates, "Well done Gogandantess and Akuma. You sure proved Bass wrong about his ideas of weapons and fists being for weaklings."

Gogandatess bows, pleased, "Thank you, my lord."

Akuma snorts, "Hmph…that stupid machine has much to learn about the power of the fist."

"Now, you may go until I need you again, okay?" Erick says.

Gogandantess obediently says, "Very well my lord."

"Until its…wait, wait wait, I have a better idea!"

"What is it my lord?"

"Gogandantess, I want you to go and deliver a little message to an old friend of mine."

Gogandantess blinks. "A message? For whom, my lord?"

Erick smiles knowingly. "Oh but you know him…It's our old friend…The MCD, or better yet…Michael Angelus."

Gogandantess is surprised to hear that name. "Michael Angelus! HIM!? Here?"

"That's right."

"I AM surprised…What message does my lord want me to deliver to him?"

"You tell him this…" Erick tells Gogandantess the message, and then Gogandantess vanishes into the shadows:

Erick turns to face Akuma. "Akuma, are you ready to take him on later on?"

Akuma nods, "Yes…he will be easy to defeat."

Erick grins, "I know."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL**_:

Ranma, Akane and Ran are with Kuno in the cafeteria, talking about Kuno's quest. "So Kuno, tell us - how did it go?"

Ran's eager to hear Kuno's story. "How was your training trip man, was it cool?"

Kuno begins, "It was marvelous my friends. I've learned many new skills and even met a fellow samurai warrior, who by the way was a great warrior of the Art."

Akane says, "Is that right…so what things did you see Kuno?"

Kuno goes on, "I've been to many places. This training trip really helped me to improve myself and my abilities."

Ranma, listening to what Kuno's said, says, "Cool. Say, we ought to have a friendly match later on Kuno."

Kuno smiles, "It would be an honor, Saotome. I would show you all the Special Techniques I've learned."

Akane cheerfully says, "Well, it's good to have you back Kuno."

Ran likewise says, "Yeah, welcome back Kuno."

Kuno's pleased. "Thank you Akane, Ran…well, I must meet with the Kendo Club and start training my fellow companions."

"Okay, see you later Kuno." Ranma says.

"Take care!" Akane says as she waves goodbye.

After Kuno leaves, Ranma comments, "Wow, Kuno sure has changed. That training trip really helped him a lot."

Akane agrees, "I know, who wouldn't have thought THAT could happen?"

* * *

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

Bass slowly woke up, and see that he was in a table on a Laboratory, and sees Brightman and some robots:

Brightman notices Bass is awake. "Oh Bass, you're awake."

"What am I doing here anyway?"

"Oh that…I fixed you up. You were in a terrible shape when they brought you here, and smelling like burnt plastic."

"But why? Wait a minute, I remember now…" Remembering what happened, Bass gets mad. "I lost to that weird Samurai and that weird warrior!"

"Right you are Bass."

Then Bass turns around and sees Erick with his beloved Delia, and behind them is Gogandantess:

Erick has a self-satisfied grin on his face as says, "I see that you're up and good as new Bass. Nice work Brightman."

Pleased, Brightman says, "Thank you, sir."

"As I was saying…it appears that you lost Bass, right?"

Bass, still sore over his defeat earlier, grumbles, "Yeah, yeah…"

"Now you've seen first hand, and I might say felt, the power of a true Warrior with a weapon and a fist from your defeat at the hands of Gogandantess and Akuma."

"Look, you don't have to rub it in my face okay!"

"I never intended it that way Bass, just to show you that you must never claim things without evidence to back it up. You thought that Weapons and Fists are for the weak, however, Gogandantess and Akuma proved it to you otherwise, am I right Bass?"

Bass sighs, "I guess so."

"Okay, now Bass, you know the deal, now you'll learn from me and Gogandantess and Akuma all our teachings."

Bass points at Gogandantess and Akuma. "But why them?"

Erick explains, "Simple…I will teach the Knowledge, and Gogandantess will teach you about fighting with weapons, while Akuma will teach you about Hand-to hand combat. Isn't that right, Gogandantess?"

Gogandantess proudly says, "Yes, my lord. I will teach Bass how to be a great warrior with any weapon."

Bass thinks it over, "Hmm… I don't know."

Erick assures, "You'll like it a lot Bass. Think about it, with our teachings, you'll be able to defeat Megaman or anyone you want with ease."

"In that case…" Now eager, Bass asks, "When do I start?

"Tomorrow…for tomorrow your life will change."

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	44. Torn Between Love and Destiny!

CHAPTER 44

_**-"TORN BETWEEN LOVE AND DESTINY! THE BATTLE WITHIN RAN'S HEART!"-**_

_**TOKYO, JAPAN – NIGHTTIME:**_

We see crowds of people moving throughout the city, men and women, boys and girls, young and old alike. Cars are moving along in a steady flow of traffic. Some people are going to work. Others are just getting off work. Still others are looking through the various shops in the Ginza, going to the movies, dining at restaurants, hanging out with friends, or spending time with their families or loved ones.

In the myriad sea of human beings going about their everyday lives, absolutely no one noticed an unusual-looking person among their ranks. This "person" was wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, a pair of Converse "Chuck Taylor" tennis shoes, and a matching cap and jacket with the logo and team colors of the Chicago Bulls.

"Well, what's so unusual-looking about that?" you might ask?

Oh, dear readers, if only you or any one of the people walking around could stop and take a REALLY good look at this person. Surely you would notice his face.

Or, the lack of a face.

Unless you count that single red camera-lens-like eye as a face!

It was one of the Zero look-alike robots designed by the RED CATS' scientists. As it walks through the city, the robot scans its surroundings, searching for anyone or anything related to the Phoenix Stone. Whatever the robot sees was instantly being relayed back to its source…

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Alone in his room, Erick is seated in his throne, surrounded by many video screens. It would appear that Erick has already begun mass production of his robot spies, using the replicating powers of his DVL Cells.

The screens seem to materialize out of thin air, as they display what his mechanical minions pick up via their video camera eyes. Erick watches them all with great interest. So far, he is pleased with the performance of his creations.

Erick smiles as he thinks, _Already, my robot legions are performing beautifully. Even now, they keep me posted on what's happening all over Japan, especially in Nerima. Truly, I now have eyes and ears everywhere._

He looks at one of the screens, recorded by one of the robots in the Ginza shopping district. As Erick watches the crowds of people, he thinks with disgust, _Bah. Look at those miserable talking monkeys, going about their mundane existence as if nothing's happening, like everything's all right with the world. So absorbed are they in their ways that they can't see what they're doing to the Earth, to themselves. Angelus says there are "good humans" in this world… yeah, right! There is none good, no, not one. And he wants to fight to save these pathetic creatures? Once we get that stone, mankind is in for a rude awakening. And then, once the Cat Ghost King is resurrected and we conquer the world, I can then realize my ultimate dream… Nothing will stand in my way. NOTHING!!_

With a wave of his hand, Erick makes the screens vanish. He gets up from his throne and walks into the seemingly endless darkness of his chamber, appearing in yet another room. Just how many rooms are in this guy's chamber? Could it be that his chamber is one large sub-space pocket dimension? Hmm…

Anyway, Erick's in this room, standing on a small balcony. In front of him, only a few feet below, is a large boiling pot the size of a Jacuzzi hot tub filled with DVL Cells. Inside the pot are mounds of what look like large lumps of flesh with no skin and metallic spines running over them soaking in the Cells! The jar pulses with power, radiating with red energy, its contents simmering like some kind of bizarre stew. Suddenly, an arm, covered in wires, bursts out from the boiling liquid in the pot. The bony fingers on the hand clench and more of the body begins to surface, causing the Cells and liquid to splash out the pot and all over the floor. The flesh around the metal skeleton begins to turn a pale gray, molding itself into a familiar shape and finally hardens like steel. Standing in the bubbling pot of Cells, the fluids up to its waist, was another Zero Robot. The pot began to bubble over, and another robot emerged, followed by another, until there were three of them. One by one, they waded through the fluids over to a ladder mounted beside the pot and climbed out of it. Then they walked over to where a large group of already-finished drones stood and joined the ranks like perfect soldiers. Three-dozen drones now stood before Erick, fully operational, awaiting orders from their master and creator. Then, with a single thought from Erick, the pot stops boiling and shuts down… for now.

Erick smiles. His children, his Cells, were doing what he'd created them to do. Besides, it wasn't their fault; the Cell-powered pot could only produce three of these robots at a time, about every thirteen minutes or so. Though the number of mass-produced drones was not as large as he liked, he would make do with the forces he had until he could create more pots, or better yet, a machine (powered by the Cells, of course) that could supervise the creation of more drones. That way, Erick would be free to continue his efforts to get the Phoenix Stone… and maybe spend some time alone with Delia.

And then there's the matter of the man (or in this case, robot!) Erick decided to train as his new "apprentice". He's been so busy with his schemes he hasn't had a chance to tell Bass yet.

Erick smirks, thinking, _But why spoil the surprise? The less Bass knows about my methods, the better. All the preparations have been made, everything's in place, and I've already sent Akuma and __Gogandantess their instructions. Now, all that's left to do is summon Bass. He has no idea what's he about to face. The training I've prepared for him would kill anyone else; fortunately, that is a condition that I can remedy easily._

But that would come soon. Right now, he prepares to address his mechanized troops. But what to call them? After all, they weren't so much built in a factory as they were "spawned" from that pot. Erick's smile turns to a wicked grin. He has an idea, and a name….

He addresses his legions. "Hear me, my Zero Spawn! I, your master, command you!"

At the sound of Erick's voice, the Zero Spawn look up, their camera-eye lenses focusing directly on him.

"Find Lady Ran and the Phoenix Stone, and bring them to me! Let NOTHING stand in your way! Now… GO!

With that, all the drones teleport (Megaman X / Zero style) from Erick's chamber to join the others in search of the Phoenix Stone.

"Hm hm hm… Soon, Lady Ran. Soon we will find you, and soon I'll have that stone. As for your friend Ranma, I'll continue to send Wily's bots and our fighters to challenge and then destroy him. And, lest I forget, I've got my own plans for R… It won't be long now…. Hee hee hee…. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

_**NERIMA, JAPAN – AROUND MIDNIGHT:**_

A lone figure approaches the gates of Furinkan High School.

It speaks in a mechanical monotone voice, like one of those answering machines, " ... Furinkan High School, Nerima Ward ofTokyo, Japan... Location confirmed ... Relaying data to Lord Erick…"

A single red light appears in the darkness. But this is no mere light. It is the camera-eye lens of one of Erick's Zero Spawn! One of the many that Erick created and sent out all over Japan to find Ran and the Phoenix Stone, it had wandered into Nerima. Once into Nerima, it made its way to the school. Sensing something important about this place, and because it was programmed to do so, it decided to report back to Erick.

" Accessing location data... now transmitting to Lord Erick… 20 seconds to go...."

We now switch views, looking through the drone's perspective. All sorts of screens and pop-up windows appear in its display; most prominently, three-dimensional maps of the school's floor plan. Every single detail was being analyzed and sent back to Erick at lightning-fast speed. Finished, it contacts Erick.

"Location data collected and sent... Awaiting orders…"

Then, the drone receives a message from Erick!

_Excellent. Now, your mission here is to…_

Erick then gives a set of special orders to the drone. What could he possibly want it to do at Furinkan?

"Special orders received... Operation will commence at 0700 AM tomorrow…"

The Zero Spawn then leaps over the gate and lands on the other side. Now on the school grounds, it proceeds to find a good place to hide. Finding a nearby row of bushes, it walks over to it…

"Engaging holographic camouflage…"

The Zero Spawn activates its holographic camouflage, blending in quite nicely with the bush and turning completely invisible!

"Concealment successful… Switching to standby mode…"

Hiding in the bushes, it waits silently…waiting to carry out Erick's orders.

_**THE NEXT DAY - RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

It's early in the morning. REALLY early in the morning. Like in the middle of the night, early in the morning…

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, the readers get the idea! It's early in the morning, OK! GET ON WITH IT!!]

Err… right, sorry. Anyway, Bass is on his way to Erick's dark chamber. He's a bit grumpy (OK, he's REALLY grumpy) because Erick summoned him (telepathically, of course!). In the middle of the night. At 4:30 in the morning. And Bass gets cranky when he doesn't get a good night's sleep. Need we say more?

Tired and grouchy, Bass complains, "Geez…. Erick and his mind-reading! If he wanted to call me, he could've just used the phone like everybody else! Man, this BETTER be important…."

Soon, he's in front of the entrance to Erick's lair. He knocks on the huge iron double-doors.

"HEY! Erick! What's the big idea wakin' me up at this hour, huh?"

The doors open….

**Creeeeeeeakk…**

"Ooookay…."

He goes inside, and then the doors slam shut!

**CLANG!**

Darkness prevails inside Erick's chamber. [AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, DUH!] It's so dark that Bass can't see anything at all. He taps on the cross-shaped jewel in the center of his helmet, causing it to light up and illuminate the area around him. But not even that can penetrate THIS darkness!

"GEEZ! OK, enough already! I get the picture already! It's dark in here! Stupid narrator! Man, the authors are being WAY too nice to him! If I ever find out where that guy's hiding, I'll beat some sense into him! And then, I'm gonna beat him senseless!"

The narrator gets scared. "*Gulp!*"

Bass continues his rant, "Look, Erick, I know darkness become you and all, but would it kill ya to turn on the lights in here? Ah, for crying out loud! What's the matter? You didn't pay your light bill? Sheesh!"

Just then, we hear a strange sound, somewhat like a faint hiss of air or gas.

**Hisssssssssss….!!**

"Hm….? *Cough, cough*…ACK…!! HEY! *Cough* What's this!?"

And then the lights finally come on, and standing before Bass is Erick. He has his hands behind his back, as if he's hiding something.

"Finally! All right, Erick, what're you up to now?"

Without saying a word, Erick pulls out a shotgun (!!) and…

**BLAMMM**

Having just shot his would-have-been apprentice, Erick watches calmly as Bass looks back at him with a mixture of anger and betrayal on his face (not to mention a HUGE hole in his chest plate!). Bass drops to the floor, dead, synthetic blood and sparks coming out of the grotesque opening.

Erick then walks over to the lifeless body of Bass, and smiles. "Ah... It should happen right about… now."

As if on cue from Erick, Bass's body begins to glow with an eerie red aura. Inside the gaping hole in his torso, we can see circuit boards reassemble themselves piece-by-piece, wires reconnecting, new microchips materializing in place of damaged ones. To his delight, his children, his Cells, were about to make radical changes in Bass' systems. As the self-recovery process continues, wires writhe and microchips change. Things slid, folded, and altered shape and position. Then, a fully restored chest plate, the blue center portion shining brightly, covers everything up neatly without a single crack or dent.

Suddenly, Bass's eyes open, and a furious look appears on his face.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Bass," Erick says/

Bass blinks. "Welcome back…!?" Then, becoming angry, "What's the big idea pointing that gun at me, Erick!? Into practical jokes, are ya? Well, I sure as hell ain't laughing, and… HEY! How come I'm not dead?" NOW, he realizes… "That gas… did you…?"

Erick confirms what Bass is about to say. "Yes. That gas contained a concentrated dose of my Cells. Enough to give your systems an upgrade, as well as equip you with the ability to self-recover from any damage you take."

Bass takes it in. "An upgrade, huh?" He grins evilly) Heh heh heh… Erick, my man, you got a REAL sick sense of humor. So allow me to thank you … by returning the favor!! TAKE THIS!!

Bass raises his right arm, about to change it into Buster mode and blast Erick. Erick's not even worried at all…. because Bass is just pointing at him with his outstretched hand.

"Huh? HEY! What the…!?" He tries to change his arm to Buster mode again – nothing happens.

A frustrated Bass says, "Grrr….!! Some upgrade, Erick! Just what exactly did your Cells do to me?"

Erick proceeds to explain, "Now, Bass, my Cells have indeed upgraded your systems… and at the same time, disabled your weapons. I can't have you using them during training, can I? That would give you an unfair advantage, and defeat the purpose of training you in the first place."

Bass gripes, "Oh, great. This is JUST great…."

"Don't sulk. Besides, it's only temporary. If you like, when your training is complete, I can restore the use of your weapons. But what if I told you that, with my training, you would be able to use the energy for your Buster in the same way a human martial artist can wield Ki? To use your existing powers in new ways, that not even you could have imagined?"

Bass thinks about what Erick's said for a moment. "Hmm…" Then, "OK, I'll do it."

"Excellent. Let's go. Your training begins now."

And with a wave of his hand, Erick and Bass disappear from the chamber.

We now switch to a desert (Which kinda looks like the Sahara – or is it someplace else?). It is here where Erick and Bass appear.

"HEY! What are we doing here? What is this place?" Bass asks.

Erick replies, "This place, Bass, is a self-contained space, a world within a world."

"Uh… excuse me, Erick, but what kind of cryptic garbage is that?"

"The kind that's kept this story going on for so long. To put it simply, we are inside a "pocket dimension". This particular one, which is by far the largest within my chamber, has been created for the sole purpose of testing one's abilities by placing them in various environmental conditions. For example, today we are in this desert. The next day you may be in a tropical jungle, an artic wasteland, or a war-torn city. The terrain and layout changes each time you enter, so you won't encounter the same obstacles twice. And it is here, Bass, where you'll do your training."

Bass is now interested. "Ah, OK, I get it now. Go on."

Pleased that he has Bass' attention, Erick continues, "This place is a perfect simulation of the real world. It has the same basic rules, rules like gravity. What you must learn is that these rules are no different from the rules of a computer system. Some of them can be bent. Others can be broken or rewritten."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hmm… kinda sounds like the constructs seen in The MATRIX.]

"You see, it's not enough that you learn how to fight, but be able to fight anyplace, anywhere, anytime. All you have to do here is survive. Well, time marches on, and so must I. Farewell, Bass."

Bass is surprised. "WHAT? You're leaving? Already? Just like that?"

"Well, we ARE still trying to obtain the Phoenix Stone, you know. Plus, with my duties as the Cat Ghost King's High Priest, in addition to some… shall we say, "other" projects I have planned, I will be…. occupied at the moment. When the time comes, I will take over your training. But fear not, Bass; I shall remain in close communication with you from time to time to check on your progress. My words to your mind and ears. You understand?"

Bass finally says, "Geez… All right, Erick. So long as this whacked-out training regimen of yours works and I get the power to smack down Megaman and Dog-Boy and become a king, I'll put up with whatever you can dish out."

Erick likes that. "That's the spirit, Bass. Here." He gives Bass a sword and a canteen of water. "You'll need these. And I wouldn't waste the water, if I were you – this desert's quite huge. Oh, and by the way, Gogandantess is headed your way. He will oversee your training today."

And with that, Erick disappears, leaving Bass all alone.

Bass complains, "Oh, this is just great. I'm stuck here in this man-made desert, with nothing but a sword and this canteen of water, and somewhere out there is that freaky samurai demon." Then, he realizes, "Aw, CRAP!! We got in here, but how do I get out? Oh boy, I can just hear Erick now…" He imitates Erick's voice, "Ah, but… that is a secret."

Erick's voice echoes inside Bass' head: _Not really, Bass. There IS a way out of this dimension – it's up to you to find it. Once you do, just step through it, and your training will end for today._

"Geez…. Well, I'd better start looking for that exit. Hm?"

Suddenly, the ground and sand trembles under Bass's feet. An earthquake?

Bass smiles – he knows what's coming. "Heh…. What a showoff… looks like I'll be looking for that exit later. ALL RIGHT, SHOW YOURSELF!!"

Then, a huge burst of sand erupts from the ground near Bass. From it, Gogandantess leaps out with his sword drawn, about to strike. Bass leaps out of the way barely avoiding the demon swordsman's attack.

Gogandantess laughs, "Very good, Bass. But dodging alone will not save you from my blade! Now prepare yourself! Prove to me that my lord is not wasting his time training you! EN GARDE!!"

As he draws his sword Bass snorts, "Feh. Last time, you got lucky. This time, I'M the one who's gonna take YOU to school! BRING IT ON!!"

Bass and Gogandantess clash swords in what will be an awesome duel. And it's only the first day of Bass' training!

_**MEANWHILE, AT THE TENDO RESIDENCE….**_

Early morning sunlight filtered through the windows of Ran Hayami's room. She reached blearily for her alarm clock, and managed to swat it on the third try. She buried her face in her pillow and moaned "Mmmmmm...", protesting to the world in general over the terrible tragedy of having to get up in the morning. She didn't sleep well last night, still wrestling with her feelings for Ranma Saotome. She sighed and rolled over on her side trying to go back to sleep. Then she remembers:

"Oh, right. I'd promised to spar with Ranma and Akane this morning."

But truth be told, Ran didn't want to be around Ranma and Akane today. Don't misunderstand; she felt very close to both of them - they were her friends for crying out loud! Yet her own feelings of love for Ranma bothered her, leaving her with the ever-present dilemma of whether or not she should confess those feelings to him. What would Ranma say, how would he react? Would he return those feelings, take Ran in his arms, and leave Nerima and all the craziness associated with it to live happily ever after with her? Or would he totally reject her, leaving her alone and friendless? Even worse, what about Akane Tendo? Despite their initial first meeting, over time Ran and Akane became close friends, almost like sisters. How would she take the news? Ran was well aware how Akane felt about the other girls (i.e. Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi) chasing after Ranma. She could remember one heated conversation that they had, before they became friends:

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

(From waaay back in Chapter 4!)

"He's always flirting with those hussies Ukyo or that Chinese bimbo Shampoo, or with any girl he comes across!"

"That's a lie Akane and you know that. They always bother him, and he doesn't flirt with any girl!"

"How do you know that…Ranma's always flirting!"

"Akane, have you ever listened to Ranma about those situations? You know, listen to his side of his story?"  
"Ha, what for? He's a jerk."

"Akane, have you ever wondered if Ranma has ever wanted those problems to happen to him?…He doesn't have anything to say in this problem. Have you ever helped him as his fiancée?"

"Fiancee? No way! I don't want that jerk! That was all our stupid fathers' idea!"

Ran sadly says, "Boy Akane, how I feel sorry for you."

"You feel sorry for me!?"

"Yeah, you have a guy that's totally loyal to you, that has saved you many times, who loves you, and you don't appreciate him… boy, how foolish of you."

"It's not like I wanted it!"

"Boy, you really don't know how lucky you are to have him Akane and you insult him, beat him up for every little thing. You never trust him. If he was MY fiancée Akane, I wouldn't do all those nasty things. I would even worship the ground he walks on. You have a guy that almost every girl would do anything to have him as her fiancée."

Akane snorts, "Well, if you like him so much, why don't you take him!"

"You know what, Akane? I think I will."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Since discovering her feelings toward Ranma, Ran regretted saying that to Akane. She regretted it with all her heart. If she revealed that she loved Ranma now, Akane might just go ballistic. She certainly wouldn't want to be friends with her anymore if she knew. If she were angry enough, she might just mallet poor Ranma for good measure!

Worse, it would ruin Ranma and Akane's engagement, which would bring Genma, Nodoka, and Soun down on her head. Next thing she knew, she might be kicked out of the house, with no home, no friends, and no family!

For Ran, the Tendos and Saotomes were about the closest thing she had to a family.

In the end, for Ran Hayami to declare she loved Ranma Saotome was, in her mind, futile, worthless even. It was not worth losing two friends and destroying an engagement over.

And yet… the feelings stirred within her were strong and ran deep, maybe even more so than the orders from Dr. Wily to kill Ranma, which still lingered somewhere within her mind. At least she'd been sleeping better lately; she'd had no more nightmares since declaring that she loved Ranma.

Nevertheless, to protect both of her friends, Ran decided to keep her real feelings sealed up, to lock them away within the depths of her heart.

She'd had no idea how hard that would be; of the emotional and psychological pain that it would cause her in the process. In essence, it would be like fighting a battle with her own worst enemy: herself, all the while hoping for a love that could never be.

Could she rise to the challenge?

With a long weary sigh, she pushed her comforter aside, and forced herself to swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up. After briefly wondering if she could fall asleep in that position, she opened her eyes again. With another groan, she forced herself up, and stumbled over to the closet to get her gi.

Already, the internal battle has begun.

She was doing a little better by the time she made it to the dojo, where Ranma and Akane were just finishing a sparring match of their own. They'd already started practicing without her.

_Okay, here goes…_ "Morning, guys."

Akane spots her. "Hey, Ran, you made it! Ranma and I decided to go ahead and spar while we waited for you. We're sorry."

"Yeah. You were sleeping so soundly, we didn't want to disturb you," Ranma says.

Ran's not stressing about it. "No, no, it's okay. I kinda needed the rest, anyway… _If you only knew. Oh, if you only knew how I feel about you, Ranma, I…._ She shakes it off. "Let me warm-up first, 'kay?"

"Hey, whenever you're ready, Ran."

Ran bows politely to Ranma, then starts going through some katas. Ranma and Akane watch in fascination; Ran's petite, lithe build coupled with her natural skill made her motions seem like a graceful dance. When Ran finishes she finds Ranma watching her from the center of the Dojo. She walks over to face him. "So, you ready to do this Ranma?"

Ranma seems happy. "You bet! So how would you like the fight?"

Ran thinks for a moment, then, " ………… All out."

This surprises Ranma and Akane.

Well at least, Akane is surprised. "Wh-what?"

Ranma's like, "Are you sure, Ran?"

Ran nods, "Yeah. Fight me for real. I… I want to….no, I'd like to see how good I really am."

Ranma's still unsure. "Ran…." Then, he says, "Okay. I won't go easy on you."

Ran, with a smile on her face, nodded in agreement. They bow to each other and then assume fighting stances. Akane moves out of their way and takes a spot in the center of the training hall, acting as referee.

"Are you ready guys?…Well…fighters ready…set…GO!!"

Then Ranma and Ran dash at each other fast, then begin to fight. They throw punches and kicks at each other and both of them are blocking them as well. Ran charges at Ranma, but he simply sidesteps it. Ran follows with a kick that hits his forward foot, knocking him off balance. He quickly brings himself back on top in time to block another punch from Ran. The match goes on that same line for a while: Two fighters, each one knowing what the other is going to do. Ranma allows himself to take some of the lighter blows to compensate for Ran's greater speed.

The all-out match goes on for a while until, at last, Ranma lands a solid punch into Ran's stomach. Ran retaliates with a shot to his.

A hurt Ranma grunts, "Ugh…!" Then, excited, he says, "Hey, so far, so good. You're doing great, Ran!"

Accepting his praise, Ran says, "Thanks! If you thought THAT was good, check THIS out!"

With that, Ran ignites a flame in BOTH (!) hands and charges at Ranma!

"Here comes my "Red Hot Chestnut Fist" (Sekinetsu Amaguriken)! Or, as I like to call it, the FIRECRACKER! HYAAAHH!!"

She comes at Ranma with a storm of flaming punches of impressive speed, all of which he blocks, his arms moving quickly as hers. But not without injury, as Ranma finds it's difficult to block Ran's Firecracker without getting burnt by her flame-charged fists. Still, he fights on despite the stinging sensations from the burns on his arms. Ran then tries for a kicking combination that Ranma deflects easily. She backs off a few feet, and then charges him with a jump.

"Uh oh! Big mistake!" Ranma launches into the air himself after her.

They meet in mid-air, each kicking the other, but Ran succeeds in passing over Ranma's leg with the help of her arms and hits him on the shoulder. He lands on the floor. "Urgh!"

Ran lands on the floor to face Ranma. She then unleashes another attack!

"HEAT TRIGGER!"

Using an improved version of her technique, Ran shoots a burst of flame from her hand (Similar to Captain Commando's "Captain Fire" from Marvel Vs. Capcom).

But Ranma counters it with:

"MOKO TAKABISHA!!"

The ki blast and flame burst collide, canceling each other out. The force of the impact pushes both Ranma and Ran back, giving each some breathing room… and a chance to set up their next moves.

Ran comments, "Using your Moko Takabisha to counter my Heat Trigger like that… Nicely done, Ranma. Shall we go on?"

Ranma laughs, "Hehehe! I like this! It's been a while since I've had a real challenge... Let's keep going!"

Ran's excited too, "Okay!"

Akane watches as Ranma and Ran continue to fight. She's worried, not for Ranma, but for Ran:

_This is the first time I've actually seen Ran fight! They've never fought like this before, not even then last few times they've sparred. Watching them go at it, it's like they're evenly matched now. Ran seems to be handling herself well, but Ranma's used to these kinds of fights. I sure hope she hasn't gotten in over her head…_

As the all-out sparring match between Ranma and Ran continues, Ran gets a glimpse of the look on Ranma's face. The way his eyes lit up with joy, the smile on his face… oh, how she loved his smile! It just made her melt. All he'd have to do is just look at her and smile once, and she'd feel lightheaded as the world around her seemed to fade away leaving her to bask in the warmth and light of the sun that was true love. A love that she felt deeply in her heart for him, and one that she hoped he felt toward her in return…

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whoa. Hey, everybody, look at the narrator waxing romantic here! (To the narrator) OH, GET ON WITH IT!! Stupid narrator …]

Oh, right. Anyway, Ranma and Ran were really going at it in their match. There was no hatred in their faces, and they felt none in their hearts as they fought. There was only the shared feeling of fighting a worthy opponent, and the excitement of battle....

But something was about to happen to poor Ran that would radically change the outcome of this match. A disgustingly familiar voice spoke inside her head:

_Ran! Now's your chance! Destroy Ranma NOW!_

Ran panics, thinking, _Oh no! Not again! Not now! Go away!_

Dr. Wily's voice laughs, "_Okay. Sure. I'll go… NOT! I told you! You can't ignore the orders I gave you!"_

_Oh yeah? Just watch me!_

Now Ran has to fight two opponents! On the outside, she's fighting with Ranma. Inside, she's fighting against the orders Dr. Wily gave her. Ran mentally sighed. How could she have ever wanted to kill such a sweet, innocent soul? He was so much fun to be with, so soft, so warm, and yet, so powerful… Why did Ran have to do such a terrible thing to her best friend? Why did it matter?

_It matters because it is your destiny!_

Ran cringed. There she was, battling with the boy she thought she loved with everything she had when that stupid old man's voice had to chime in again.

_Yeah, right. Admit it, Ran! You don't love him._

_I love him!_

_You're lying to yourself. The only thing you'd ever love is watching him die._

_I would NEVER love that!_

Ran leaps away from Ranma to avoid his incoming jump kick. Upon landing to face him, she rubs her mouth with her hand.

Dr. Wily's voice taunts, _See? You love it already. You're salivating._

_I am not! Look, there's no way I'll kill him!_

_There is, and you will._

Ran mutters aloud, "No… I… won't!"

Ranma blinks, surprised. "Huh?"

She clenches his fists, and charges at Ranma with another…

"FIRECRACKER!" as Ran starts throwing flaming punches wildly!

Ranma counters with, "KACHUU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!"

Now it was a duel of furious flying fists! Ranma and Ran's hands were moving so fast they were a blur. And all the while, Dr. Wily's sinister orders were further urging Ran…

_Heh heh heh. You're already longing for his death. I can tell. After all, it was I who implanted that desire into you! No matter how hard you try to hold on to your petty and useless feelings for him, no matter how long you're able to hold out on your longing for his death, it will always come back stronger and more vicious than before. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!_

_Oh, there's a way to stop it, all right!_ Aloud, Ran shouts, "THERE IS!"

And then she does something that shocks both Ranma and Akane. At the last possible second, she stops attacking Ranma, and drops her guard…

Akane's shocked! _Oh no! What's Ran thinking!? If she lowers her defense now, she'll…_ "RANMA! RAN! YOU'VE GOT STOP THIS MATCH!"

Ranma's thinking, _Huh!? What the heck are you doing, Ran? You gotta block my attack, or…!_

But it was too late. With her defenses down, Ran was wide-open and took the blows from Ranma's Amaguriken. In that split-second before he could stop, she had already lost consciousness after the first dozen-or-so hits. And when he did stop, all Ranma could do was watch as Ran flew away to land flat on her back. Upon landing, her body bounced up from the impact and then she just lay there still, unmoving….

"Oh no! RAN!"

"Ran!" Akane cries.

They run over to where Ran is lying on the floor, totally exhausted and battle-torn. They see the bruises from Ranma's Amaguriken all over her…

And then they get a good look at her face. She has a bruise on her left cheek, her eyes are closed, and… and there was a quiet, peaceful smile on her lips. She seems rather, well… happy. This puzzles the young heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts and his fiancée.

But the unconscious Ran knew why she smiled. By losing to Ranma, she won against Dr. Wily's murderous programming. In defeat, she was victorious.

There's an old saying: "Lose the battle, and win the war." And indeed, this was most certainly the case today.

In her mind, Ran was swimming alone in that blissful sea of unconsciousness. She thinks she could hear voices, two of them, a boy's and a girl's. They were calling out her name. Then the girl was saying something to the boy that he shouldn't have agreed to fight all out; that he should have known something like this would happen. The boy defends himself, saying he didn't expect Ran to just completely drop her guard. And remember, he reminded her, that SHE was the one who asked for an all-out fight. And… to tell the truth, he confessed, he really didn't want to fight her all-out at first. After the first few blows they'd traded, he thought, nay, even admitted that maybe she could handle it. His tone of voice sounds apologetic and sincere. Ran starts to worry, afraid that they're going to argue. The girl breathes a sigh of relief, saying she's grateful he'd stopped when he did, otherwise Ran could have been seriously hurt or worse…

And then Ran heard that horrible voice again:

_Now THAT was a bold move. To escape my persuasion, you allowed him to strike you down…? All right, I'll leave you alone… for the moment. But mark my words; it'll only get worse for you from here! And then, when your true desire becomes stronger than your feelings, you will finally destroy him! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!_

The mad scientist's laughter seems to echo forever inside her head, causing her to stir. Her eyelids start to flutter.

Ranma notices Ran coming to. "Hey! I think she's coming around! Ran! Ran!"

Ran moans, "Mmmmmm….mmm…"

Ran opened her eyes slowly, like a beautiful princess awakened from her enchanted sleep by a kiss from the handsome prince. She sat up slowly, blinked her eyes a few times, and shook her head trying to clear away the dizziness she felt. But something still wasn't right, didn't feel right. And she felt sore all over…

With obvious concern Ranma asks, "Ran! Oh man! How're you feeling?"

Ran comes to her senses. "Ahh… I feel like a ton of bricks hit me back there!" Cheerfully, she then says, "But, aside from that, at least I'm still in one piece, right?" _And so long to that crazy old guy's creepy voice! I hope…_

"Just tell me something, Ran. Why'd you drop your guard like that in our match?"

Ran just looks at Ranma strangely. What did he expect her to say? "Ranma, I let my guard down because some crazy old man who's been haunting me in my dreams ever since I came here is trying to make me kill you. So I let you hit me to make him stop. Oh, and by the way, I've fallen hopelessly in love with you."

_Oh yeah, right. Like that'll help. He'll think I've gone crazy._

And sadly, as she did before with Kasumi and Akane, Ran chooses not to tell Ranma why she did what she just did. She wants to tell him, but the truth would hurt her more than it would him. Not to mention what it would do to her friendship with Ranma and Akane.

"I'm sorry. I…I got distracted…."

Ranma's about to say something, but Ran finishes, "I know, I know. A martial artist like me shouldn't just let her mind wander like that. It won't happen again. Thank you for our match today, Ranma." She sighs, "Well, we'd better get on back inside. Kasumi should have breakfast ready by now." Ran gets up from the floor, ready to leave)

Akane's not convinced. "Ran, are you sure you're OK? I mean…you're just up and around like normal after Ranma got you with his Amaguriken."

Ranma agrees, "Akane's right, Ran. Maybe you should just stay home from school and rest today, y'know so your body has time to recover…"

Ran assures them, "No. It's OK, guys. I'm OK. Really. And besides, it's not like I'm sick or anything!"

But Ran was sick, dear readers. Lovesick, that is. She was just a poor, lonely, lovesick little girl with a strange crush on her best friend.

Ran teases Ranma, saying, "Y'know, I DID ask you for an all-out match, but I'll bet you were holding back the whole time."

Ranma's like, "Whaat!? You kidding? I gave it my all! If you didn't freeze up like that, you'd have won fair and square!"

Ouch. That one was a little too close to home. Ran couldn't help but get stung by that remark, because it was true. Now feeling a little sad, she thinks): _No, you're wrong. If I continued to fight you, I…I might have killed you. And I couldn't live with myself if I did that._ "I… Yeah, you're right. Look, I'll see you guys at breakfast."

Then Ran walks out of the training hall. Ranma and Akane, however, continue talking among themselves. "Say, Ranma…?"

"Yeah, Akane?"

"Just for a moment there, it seemed like Ran was fighting someone else during your match, and not you. I mean, you must have noticed it too, right?"

Akane gets no response from Ranma. He's sitting there, thinking about what just happened. "Ranma…?"

Ranma finally speaks. "I knew it."

Akane blinks. "Huh? What is it?"

"I could see it in her eyes, when she looked at me. Something's bothering Ran, Akane, and I think it might have to do with those dreams she's been having."

"But she hasn't had them lately has she?"

"Nope. But remember when Dr. Tofu said that Ran might be getting her memory back? She might not be having nightmares about it anymore, but… she's scared, Akane. She once told me that she was afraid of what would happen if she remembers who she is. She's afraid that she might be forced to kill me."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Wanna know something else? I'm kinda scared, too…"

This takes Akane by surprise. "Ranma…?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Me, Ranma Saotome, scared. But it's the truth. If Ran gets her memories back, and suddenly gets it in her head that she has to fight and then kill me… I really don't want to do it. I don't want to fight her, Akane. She's been a friend to me, the first real friend I've ever had. I'd tried telling myself there's no way that would happen, that no matter what happens, we are and will still be friends. I still believe that, even now. But there's this nagging thought in the back of my head, y'know, and sometimes I begin to think…"

Ranma is stopped when he feels Akane's hand touch his.

"Akane…"

"Don't. Don't you even think about it. Ran WILL get through this. We'll help her. Together. OK? After all, she's my friend, too. After all she's done for us – even saving our engagement! – It's the least we can do. We owe her that much."

"Hey, you're right…!" Ranma then smiles. "Thanks, Akane."

They share a quick kiss, and hand-in-hand, they get up and go back inside the house for breakfast.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	45. Memory's Victim, Love's Prisoner!

CHAPTER 45

_**-"MEMORY'S VICTIM, LOVE'S PRISONER! THE LONELY LITTLE GIRL'S DILEMMA!"-**_

_**TENDO DOJO - MORNING:**_

A few minutes after their morning sparring, cleaned up and in their school uniforms, Akane, Ranma and Ran came to the breakfast table, and they all sat down to eat. Breakfast looked on the surface to be normal. That is, if you consider Ranma and Genma fighting over their food as part of the Tendo household's normal morning routine.

An angry Ranma objects, "HEY! That's my breakfast, you stupid old man!"

Genma laughs, "Ha ha! You're too slow, boy!"

As Ranma and Genma fight, Soun is busy reading the morning paper, but that was to be expected as well. Akane and Nabiki were chatting among themselves. And Ran…? No one seems to notice how quiet she is. She hardly touches her plate, maybe to take a bite or two, and chews rather absently, as if something's on her mind. As a matter of fact, she was strangely quiet throughout the entire meal. Just then, Kasumi came in with more food to serve and notices Ran's bruised left cheek. She gasps, "Oh my! Ran, that bruise…! What happened?

That gets everyone's attention; incidentally, it was long enough for Ranma to bonk Genma upside the head and take back the bowl of rice his father just snatched off his plate.

Ran starts to get nervous. She'd hoped no one would notice that bruise. Trying to reassure Kasumi, Ran just says while trying to sound indifferent about it, "Oh, this? Aw, it happened while we sparring this morning. It's nothing to worry about, really."

In the back of her mind, Ran wonders if that sounds as pathetic to Kasumi and the others as it does to her.

"Wait here. I'll go and get the first-aid kit."

As Kasumi leaves the dining room, everyone else turns to look at Ran, who tries to continue eating. Although none of them knew what she was wrestling with inside herself, they could clearly tell that something was wrong. Ran appeared to have lost that usual cheerfulness, a dull gaze in her eyes not normally found in her.

Soun asks, "Ran, is there something bothering you?"

Ran stopped eating for a moment keeping her listless eyes down on the table. She finally says, "No, Mr. Tendo."

Genma and Soun both exchange concerned looks. Then, Soun asks, "Then why so glum?"

"I did not know I was being glum, sir."

Nabiki adds, "Normally, Ran, that's not like you. Something's bothering you. You've hardly said a word to anyone since we started eating."

"And just HOW did you get that bruise, anyway?" Genma wanted to know.

Ran can't take it anymore. She stops eating and looks up, her eyes glistening with wetness. She's about ready to cry. She glances around at the concerned faces then pushes away her plate.

"I'm… I'm sorry, everyone. I'm just not hungry…. Well, I'd better get to school." She turns to Ranma and Akane, a fake smile obvious on her face as she says, "You guys comin' or what? Don't want to be late, right?"

As she's getting up, someone reaches out to grab Ran by the hand. She didn't have to turn around to see who it was; just from the strength of his firm yet gentle grip on her hand, she knew. She knew. Oh God, she knew! All Ran could do to keep from bursting into tears, was try to stay calm, to not lose control, to hold back her swelling emotions. To hide from these people, this wonderful family that took her in, the internal struggle raging within her heart – her destined, indoctrinated desire to fight and destroy vs. her still-growing-yet-already-strong feelings for the one she loved. The one she believes with all her heart and soul she feels deeply and strongly for. The one who is, at once, her best friend and her destined opponent at the same time…

It was Ranma. "Hey. Isn't it a bit too early to leave for school? Ran…?"

From where he was sitting, Ranma could not see the pained look on Ran's face. Akane, who's sitting next to Ranma however, sees the fear and desperation in Ran's eyes and suspects that Ran might just break down and cry right there.

"It's the dreams again isn't it?"

Now if this were anyone else, Ran would have tried to get away from whoever grabbed hold of her. But this was Ranma, her friend. Why would she run away from him, when this was obviously the time she'd need his help? Was she THAT afraid of him?

"It is, isn't it? You had another one, didn't you? That's why you dropped your guard during our match, isn't it?"

Tension hangs in the air as everyone waits to hear the truth

"Yes…!" Ran finally says. She leans against the doorway, slumps to her knees, and starts to cry. Ranma walks towards her. Without thinking he put his arms around her. She puts her head into his chest and cries; it was all she knew to do. "*sniff,sniff * …. *sob*…. Oh… oh, Ranma!"

Ranma comforts his friend, "It's okay, Ran. It's okay. Whatever you saw, it's not there. You're not there. You're here, safe, with all of us."

Poor Ranma. He has no absolutely no idea whatsoever how deep Ran's feelings for him run. That she's actually crying for him, over what might happen to him. Still, his words seem to bring her around. Taking her by the hand, he gently leads Ran back to the table. Akane reaches out a hand to grip her shoulder, gives Ran a hug, and waits for Ranma to nod before returning to her own meal. Genma, Soun, and Nabiki look at him with questioning gazes.

Ranma loks back at them. "What? It's not like I did anything!

Genma point-blank asks his son, "All right, boy. What happened?

It was about then that Kasumi re-enters with the first-aid kit. As she tends to Ran's bruises, Ranma explains what happened during the morning sparring session:

Soun starts to say, "So, Ran asked you for an all-out match…"

Genma finishes, "And you accepted? What were you thinking, boy!?

Ranma snaps at his father, "HEY! What are YOU gettin' upset for, Pop? Besides, it's not like I wanted to fight her all-out, 'cause I didn't!"

This startles Ran, who's still a little overcome by her true emotions. Ranma spots her out of the corner of his eye.

Ranma continues, "I mean, me and Akane both were surprised, just like you guys. So… we start the match, and we're fighting. Ran was… really doing great."

Pleased by his complement, Ran smiles.

"But then, we started trading punches, my Amaguriken against hers." Aside, to Ran, he compliments her, "That was a neat attack, by the way." Then he continues to explain, "And just at the last possible second, she just drops her guard and eats my Amaguriken! I… I knocked her out. I didn't mean to do it. Pop, Mr. Tendo, everybody… I think Ran's got real potential as a martial artist. Had the match gone differently, she might've won. But I did… and it didn't feel like a victory to me. I'm… I'm sorry, Ran."

After listening to this, Ran feels guilty. Ranma is actually blaming himself for what happened! She tries to intervene.

"Ranma, no! It's not your fault. I'm the one who should be apologizing! Not you! I…" She starts crying again, then, yells "Ouch!" as she winces from the application of the hydrogen peroxide.

Kasumi apologizes, "Oh my! I'm sorry, Ran." She then applies some ointment and a bandage to Ran's swollen cheek. "There you go."

"Thanks, Kasumi."

Genma wonders, "What do you mean, Ran? Now, granted, you might know the Art, but did you know what you were getting into when you challenged Ranma?"

Upset, Ran says, "I know, but….! Look, Mr. Saotome, Ranma didn't mean to hit me that hard. It was an accident. During the fight, I…I got distracted…."

Nabiki finishes, "By those dreams, right? Let's talk about those. You haven't had them lately, and now they're starting up again."

Ran hesitates for a moment. Could she tell them what was going on with her? What would they say? How would they react? It was too much for her to take. But she has to say something, anything! Dealing with it any longer and she might go crazy… and she hated to think what might happen afterwards!

But then Kasumi – God bless her kind-hearted soul! – says just the right thing at that very moment. "Ran, dear, when something hurts, you should tell someone. Please, let us help you."

That little bit of encouragement was just what she needed. Ran felt the heavy weight in her heart lessen, just a little. She starts hugging herself, and Akane moves over and puts an arm around her, giving her another gentle embrace. Ran shudders, sips on some tea to calm her nerves, and then takes a deep breath.

"Actually, everyone, it's not the dreams I've been having. It's something… no, someone else that's bothering me…"

"Who?" Ranma asks.

Ran starts explaining. "In my dreams, there's this strange old man…" She shakes her head, as if ignoring the thought of him. "Oh! I've been trying so hard to forget, but sometimes I can still hear his crazy laugh. Every night up until now, the dreams got stronger. He's there when I sleep, whispering, laughing at me, telling me that it's my destiny! Telling me that I have to…to…

"This old guy… is he the one who's been trying to get you to kill me?"

She nods sadly. "This morning, I heard his voice inside my head. He wanted me to kill you during our match." Ran tries to fight back tears. "I am afraid of him, Ranma. I feel like he's trying to drive me out of my mind. That's why I dropped my guard and took your blows. If I continued to fight you as hard as I did, I might have….have…."

Ranma says nothing, arms crossed as he thinks about Ran. His worry could be felt by the others.

"Is there anything else you remember about that man?" Nabiki questions Ran.

Ran thinks for a moment, trying to recall what the man haunting her dreams looks like. Soon enough, she can see him clearly now – an old man with wild hair, a big mustache, and a lab coat….

_And she's in some kind of laboratory or operating room, like the ones you see in a science fiction or a horror movie. In her mind she heard screams – her own screams and she saw projected in her mind her own body, strapped to an operating table by leather straps. All sorts of wires are attached to her body, and she was wearing some kind of crazy headpiece. Surgical instruments and needles filled with greenish liquid lay scattered on steel trays. Dr. Wily was clear in Ran's mind, scarier than he appeared to be before. The mad doctor was standing over her with a crazed look in his eyes. He flipped a switch near the table, and her view of the surroundings was shaken up as a short burst of electricity was sent coursing through her body. "It won't be long now, Ran. Soon you will fulfill your destiny...!" he murmured. The voice wavered and bent, the sound changing, echoing in her mind._

"_Still don't feel like obeying me? I'm sure that last electric shock didn't feel very pleasant going through you. Now… you know what you must do now, yes?"_

"_No. I won't do it. Nothing you can do will make me! I will NOT kill Ranma!"_

"_That's too bad. You force me to rely on more proven methods. Fortunately, they are just as effective… And now my dear, I do believe it is time to see the REAL you."_

_And then, his hand drifted down to her chest, and…_

From everyone else's perspective, it looks like Ran has gone into a trance. The instant she recalls Dr. Wily's face, something from Ran's foggy memories of her past surfaced. She's looking straight ahead, staring out into space, her eyes wide open with fear. Her skin is pale and clammy, and she's sweating. She trembles as the memories of her ordeal under Dr. Wily haunt her…

_And she could still feel his hand groping around her body, his laughing at her, her cries for help, and pain, so much pain, why? Why? Make it stop! Stop! Let me out let me out help help…_

Ran now weeps, "No….no….!"

Now worried, Ranma asks her, "Ran! What is it? What's the matter?"

Seeing that Ran's upset, Akane prevents Nabiki from asking Ran any more questions. "Stop it, Nabiki! You're asking about her most frightening recollections!"

Ran looks up, her eyes red from crying. "She's right. I…don't want to talk about him anymore, please. It…it hurts too much just thinking about him." Then, to Ranma, she says. "I... Ranma, I... I'm not sure I want to fight like that any more. I... I don't like it. It was a great fight and all, but…I never really liked it. I like sparring, but I don't like fighting... Not like that…"

Ranma gently takes her hand. Ran lets out a small gasp, blushing a little.

"Hey, I… I understand, Ran. We'll... we'll just stick to our regular sparring from now on, OK?"

Ran's eyes go wide, as she thinks, _Is this a dream? Just a sweet, sweet dream…?_

She was so surprised when Ranma's hand touched her own that she had totally forgotten what she had been crying about. Her eyes remained open for a few moments before she relaxed, closing her eyes and melting with love and adoration. She sighs deeply, the background behind her and Ranma filled with hearts and red roses.

That poor, lovesick girl.

_Oh please, if this is a dream, don't let me wake up…_

Ran looks up at him in relief and nods, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Nabiki, on the other hand, watches Ran's reaction to Ranma's touch and groans, thinking, _Oh boy, here we go again. Yet another girl falls for Ranma… and this time, I don't think he knows it. This could be interesting…_

Being Nabiki Tendo (of course!), she's already thinking of ways she could make a few hundred yen off this situation.

Well, for the most part, everyone is happy that Ran's back to her cheerful self now. However, the identity of the old man in Ran's dreams causes some concern.

Unusually serious, Soun says, "Ahem…. Well, you should get to school. We'll talk about this some more after you get home."

Ranma, Akane, Ran & Nabiki agree, "Right."

ON THE WAY TO FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL…

As usual, Ranma, Ran, and Akane are running toward school (minus Nabiki, who'd already left after this morning's events).

But something's different. Akane is actually keeping up with Ranma! Thanks to training with Ranma, her speed and agility has improved. Ranma, of course, is in the lead. Yet Akane doesn't mind; she's just glad she's able to run at almost the same pace with him now when they have to rush to school.

This time around, it's Ran who's way behind! When they left the house this morning, she and Ranma were neck-to-neck as they raced each other to school, Akane following closely behind them. On their way there, Ran started to slow down…

And.

Just.

Stopped.

She stood there in the middle of the road for what seemed an eternity, long enough for Akane to pass right by her and catch up to Ranma.

She was running with her best friends Ranma and Akane to school like she usually did, but her heart just wasn't in it today, her mind otherwise occupied.

Ran hangs her head down, placing a hand on her breast, over her heart. She sighs sadly, the weight of concealing her feelings for Ranma getting to her.

_But really, what other choice do I have? I mean, Ranma and Akane are getting along so well now, compared to when I first came here. They're my friends! I should be happy for them! I am… Really, I am… But still, my heart feels so strongly for him! Should I tell him? Can I tell him?_

When Ran finally looks up, Ranma and Akane are long gone. Thinking about them, and how much they both mean to her, she makes a decision.

_No. I can't tell him. I should just keep my real feelings to myself, for Ranma's sake. He doesn't need another fiancée to deal with. I mean, after all we're just friends… right?_

Silence hangs in the air as Ran's internal conflict continues.

_ARE we just friends? Are we lovers? Could we be lovers AND friends at the same time?_

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, did anybody catch the hidden song reference in there? Give yourself bonus points if you do! We now return you to our story in progress…]

…_Oh, but I want to tell him! I want to tell him how I feel, to hold him and be held in his arms. To tell him "I love you!" But if I do, I'll hurt him. I don't want to do that. It would be just like…like this morning's battle all over again._ Ran shivers at that thought. _Is this what that old guy meant when he said that things would get worse for me from here…? Nah! _She smiles, breathes a sigh of relief. _But at least, I don't have to listen to his scary voice again. I hope…_

It was then than Ran realized something VERY important…

"ACK! OH NO!! I'M GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL! Aw, man….!!"

Ran takes a running start, then leaps quickly from rooftop to rooftop Ranma-style!

Better hurry, Ran!

The steady squeaking of the wheels on the janitor's cart would have been enough to get on the nerves of just about any other person. But the janitor, unperturbed, pushed his cart steadily down the hallway of Furinkan High School, looking neither right nor left. People passed him by and didn't even glance at him, which suited him just fine. He had nothing to say to them, and certainly they had nothing to say to him. As a janitor, he was one of the invisible people. At most someone might nod vaguely in his general direction and then instantly forget they'd seen him at all. That also suited him. He kept his head down, focusing his attention on the floor and his cart. Every so often he'd raise his head enough to look around, his eye (yes, eye, as in ONE eye)! burning with a frightening intensity. Had anyone looked him square in the eye, they would have been taken aback, perhaps even frightened. Fortunately, no one did. He brought his cart to a halt and removed a bucket of water and a mop. He used the same bucket to both soap the mop and also to clean it, so the water within had turned an unpleasant shade of gray. He wasn't doing the floor any favors by running his mop over it, but that didn't seem to matter to him.

More people were coming, and he adopted a carefully neutral, distant, and bored look as he began slathering the floor with the dirty water. Several teachers were heading in his direction, but when they saw what he was up to, they headed off down another hallway to keep clear of him. That was exactly what he wanted. It facilitated his being able to hear the conversations he wanted to hear. Looking apathetic and nonchalant, he ran the mop across the floor as he sidled over to the classroom that he knew Ranma Saotome and Ran Hayami were in.

"Aloha! Excuse me!"

The voice so startled him that he almost dropped the mop. He stepped back, keeping his gaze lowered, as that annoying man – that principal – literally hopped around the wet areas. He wore his usual Hawaiian shirt, green pants, sunglasses, and that little palm tree on his head.

Principal Kuno sees the janitor. "Ey! You be careful dere wit dat moppin', yeah! We don want de keiki slippin' and fallin' now, no?"

The janitor kept his gaze fixedly on the floor. An anime-style "angry vein" bulged from his uniform cap. He didn't like this situation at all. The principal was noticing him, and it wasn't to his advantage to be noticed. The janitor paused a moment more, and he briefly considered beating him to death with the mop. But he decided that might be a bit of an overreaction. A fortunate thing he came to that conclusion, too, because then the principal was about to leave.

"Keep up de good work, you hear? Later, brudda! HA HA HA!"

The Principal leaves, probably heading back to his literal jungle of an office. When he was gone, only then did the janitor raise his head, revealing his red camera-lens-like eye! Yes folks, it's the Zero Spawn from last night! It had successfully carried out the first part of High Priest Erick's special orders: to infiltrate Furinkan High and get a job as the school's new janitor. Now inside, it was currently carrying out Part 2 of the plan – to monitor Ranma Saotome, Ran, and their friends, and report on anything it sees to Erick, especially anything about the Phoenix Stone. Also, to keep an eye on R, and his efforts to destroy Ranma.

In that robot-like monotone voice, the drone reports, "Annoying subject Principal Kuno no longer present… Resuming normal functions…"

And with that, the Zero Spawn, err…janitor goes back to mopping the floor.

Ran manages to catch up with Ranma and Akane, and the three of them make it to class in record time.

Soon afterwards, Ukyo (who we haven't seen since Chapter 11!) arrives, taking a seat next to Ran.

OK, let's stop right here, folks. Think for a moment. Isn't it interesting that the two girls who are both friends of and would-be lovers for Ranma Saotome would sit next to each other on this particular day? Coincidence, is it not?

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Get on with it already, ya silly narrator!!]

Err…. Right. Ukyo didn't know too much about Ran, aside from what Ranma and Akane told her. And just like Ranma, his dad, and the Tendos, she too became curious about this pig-tailed girl who (aside from the color of her hair) looked for all the world like Ranma's girl form. She tried to get information from Nabiki; it had cost her a few thousand yen and a free okonomiyaki from Ucchan's. Ukyo ended up learning nothing at all. Nabiki, in an unusual (and RARE) act of generosity, returned Ukyo's money (Minus her usual fee of 5000 yen for her services; plus she'd kept the coupon for the free okonomiyaki. What did you expect; this IS Nabiki Tendo we're talking about here!). Still, Ukyo tried to be nice to this strange new girl in Ranma's life. Heck, she even spoke to her a few times, as classmates who attend the same school and are neither friends nor enemies tend to do. Today was no different. Well…

Ukyo cheerfully says, "Good morning, Ran!"

Ran sounds depressed as she responds, "Oh. Good morning, Kuonji-san."

Now THIS, however, was different. Ukyo notices the lack of feeling in Ran's reply. Something's up.

It was then that their teacher Hinako Ninomiya enters and class starts.

Ukyo looks over to Ran, who's idly scribbling in her notebook, a glazed expression on her face. Ukyo leans over to see what she's writing.

Ranma's name was written several times around the page. Ran had even drawn a good picture of Ranma's head, with the words "Hey, there" coming out of his mouth. Then there was Ranma and Ran's names, with a little heart drawn in between them. Ran was currently drawing over the little heart, making it bigger and bigger until it covered both their names and filled the entire page!

Ukyo turned away, groaning over the possibility of yet another fiancée for Ranma. This, she decided, was not a good sign. But what happens next surprises her.

Her ears caught the faint sound of sobs coming from Ran. She bit her lip, trying to pay attention to today's lesson, trying to ignore the silent tears coming from the girl sitting beside her.

But she couldn't. Ukyo glances back at Ran, who looks so depressed that the sight breaks her own heart. Ukyo didn't know, couldn't know how much Ran was deeply in love with Ranma. She begins to feel sympathy for the pig-tailed girl; for at one time, she too loved her "Ran-chan" with that same intense love….

After the failed wedding attempt (See the final volume of the Ranma 1/2 manga!), she had to work hard at winning back Ranma's trust and friendship. He'd been quite angry that she had stooped to Shampoo or Kodachi's level with the exploding okonomiyaki and, consequently, he did not speak to her for several weeks before finally accepting her apology. She resolved right then and there to do right by him, to forget the fiancée nonsense, and just be his friend. Just like they used to be before Ranma's idiot father went and ruined it all by engaging her to Ranma, then running off like hell with her dad's okonomiyaki cart.

But enough reminiscing about the past; Ukyo makes a decision. After all, any friend of her Ran-chan's is her friend, too. And right now, it seems Ran could really use one…. I_ think I need to have a little chat with Ran-chan and Akane at lunch._

During the course of her teaching, Miss Hinako notices something unusual. Ran is just sitting there at her desk, daydreaming about something (or someone!), lost in thought. In any case, she wasn't paying attention to today's lesson.

She thinks, _Can this be? Miss Hayami isn't paying attention in class? This is a surprise! She's a good girl, despite the fact that she associates with that delinquent Mr. Saotome…_ Then, she realizes in error, _OH NO! His behavior must be rubbing off on her! I knew he was a bad influence! This certainly won't do!_

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a five-yen coin. _I'll just suck out a little bit of that delinquent energy inside her. And I'd better do it quickly before she absorbs any of Mr. Saotome's poor study habits!_

Both Ranma and Akane tense up as Hinako walks up to Ran's desk, prepared to move if it looked like Hinako is about to try anything. Across the room, Ukyo tenses for action as well….

Ran has no idea what's going on that moment. When she finally looks up, she gasps. She sees poor Ranma lying on the floor, quivering like a plate of Jell-o. You'd look that way too if you just had your ki sucked right out of you, y'know. Miss Hinako was now in her adult form, a little bit of smoke coming out from the hole of the five-yen coin she used for her "Happo Goen Satsu" (Happo 5-Yen Kill / Eight Treasures of the Deadly 5 Yen Piece) technique. She's a bit disappointed; she'd only tried to take off a little bit of Ran's ki, but gee, wouldn't you know it, Ranma leaped in front of her and got drained instead. When you think about it from her point of view, though, maybe she's not TOO disappointed.

Hinako smirks, thinking, _Well, it's not what I'd intended, but at least now Mr. Saotome will think twice before interfering with me when I'm dealing with another student._ Aloud, to Ran, she says, "Miss Hayami?"

Ran snaps out of her daze, "Huh? Y-yes, Ms. Ninomiya?"

"May I see you after class?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Hinako then looks over at Ranma, who's still weakened from her ki-draining. "And as for YOU, Mr. Saotome…Despite your noble intentions, you interrupted me while I attending to your classmate Miss Hayami. If you wanted my attention, all you had to do was raise your hand. Remember that in the future."

A weakened Ranma groans, "Ugh…y-yeah, Teach."

A few students laugh at this scene. Ukyo sweatdrops. Akane groans, embarrassed. She turns around to see Ran, who has a sad look on her face.

Ran can only watch as Ranma crawls back to his desk. She knows the effects of Hinako's ki-draining would eventually wear off and he'd be back to full strength. Still, the sight hurts Ran's heart. She knows why Ranma stepped in. _Oh, Ranma… Why did you do it? I'M the one who should have been drained, not you! I'm the one who was daydreaming back there! Why, you ask? It's because my poor head is filled with thoughts of you now! If only I could just tell you how I feel about you!!_

At that, she covers her face with her hands, and cries softly. Hinako notices this and resolves to have that discussion with Ran soon after her class is finished. Meanwhile, she walked back to the front of the class to continue teaching. As class went on though, Ran seemed to regain her composure. She tries to pay attention to the rest of today's lesson, taking notes, but she was still preoccupied by her feelings for Ranma. Time marched on without her knowing it. She didn't even hear the bell ring, signaling the end of class. She seemed lost in a daze.

NOW, Hinako was concerned. She walks over to Ran's desk. "Miss Hayami? Miss Hayami?"

Ran comes to, as if awakened from a state of deep hypnosis. "Huh? Oh, hey... wow! Ms. Ninomiya! Sorry!"

Hinako's mildly annoyed, but doesn't show it. "What are you still doing here?"

"Umm…. Taking notes from your class?"

"My class? Miss Hayami, my class was over. See this empty classroom? See me, standing here, talking with you? Even Saotome tried to wake you up, with little success. I had to threaten to drain his ki again to make him leave, so I can have this brief chat with you."

Ran is embarrassed. "*gulp*… Guess I blew it today, didn't I? I'm…. I'm really sorry. You see…"

Hinako shakes her head, sighs, and when she speaks again it wasn't like she's trying to scold Ran, but more with an air of disappointment. "Miss Hayami, you are one of my most promising students. I've never had a discipline problem from you yet. However, your behavior during class today was unusual for you. Don't misunderstand. I'm not angry with you. I'm concerned. And I suspect that it has something to do with Saotome, am I right?"

Hinako spots Ran's notebook, opened to the page with Ranma's name written all over it and all the doodles and sketches. She looks back up at Ran, who simply hangs her head down like someone who knows she's been caught.

After a moment Hinako says, " This only proves my suspicions. As someone who's dealt with Saotome before on previous occasions, let me tell you something about him. He is a deviant, womanizing delinquent, plain and simple."

Offended by what her teacher just said about her best friend, Ran looks up, with wetness in her eyes. "Please, Ms. Ninomiya…Ranma… he's not like that. He's not like that at all."

Hinako considers that. "I see… In any case, I hope you realize what you're getting into by falling for him. Nevertheless, my class is not a bedroom. You can dream about your life together with Saotome on your own time."

Feeling chastised Ran obediently says, "Yes, ma'am."

"Here." Hinako hands Ran a pass. "You should hurry to your next class. And Miss Hayami?"

"Y-yes?"

Hinako smiles slightly. "Please don't take what I've said about Saotome to heart. Despite being such a delinquent, he DOES tend to have his good points. I suppose that would explain why you're so fond of him." Getting serious again, she then says, "So what's it going it to be, Miss Hayami? Your educational future or your romantic fairy-tale happy ending? You'd better make a choice about what's important to you. Get it together, OK? I'd hate to see someone with so much potential just fall apart over one boy."

Ran nods, "Yes, ma'am."

As Ran leaves Hinako's classroom, she lets out a sad sigh. First, Ranma gets drained for trying to protect her and now her teacher scolds her for daydreaming about the boy she secretly loves yet can't tell him her true feelings. "Get it together", Miss Hinako says. Those words linger for a bit in Ran's mind. But her suppressed feelings for Ranma are stronger, causing her to respond back:

"But I can't…"

She sighs again, and hurries off to her next class.

We have to wonder, folks. How much longer can Ran hold out before the weight of her concealed feelings becomes too great to bear? Imagine, if you will, putting water into a pot, screwing a lid on really tight, and then putting said pot onto a burner. Sooner or later, there's going to be an explosion.

Such is the case here.

Soon, there would be an explosion.

The events that would cause it were already in motion….

Ran moved through the rest of the school day like a robot, divided between paying attention in her classes and wrestling with her feelings for Ranma. She would take notes on one page and then, on the next, draw hearts and flowers surrounding one single sentence:

"I, Ran Hayami, love Ranma Saotome with all my heart!!"

The words she desperately wants to say but can't.

Why?

_Because I'm afraid…_ Ran thinks.

Of what?

_Of what'll happen if I do tell him. Afraid of destroying Ranma and Akane's happiness. Afraid of losing Akane's trust – we're practically like sisters for crying out loud! Afraid of losing Ranma's friendship. Afraid that he doesn't love me the way I love him. Afraid of what I might do if he doesn't love me…What should I do? What should I do?_

Ran stars feeling a little queasy, as if she'd eaten something that disagreed with her.

But there's something else isn't there? Someone else you're afraid of?

It's him.

You're afraid of him.

Ran whispers, "No…no…not again….!"

And then she could hear the mad laughter ringing inside her head.

_HA HA HA HA HA HA!! You see! I told you it would only get worse for you the more you try to resist! Give it up already! Give in, and you'll be released from your pain! _

Ran angrily whispers, " No…I'lll…I'll never give in! I…I'll fight it….!"

_Feh. You stubborn girl. But that's just fine…You'll regret it later on, believe me. Take a good look…_

And then she was back in that lab again.

_Wily had just finished injecting her with another dose of that green stuff and was pacing in front of her, observing the effects. Ran writhed in misery, whimpering like a child, though she was drugged and only semi-coherent. She was so strung-out from that stuff Wily used on her that she didn't seem to know where she was, only that she wanted to get away, far away, to be anyplace but here with him. No don't lose it don't go under fight it fight it fight it…!_

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" _

_Her scream echoed within the lab. It was followed almost immediately by several more screams of "no" and a few wordless shrieks. She was now hysterical, flailing around on the operating table just screaming her head off._

_The mad doctor was not fazed (well, maybe a little). He pushed a button on a nearby control panel that tightened the straps holding her to the table. Then he flipped the dreaded switch, sending another jolt of electricity through her body. The struggling stopped and…_

Now she was back in her math class again. She shakes her head, regains her senses, and tries to pay attention to the rest of today's lesson. Class was almost over anyway; she'd almost made it through.

Almost….

_When did she go back to that lab again? Was she having some sort of warped dream here? One where her life in Nerima with her friends was only a fantasy and this cold, cruel place with this crazy old man was her real existence? Was that it? That had to be it! Well?_

_She felt something on her body. It was the doctor's hands, and they were all over her._

OK! That's it! I can't take it anymore! HANG ON RAN! I'LL SAVE YOU! HEY! Let go of me!

The author struggles with the narrator as he says, "HEY! Settle down! You're the narrator, not the hero of this story! I don't like what he's doing either, but this flashback's almost over. So chill, OK?"

_She cringed at his touch. She hated it. But in spite of all he was doing to her, she still had the strength to resist his control._

"_No…! No matter what you do to me, I won't do it!"_

_And then the doctor started ranting about this and that and declared he was going use any and every means necessary to break her will. _

"_You WILL obey me!!" he howled._

_She tried to fight back. But her body, numb from the physical and mental abuse she'd suffered, didn't want to, wouldn't respond. Then he...then he came toward her, touched her in a place where he shouldn't have, and...she screamed, oh, how she screamed! There was crying and shrieking.... And there was pain, pain, so much pain get offa me get offa me help help HELP no stop please no more hurts ow ow ahhhhhhhhhh I don't want to don't make me I'll be good I'll…I'll…no! Don't want to do it no too much too much can't handle it stop too much too much…_

Overwhelmed by those terrifying memories, Ran feels like her head is spinning. The queasiness she felt earlier in her stomach doesn't help either. Her eyes roll back in her head, her eyelids flutter, and then…

**THUNK!!**

She passes out, unconscious. The sound of her head hitting the desk startles everybody else in the classroom.

All at once there she was, sitting down on the floor. Her classmates crowd around her in a circle.

"Ran? RAN!…. Oh my god! Look at her face! She looks so pale!…. HEY! Somebody call the nurse!"

Ran looked up at the ceiling. Slowly it dawned on her. She was lying on a bed somewhere. For that matter, she did not recognize that ceiling. Looking around her, she did not recognize the room either at first.

She groaned. Real. It had all been real. Those nightmarish visions, that crazy old doctor…

And Ranma…

Ranma…

Tears rolled silently down her cheeks and she tried to remember why she was here. Or where she was. She looked around. Not her classroom. Someone else's. And she woke up from sleep. At first, the white ceiling was visible, and after that, a familiar face was seen.

"Are you okay, Ran?"

She noticed that she was in the nurse's office, lying flat on her back on one of the beds. Hearing Ukyo's voice, she turns on her side.

Ran wakes up. "Nnnnnnnnnh…. Kuonji-san? Wh-where am I?"

"You're in the nurse's office. Remember how you got there?"

With a great effort, Ran hauled herself out of the bed. She was so tired and weak, as if she had fought a hard battle. What had happened to her? Soon as she sat up, the room starts to spin and she falls backwards. In a flash, Ukyo caught her from behind and gently laid her back down. "Hey! Take it easy. Don't try to move yet. The nurse said you needed to rest."

"I…I remember…"

"Yeah? What?"

"I…I remember… being in my math class, and not feeling too good, like I had a stomach ache or something. I felt dizzy, and after that… I blacked out. Next thing I know, I wake up in here, with you. Between that, I can't recall anything else…"

Ukyo confirms, "Well, that's kinda what happened. I saw a couple of guys carry you out. Said you'd fainted. So I helped them carry you down to the nurse's. I hung around, y'know, just to make sure you were okay. You missed part of lunch; you've been out for that long."

Just then, the school nurse came back in to check on Ran. "Ah! You're feeling a lot better now, aren't you? Why don't you try to get up? Seems you just had a touch of exhaustion - nothing to worry about. If you feel up to it why not try to eat something? Help you get your strength up."

Before Ukyo could say anything, Ran instinctively sat up straight in bed and politely thanked the nurse.

"Ran, are you sure you should be up and about so soon?" she asks.

Ran replies as she's getting out of the bed, "Yeah. I'm feeling a little bit better now, so…"

"Well… Say, I was gonna join up with Ranma and Akane for lunch. Wanna come with?"

When Ukyo mentioned Ranma's name, Ran sighs, a sad smile appearing on her lips. Given what she had to deal with, she wasn't quite ready to be around Ranma just yet. Ukyo, however, had noticed Ran's change in expression.

"No. You go on ahead. I'll… I'll be OK."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

As she goes past Ukyo and walks out the nurse's office, Ukyo turns and…

"Ran, wait. There's something I think you and I need to have out first."

Ran groans. If she didn't have her own problems to deal with right now, she might be able to face Ukyo right now. Maybe even beat her if it came to a fight between them. But right now…

Ran sighs again, expecting to be challenged to a fight, "Listen, Kuonji-san, if this is about Ranma… I'm sorry, but I'm not in any condition to fight now. Maybe some other time?"

Ukyo blinks. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh? You mean you're not going to fight me? You won't fight Akane over Ranma this time?"

"Who said anything about fighting? It's not about Ranma and Akane… for once. Ran, I… I saw what you wrote in your notebook this morning…"

Ran lets out a surprised gasp, afraid that she'd been discovered. But in her mind she thinks, _Oh God, she knows!_

Ukyo continues, "And I just wanted to say that… I kinda know what you're going through right now. And if you want to, you can come over to Ucchan's and we can talk. You're welcome anytime, especially since you're a friend of Ran-chan's."

Ran finally speaks, "But…but Ranma?"

"I won't say anything to him or Akane about it, I promise. It'll be our little secret."

Ran turns to face Ukyo. "Aren't you one of his fiancées too?"

Now it's true that Ukyo was one of Ranma's fiancées, and she's had her share of troubles dealing with her own feelings for him. But they pale in comparison to Ran's dilemma.

"I was…" She pauses for a moment, then says, "…but not anymore. It's kinda a long story; maybe I'll tell you about it sometime."

"Then…. You can probably understand the way I feel."

They stareat each other for a moment, their eyes communicating what they could not say openly, and then, with a sad look on her face, Ran turns back and walks out the door. Ukyo stares after the direction Ran has gone, and sighs.

She then thinks, _Look at her. She's crazy about Ran-chan. I can see it in her eyes. It's like she wants to tell him how she feels but she can't. Don't know why, and I don't think I want to know. But whatever it is, it's making her hold back, hide what's in her heart. If she doesn't do something about it, her heart will break from under the pressure, or worse…!_

But there's a problem. Ranma and Akane are engaged. Ukyo figured that Ran might have had something to do with Ranma and Akane getting along better. How ironic that the one who brought them together might end up being the one who'd break them apart.

In the past, she might have gladly seized the opportunity and took Ranma for herself….

But what about Akane?

Ukyo had a strange thought (Okay it was downright freaky!). Now that she had Ranma, what would happen to Akane and Ran? She chuckles, remembering how Ranma used to call Akane an uncute tomboy. Then, she wonders, given that Ran resembles his girl form so much, what if she also possessed some of his memories as well? Perhaps even his feelings, feelings for Akane? What if Ran's feelings shifted toward Akane instead of Ranma? What if they got together, and…

Hearing this, the author harshly scolds the narrator, "Shame on you! Thinking that Ran might like girls! She doesn't swing that way!"

Well, you never know. The way Ran's been bottling up her feelings in this chapter, it's kinda hard to tell….

_Oh God! The narrator's trying to turn this into a shoujo-ai fic! I'd better stop him before he starts pouring lemon juice all over our story… and I don't mean that stuff you use to make lemonade that comes in those little lemon-shaped bottles!_ The author draws a samurai sword as he threatens, "HEY! One more crack like that about Ran, and I'll terminate your position as narrator…. Permanently!"

EEP! Okay, okay! I'll be good!

The author puts the sword away. "That's better. Now get on with it already!"

Ukyo shakes her head, ruling out THAT possibility entirely. (Thank goodness!)

All joking aside, folks, this is a really sticky situation here.

In the current paring of lovers so far, we have Ranma Saotome / Akane Tendo, Ryoga Hibiki / Akari Unryuu, and R / Kodachi Kuno (THAT one alone would take several chapters to explain! Eee…).

But let's focus strictly on the Ranma / Akane pairing while we get back on track here.

So here we have Ranma and Akane. And then, let us add Ran into our theoretical equation. Does anyone else besides me, your friendly neighborhood narrator, see the inevitable love triangle here?

And who is Ran interested in? Who else but Ranma!

Knowing that Ran has a crush on Ranma, Ukyo wonders what could those two possibly do together? Could Ranma return the love that Ran wanted so desperately to offer? If so, would he give up Akane for her instead? In any case, with things as they are now, Ran would continue to go on, her love unrequited. One way or the other, someone was going to get hurt, someone would be left heartbroken. Such is the trouble with secrets. They have a way of coming out and the longer they lie hidden the more pain they cause.

Suddenly, Ukyo felt close to tears herself, as she remembers her own feelings for Ranma. And the pain that came afterwards. In trying to win Ranma as a fiancée, she had given away years of her life because she couldn't tell she'd lost before she even begun. So much time wasted, time that would never come back, so many chances that would never come again…

But it wasn't a complete loss, was it? Sure, it took some time, but at least Ukyo and Ranma were friends once again.

Ukyo makes up her mind. She intends to talk to Ranma and Akane, without revealing Ran's secret. She will help Ran find a way to let Ranma know her feelings without jeopardizing their friendship or ruining Ranma and Akane's engagement.

But, as mentioned earlier in this chapter, Ukyo had no idea how deep Ran's feelings for Ranma were. She only got a glimpse of them from Ran's notes; she really didn't know. There was no way to know. In this life, folks, there's no way of knowing anything (Unless you're psychic or something, that is!). Not until it happens… and sometimes not even then.

Still…Ukyo knew what she hoped for.

"I'm pulling for you, Ran. I hope everything works out… for your sake as well as Ran-chan and Akane's."

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	46. The White Rose's Advice On Love!

CHAPTER 46

_**-"THE WHITE ROSE'S ADVICE ON LOVE! THE DEVIL HE ONCE KNEW!"-**_

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL – AROUND LUNCHTIME:**_

Our lovesick heroine, Ran Hayami, walks out of the school building and stands out at the backyard of the campus grounds. She watched people coming and going. Students laughing or conversing seriously. Sitting under trees eating their lunches or studying. There was activity going on all around her, but she felt detached from it. She was "of" the world, but not "in" it.

She felt as if she were looking across an alien landscape. As if she were a visitor from a far-off world who had about much in common with these life-forms as they did with amoebas.

She had to get a life.

She just wasn't sure whose to get.

Earlier, Ran had just left Ukyo after she invited Ran to have lunch with her, Ranma, and Akane. Ran still didn't feel up to facing Ranma right now. Talking to him now would be like getting a knife through her heart. But she was depressed because it was the sweetest pain she knew.

So those same mixed feelings resurfaced later when she turned a corner and nearly collided with Ranma, whose eyes widened in surprise. They stared at each other for a moment, and then, with a sad look on her face, she turned and walked away. Ranma stared after the direction she had gone, wondering what was wrong with her. Ran, meanwhile, was on the verge of crying; she had never felt such a black depression in all her life. She made no attempt to dry the tears that would soon stream down her cheeks.

When she made it outside, she walked over to a familiar tree on the school grounds. It is the tree that R usually hangs out under during lunchtime (See Chapters 14 & 25). It's tall, with plenty of leaves, providing lots of shade. There was still a half-hour left before lunch was over, so Ran decided to sit down and eat.

But she never did eat her lunch. She felt burdened by the weight of her hidden feelings for Ranma Saotome. Their intensity left her disoriented and confused, lost. She just stared out into space, not having any idea what to do to ease her troubled heart.

It was like a flood of water crashing against a crudely constructed dam. Soon enough, it would burst open, the water bursting out everywhere.

Consequently, she buries her face in her folded arms, her shoulders shaking slightly, and sobs bitterly. She was so upset that she didn't even notice a certain someone approaching the tree…

"Hey. You're sitting in my spot."

"Huh?" Ran looks up to see R(!) standing over her.

"Sorry, kid. I'm kinda pressed for time, so I'm not gonna be much company for you. Gotta eat and run back to class. So slide over, will ya?

She does, and R sits down under the tree beside her. He then reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a small bundle, wrapped in fine silky red cloth. Taking out a pair of black-lacquered chopsticks (his own personal pair, mind you), he proceeds to quickly scarf down his lunch, which consists of a few thin-sliced cuts of roast beef, fried rice, and a salad.

As R eats, Ran continues to sit there, just crying her heart out. It seems as if he's ignoring Ran's plight. (Remember, this is R we're talking about. Who'd expect HIM, of all people, to be concerned about someone else?) But as soon as he finishes eating, R puts down his bento (box lunch), wipes his mouth with his silk handkerchief, and then calmly asks…

"Okay. What happened?"

Ran blinks, "Huh?"

"That bruise on your cheek. How did you get it?"

Oh great. She hoped that R wouldn't notice it. After all, he was so busy eating his lunch and…

"Kid, I might act like I don't care sometimes, but I still got eyes that see and ears that hear. I heard you crying long before I showed up. And I can see that bruise, so it's no use trying to cover it up."

Ran tries to change the subject. "R, this really isn't a good time right now…"

"Why? What's the problem?"

Ran tries to assure him. "There's no problem."

R, however, is unconvinced. "Feh. Like hell. Then why've you been crying? Is this about Ranma again?"

Ran is astounded at R's guess. "How… how did you…?"

"Aha… now the truth comes out. He hit you, didn't he? Well?"

With a pained look on her face, Ran pleads, "R, please… don't overreact…."

R's now upset. "Who's overreacting? I just wanna know, that's all." He gets no answer from her; NOW, he starts to get pissed. "Look, kid, don't clam up on me. I don't have the patience for that. Now answer me. What you say determines whether Ranma lives to see another day or dies right now!"

Ran cries out, "NO! He didn't mean to hit me! It was an accident, OK! We were just sparring this morning, and…"

And Ran proceeds to explain to him what happened earlier this morning (See Chapter 44), leaving out (perhaps wisely) the parts about being haunted by those dreams where Dr. Wily is… well, OK, I won't go there again. Afterwards:

R calms down; he seems convinced. "So… you got distracted, huh? Okay, I'll buy that." His tone of voice becomes serious. "But that still doesn't excuse what he did. Just this once, I'll let it slide. But can I give you a piece of advice? A true martial artist NEVER lets his mind wander from his fists. Forget that, and defeat is not only inevitable, but guaranteed! You got that?"

Taking his advice to heart, Ran doesn't say anything at first, but then, "…..but that's not the reason I've been crying."

"Oh?"

Now that R thought about it, she hadn't been herself today. She had been strangely reserved and quiet ever since he saw her walk onto the school grounds. He should have known there was something wrong then, and he'd suspected that Ranma was the cause.

"So what's the matter?"

Ran looks away, blushing, "………………!!"

R began to feel a little hurt himself that Ran was trying so hard to hide whatever was wrong from him. As usual, his hurt turned to annoyance. Irritated, he says, "Oh, not THIS again… Look, if you don't want to talk to me, that's fine, but don't lie to me. I'm not stupid you know."

She doesn't say anything but merely stares listlessly at the ground, and her bangs fall over her eyes so that he couldn't see them. When she still refuses to say anything, he gives up.

"Geez. Here I am, worrying about YOU and you can't even say anything. Fine then, sorry I even bothered. Well, see ya around."

He turns away from her and begins to stand up but her hand suddenly clasped his and stopped him. Unsure of what to do, he merely remained still. R could hear her start to cry.

"I…I'm sorry," Ran sobs.

As he listened to her sobs he realized that he had no idea what to do, no way of knowing how to comfort her. Eventually he awkwardly turned around and let her press against his chest instead. He fumbled for a moment unsure of where to place his arms and eventually placed them lightly around her shoulders.

"It's okay, kid."

R whispers softly over and over again until her soft crying begins to fade. Once she's finished, he finally asks her, "So then, what's wrong?"

She sniffled a few times and sat up straight, feeling very uncomfortable. And why shouldn't she have felt uncomfortable? After all, Ran knows that R (for whatever reasons that were his own alone) hates Ranma Saotome and has vowed to destroy him. But R did say he would be friends with her, right? They seemed to be getting along fairly well lately since Chapter 25 (As far as I can tell, anyway). Could she tell R her troubles, without giving away her secret feelings for Ranma? She had to try it! Okay, here goes nothing…

"I don't know…" Ran says, feeling a little embarrassed. "It's kind of silly."

"No it's not. C'mon, tell me about it."

"Well, okay." Ran takes a deep breath, then says, "I… I'm in love with someone…."

R is surprised. _You are?_ "Oookay…"

"At least... I think I am. But the guy I like doesn't know it." Ran sighs, disappointed. "I'm sorry, R, this isn't really a good time to talk about this…"

"No, go on," R urges Ran. Fighting to remain nonchalant, he moves a little closer to her, closing the distance between them. "So… Would I know his name? This guy?"

Ran blushes, feeling nervous at this point. "Oh, R… You'll just think I'm a stupid little girl with a crush."

With as much fervency as he could muster, R says, "Trust me, kid."

Ran looks into R's eyes, long and hard, and suddenly she laughs as if tremendously embarrassed over having been caught at something. She aughs through her tears, "I'm, like, head over heels! It's crazy!"

"Well, who is he?"

"It's funny. He and I have been friends since I came to Nerima, and only recently, I… well, I realized had these really, really strong romantic feelings toward him, and…"

It was all R could do to suppress a smile. Now normally, R wasn't into this kind of ridiculous high school dramatic nonsense – he'd thought of himself as more mature and sophisticated than his fellow students – Ranma and that idiot Kuno included. But strangely enough, he doesn't mind playing this little guessing game with Ran, trying to figure out the identity of her mysterious dream guy while she pours her little heart out. The absurdity of her situation struck him as rather, well… amusing…

So amusing that he busts out laughing!

"Hm hm hm hm… heh heh heh heh… HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!!! Is THAT what all this is about?"

"Why you…!" Ran punches his shoulder in mock annoyance. "You're laughing at me!"

After a few more laughs at her expense, R finally seems to calms down. But this… this is too hilarious! He laughs even more, not realizing what his ridicule is doing to Ran's already wounded heart. Ran, on the other hand, now thinks that R's just being mean to her. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell him after all. If he was just going to sit there and laugh at her as if he was getting some sort of sick thrill from her pain, well… And he was supposed to be her friend…dammit! She already has enough problems with hiding her feelings for Ranma and those nightmarish visions. She certainly didn't need more! It was just getting to be too much to handle, but what could she do now? At this moment, Ran felt utterly vulnerable and totally helpless. Helpless because she wanted to be. Helpless because she felt she deserved to be. Man, if she were like Akane back it the day…. Oh boy! She'd mallet R right now, or boot him to the moon! How dare he screw with her emotions like this?

But then she realized she wasn't anything at all like Akane…. And then thinking about Akane would lead back to Ranma, and…

She felt so overwhelmed by it all, so much that the tears come quickly to her eyes, and she cries again.

R, who was now reeling over from laughing too hard at poor Ran, hears her sobbing her heart out. He stops laughing. Apparently this is serious to her (Oh yeah, NOW he realizes it – the jerk!) and he's making light of it. And that makes him feel guilty for some reason. He... he wanted her to be happy. He reached out, tentatively, and hesitated. A particularly loud sob escaped her, and his courage firmed up. He reached out and put an arm around her.

R apologizes as he comforts her. "Kid, hey… don't cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on your feelings like that." Then, after she's had a chance to dry her tears… "But look, if you like this guy so much, why don't you just tell him?"

Ran looks up at him, her eyes red from crying earlier. "I… I couldn't….no, no, I can't. I just can't do it."

"Why?"

"Because… because… I'm afraid he doesn't love me the way I love him!"

"And just HOW do you know that?"

"*sniff, sniff*…. Well…."

After giving the matter some thought, R decides to help Ran out. "Kid… y'know, I've been thinking about your problem, and I think I might just have the solution. You just need to practice, rehearse what you want to say before you actually say it. So, why don't we try a little acting?"

"Wh-what?"

"Try me. Okay, pretend like I'm this guy you like, and I'll try to coach you through this. OK?"

Ran pales a little bit, but agrees. "Umm, all... all right."

"All right, here we go. First, you need to get his attention. Let him know you're serious. Go."

Ran blushes as she stumbles over her words. "Uh.... um... R, I… *gulp*…uhhh..."

"Look, I know it's hard, but you've got to get your nerves under control." R gets an idea! "Ah! I've got it. Think of this as if it were a battle, and this guy is your opponent…"

Oh, real nice, R. What are you trying to do, traumatize the poor girl? That's what happened earlier this morning! Ran shivers at the thought, remembering her sparring match with Ranma gone horribly wrong. R notices it, but he continues anyway.

"But… in THIS battle, you can't use your fists. Only your words have the power to beat this guy!" R tone of voice softens. "Kid, he might not reciprocate your feelings, but if you can't tell him, you'll never know. So try to keep that in mind, OK? Now…let's try again."

Ran was still nervous, but seemed to control herself. "R-R, I…. There's something I want to, no, no…. I need to say to you…Please…"

R's pleased. "Okay, you just landed your first attack. Now follow up with your combo. Remember, treat this like a battle!" He continues his coaching. "You're talking to the guy you love. You have to make that love come through, let him hear it. Focus on how you feel about him. Tell yourself, "I love this guy and I want him to know it!""

Ran feels her heart twist again, a strange mixture of agony and bliss. She looks into R's handsome gold-tinted eyes as he smiles back at her, friendship and warmth showing on his face (which is VERY unusual for R, anyway). She swallows nervously, and knew she should look away, but she simply could not take her eyes off of his. His eyes... The eyes of the boy she... the boy she...

And the next thing she knew, she was imagining she was looking at Ranma instead of R. In her mind, she saw him sitting next to her waiting to hear what she had to say. Truth is, Ran really doesn't have the faintest idea what to say. She hesitates.

From R's point of view, it looks as if Ran has gone into a deep trance. He grows uneasy at her stare, and his smile fades. Worried, he asks, "Hey, kid? You all right?"

Ran tries again. "R… I….This is really, really hard for me to say, but…. Oh, I just can't do this!"

Genuinely sincere, R encourages her. "Don't be afraid, kid. Say what's in your heart."

That little bit of extra encouragement was just what she needed. Suddenly, from somewhere inside her, strength comes, and her expression grows determined. Ran gathers her courage, closes her eyes, and finally speaks.

"Do… Do you believe in love at first sight? Well, maybe you don't, but… I do. Have you ever fallen so deeply for someone, that you can just… just feel it beyond your consciousness? I have. I can feel it when I'm sleeping; it's just always there. I lose myself to the feeling, and I am so swept up in it that I can no longer control it; I can no longer control my heart or what is in it, and my whole life is completely dedicated to your existence. When I'm with you, I'm halfway to heaven, and when I'm alone, I'm halfway to hell. The hours we spend together, though they seem like minutes, will be relived, like a movie, played over in my head, to keep me company when you're away. Even just a few minutes away from you seems like hours. I want to be with you all the time, to be by your side."

Ran turns to face R briefly. She sees he's interested in what she has to say, what she's always wanted to say, but couldn't. She continues.

"When I'm in love, it's like my heart overwhelms my mind, and I have no choice but to surrender to it and just let myself go. There is nothing I have ever felt before and nothing I will ever feel in my future that can compare to the way you make me feel. This feeling that you give me... it speaks to me... It speaks to my soul. Everything seems better, newer, clearer, and more real to me. Even the sunset seems brighter, the colors more beautiful, more vivid, more magical. For the first time in like, forever, I've noticed how blue the sky really is. And when I look deep into your eyes, I… I can see myself reflected back, a million times, in perfection. And I take comfort in knowing you can see yourself when you look into my eyes. When we touch, the electricity flowing between my skin and yours just ignites the flame in my heart, and I fall in love with you all over again. This feeling…. It's the best feeling I've ever felt." Listening to herself, Ran thinks, _Oh God, that sounded horrible! If I told Ranma that, he'd probably laugh at me for sure!_

Ran looks back up at him and is dumbfounded to see R's bottom lip quiver, tears welling in his eyes. Although he tries to maintain his tough-guy composure, he is genuinely moved by Ran's speech.

"Kid… I…" R almost chokes on his words. "I had no idea you felt that way about him." Then, he applauds, "Bravo! Bravo! That was wonderful! Excellent performance! Now, go and try it out on him for real!"

Ran seems to be collecting herself; she separates from him and stands up. She was sniffling and wiping her eyes. However, she still feels she's not ready to tell Ranma yet. But R's coaching DID help a little… She smiles sadly at him. "Yeah…" Then, she cheers up. "But… I think I need to practice just a little more, though. Thank you, R."

R rises to his feet, a little unsteady, still shaken by Ran's speech. "N-n-no p-problem, kid. R-really! I... I was glad I could help."

"Oh! It's almost time to go back to class!" Ran pulls a mirror out of her bookbag. "Look at my eyes! You can tell I've been crying." She takes out a moist towel, wipes her face, then puts the mirror away. "I... I've got to go, R. Again, thank you. You're very sweet. We're still friends, right?"

_D'OH! A friend? Is that all she sees me as?_ R thinks. Aloud, he's like, "Yeah, yeah."

Then she turns and walks off. R watches her, mesmerized, as she makes her way back inside, her purple hair and the skirt of her uniform ruffling gently in the breeze.

Slowly, R sinks to his knees, utterly in awe of this girl. Ran's confession of love to her dream guy touches something deep inside R's ice-cold heart. He feels something toward Ran, something familiar…

(Of course, he still had a few more details to figure out.)

_But what of Kodachi? I mean, she's my girlfriend! Sure, I think her laugh is really annoying - but she IS crazy about me. But Ran… There's something about her… I can't put my finger on it. It's like I felt nostalgic there for a moment, as if she was someone I know. I must find out more about her!_

He pauses for a moment.

_And yet… Kodachi… Ran… If there was only a way I could have them both!_ Then, horrified, he realizes, "Oh God! I'm turning into that idiot Kuno!"

R makes a mental note: Beat up Kuno before the school day's over.

Later, as R returns to his classes, he thinks about the conversation he had with Ran during lunch. Sure enough, his suspicions that Ranma was the reason for Ran's tears today were proven correct.

Oh sure, he'd promised her he'd let Ranma hurting her during sparring slide, that he wouldn't go off and kill him right then and there. But, c'mon! This is R we're talking about, folks! He can only be so forgiving. And plus, he still had a mission to carry out…

Thus, even though he promised he wouldn't, R intends to make Ranma pay for that at another time. As a matter of fact, he plans to do it real soon…

Then, he recalls when Ran confesses her love for this mysterious dream guy of hers. He blushes a little. But that pleasant feeling starts to give way to a little doubt. He starts wondering who Ran's dream lover is. He'd tried asking her who it was - twice, in fact – but she wouldn't say anything about him, wouldn't give R his name.

So then R thinks about all the guys he knows of at Furinkan that might match Ran's description of him. Immediately, he rules out Gosunkugi – that creepy kid's too fixated on Akane Tendo to bother any other girl. He quickly goes down a mental list of possible suitors for Ran - among them Ranma's buddies Hiroshi and Daisuke, his own classmates, the kendo club (Kuno included!), etc. – and ruled them all out. Of all the boys in the school, only two young men even come close to what Ran described in her confession:

Ranma Saotome and R himself.

Part of him wishes that he's the man of Ran's dreams, that he's her knight in shining armor.

The other part of him hopes it isn't Ranma who Ran's crazy about.

Then again (due to Dr. Wily's brainwashing), R hopes it IS Ranma, so he'll have an excuse to kill him. Then, after he defeats Ranma in battle and stands victorious over his blood-stained and broken corpse, he'll become the new master and heir of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts. He would be the most powerful fighter in the world, and both Ran and Kodachi would love and adore him. All three of them would live together happily ever after, and…

R blinks, disgusted. "Ugh! I've really got to beat Kuno up soon. It's like his obsession with platonic loves is contagious!"

Anyway… moving on. Now there's a new wrinkle in R's plans…

Assuming that Ranma is Ran's dream guy, it's safe to say that he makes her happy. If R kills him, then Ran would be sad. And R would never do anything to make Ran sad on purpose (Well…). He wanted her to be happy. So in order for her to be happy, that means he can't kill Ranma, which makes R unhappy. But killing him would make R happy, and leave Ran unhappy…. Maybe he COULD kill Ran instead, thus ending her unhappiness. But then he'd have to kill a grief-stricken Ranma who would surely try to avenge Ran's death. Or, he could kill them both and go live with Kodachi on some tropical island somewhere…

You see what I mean?

In any case, this guy (whoever he is) poses a personal threat to R.

_What does she see in that guy? What's he got that I don't?_

Well, duh! It's quite obvious! Ranma has Ran, and he doesn't! The more he thinks about Ranma, the angrier and angrier he gets. His battle aura burns extremely hot as the dark purple flames wrap around him!

_Why do I have the impulse to strangle that guy? No, that's no good! I want to tear him to shreds! Dammit! Who the hell is he!?_

Along with the burning anger came a pain so sharp and cold, it took him totally off guard. For a while until now, R had assumed that he and Ran might just be friends… maybe even more than that. Sometimes, he had the feeling that he knew her from somewhere, as if she were his….

Nah. Can't be. R didn't know of any other blood relatives. His parents were dead, and Dr. Wily was the closest thing he had to a father.

But the thought that she might be in love with another guy, fantasizing over him when R wasn't around – that was too much to bear. Having Ran's companionship and friendship without her declared love was something he was starting to get used to. But her confession made him feel he'd been taken for granted, like some sort of emotional consolation prize. His warrior's pride simply wouldn't allow that.

R calms down, and as he does, his battle aura fizzles out, fades away. He casts aside the notion that Ranma and this mysterious lover of Ran's are the same man…at least for now, anyway. Besides, he's got more important things to do. He must carry out his mission. He must fulfill his destiny.

So with his fists clenched and a grim look on his face, he strides back to class.

OK, everyone, you know how I said there was going to be an explosion last chapter? That certain events are happening (even now!) that will cause it?

For no reason at all whatsoever, we suddenly switch to a field with a large hill, where a huge army of RED CAT Soldiers stands ready to attack, armed with spears, swords, and other nasty weapons looking all menacing and stuff.

They yell at the narrator, "GET ON WITH IT!!"

*Gulp*….Well, here comes another one!

Just then, R heard something mewing. His doggie ears perk up at once. Turning around, he sees… a cat! It has white, brown, and black spotted fur. Apparently, it wandered onto school grounds. It meows again, a little louder.

R's eyes go wide, as if he's frightened by the cat (Doesn't THIS sound familiar, Ranma fans?). For some unknown reason, R's first reaction was to scream and run around frantically, like a chicken with its head cut off. But he doesn't. Instead, he just stands there, trembling, seized by some subconscious fear of this animal…

And then, it came back. A long-forgotten memory from his past…

_And he was ten years old again. He was alone, all alone, trapped in a deep, dark pit, bound with chains. And he smelled rather odd, fishy, even. THAT was the least of his problems. _

_The hordes of hungry cats that were clawing at him were._

_The first time he'd been in this place, he did not come out unscathed. He had emerged from there covered with scratch marks. Those had healed._

_But the damage to his mind was already done._

_He had no idea how long he'd been inside that pit. Was it only a few minutes? Hours? Days? Months? Maybe even… years?_

_And every time he was inside, there seemed to be more and more cats everywhere. Where were they coming from?_

_So here he was again, in that same pit, struggling against the cats. They pounce on him, starving. A few lick him to see if he tastes good before they feast. By now, his body is covered in thousands upon thousands of cat scratches._

_But unlike another who endured this feline hell, he does not succumb so easily, does not roll over expecting to die._

_Yes, he experiences the fear, the pain… but mostly the fear. The mental terror inflicted upon him increases with each passing moment, with each descent into that pit…_

_Until he snaps…_

_And then, the fear gives way…_

_In its place now is an intense, hate-filled murdering rage!! A killing instinct so strong that it makes the Satsui no Hadou (Hadou of Murderous Intent, or Killing Wave if you prefer) look like a little kid's temper tantrum._

_Yes, it's THAT bad._

_He fights for his life. Claws tear at his skin. Fangs pierce his flesh. Blood spills onto the cold concrete. And all the while, he counterattacks, giving back just as much hell as they give him._

_He's pumped up, fighting on pure adrenaline now. The pain from the cuts, the blood loss – he doesn't feel it. Even worse, he feels absolutely nothing. _

_He only wants to do one thing._

_Smash these little beasts into so much pulp!!_

_He feels the heat flowing through his blood. It feels like an all-consuming fire, flowing into every living cell in his body!! He roars with anger!!_

_One unfortunate cat has its teeth sunk into the boy's arm. With that same hand, he slams it back into the ground, making a sickening crunching sound on impact. _

_He kicks one aside and throws the other one in the same direction as it tried to attack him. He's fighting not as a human martial artist, but as a wild animal, a raging beast!!_

_Another one gets torn apart, literally!_

_Caught in the hurricane of violent animal fury, the cats fall and scatter like ninepins. And now, it's THEY who tremble with fear!_

_They flee as their meal-now-turned-foe pounces…_

_And blackness tinged with blood red claims them. _

Meanwhile, outside R's mind…

So now here's R, face to face with this cat. He's frozen in his tracks, in the grip of both pure fear and hot anger! He could literally feel them around him; they were within him, within his body. The agony was there like a blanket that was strangling him in madness and feral instincts of survival, instincts frustrated with every attempt to free him from the pain of remembering the horror. And all he can see, all his mind would allow him to see is blood, blood everywhere. Nothing but blood and darkness… and evil. It was as if something inside R was trying to claw its way out… desiring to be unleashed upon all that would dare stare against it.

After what seemed an eternity, little by little, the pain was released from him. Then a voice, a soothing voice, reached him through the bloodstained darkness.

_R…R! Calm yourself. Your mind is at peace. There's no need to be afraid…_

He knew that voice. It was...

_After all, it's only a cat… _

He knew the tone of that voice, he had heard it before. But when?

_The beast that lurks inside you is dead, sealed away within the deepest, darkest recesses of your mind. You do not wield the Neko-Ken…_

R says to himself, "Wh-what? Neko-Ken? What the hell is that? And who's talking to me, INSIDE my head for crying out loud?"

The cat continues to stare at R, as if studying him. Meanwhile the calm voice continues to order his thoughts… _You are a warrior, a fighter. You are not a wild animal. You are not a monster. The Neko-Ken was a failed technique. You didn't fail, it was the technique. It was a regular training session, until the cats burst in and ruined everything. But it's not their fault! Not their fault…_

As if he's been hypnotized, R says, " Not their fault…" Then, agreeing with the voice in his head, "No, it wasn't their fault! That's right. It was just a regular training session that backfired, that's all. Yeah, that's it."

_Go ahead. It's okay. It won't hurt you…_

R gulps, then walks up to the cat, kneels down and stretches out his hand to pet it. When he sees that the cat doesn't scratch him, he then gently strokes its head. The cat purrs contently, enjoying the attention of this nice human. R, however, is sweating bullets!

As the strangely calm, hypnotic voice does its thing on R, something (or someone else) speaks up! _HEY! What the hell are you doing!? You gonna let a guy with a friggin' lightbulb atop his head tell you what to do?_

"Huh? Oh great! Now there's TWO voices inside my head?"

But there's something familiar about this voice. It sounds a LOT like R's, only… it was different, warped somehow.

_Oh. Yeah. Sure, R. Just listen to that dumb ol' Brightman, and everything's all peachy-keen! That's YOUR way of coping. It sure as hell ain't MINE!_

The mocking tone of voice irritates him. R snaps back, just loud enough to answer the voice in his head. "Hey! Shut your mouth!"

_Oh? Did I just hear a puppy bark? Certainly nothing of any consequence._

"I… I won't be tricked again!"

_Tricked? Man! HELLO! You've known what I was about each time you were there, alone, in that pit with those cats! Didn't it suck! I remember and so do you! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead! I know about it, R. I know you._ This voice chuckles evilly. _You like it. _

"You lie!"

_Oh yeah? Who's lying now? Repeat it to yourself, keep saying the same thing... but it still won't be true._

"HEY! I make my own decisions buddy!"

_So make your decision already! You know which one I mean. You want it, R. Even more than you want...her._

R stumbles back. The other R, the one inside his mind, laughs again with a note that sounded like triumph. _You can't shut me out forever. Let me loose, and we'll show Ranma Saotome who's the real master of Anything-Goes!_

"No. NO! I'll beat him, and I'll do it with my own two fists!"

R's inner voice, taunts, _Ran barely even looks at you, man. She's got the hots for Ranma. Not you._

"Be quiet!"

R's inner voice howls angrily, _SHE'D LOOK AT ME!!_

R let out a tormented howl, muscles tensed in agony, hands clenched in his long white hair, as the conflicting voices inside his head threaten to drive him mad. Still within his vision, he senses something standing in front of him as the world seems to dim….

And looks up to see himself.

He appears large in front of R's eyes, rising up like a nightmarish demon. He wears the same red school uniform as R, only his has a much darker tint to it. He looms into reality as his lips curl back into a feral smile, baring his fangs; his eyes are bloodshot and have a wild look about them. An aura of intense evil energy surrounds him! All poor R can do is cry out in the presence of his darker half. His teeth are clenched, as if he's bracing himself before getting pricked by a huge needle and his body shakes as if it was going through a seizure. R looks to be in great pain.

_Urgh...I'm being pulled in! The enormous battle aura this jerk's giving off is drawing me in!_

The Dark-R laughs, "Heh heh heh… If you want to win, then awaken the power that's within you! Don't you feel it? This is your power, our REAL power! It courses through your blood like fire!"

R struggles to free himself from the evil energy surrounding him. "NEVER! I am NOT like you!"

Dark-R fake pleads, "Oh, c'mon, R… Let me play. I'll win. I always win. It's who I am! Who WE are!!"

R rubs his eyes, almost tempted. Then the calm voice that almost lulled R into a trance returns. _See yourself in a situation where you might have lost your temper in the past. This time see yourself in control. You no longer respond with anger. You respond with understanding and your soul is calm. You no longer feel a need to unleash the Neko-Ken._

Dark-R's angry. "Crap! You're doing it again! Stop listening to ol' Bulb-head, and listen to ME!"

_You are in control of your own emotions and reacting with anger is negative. You will never again react with uncontrolled anger…_

Hypnotized, R responds, "I am in control of my emotions. I will never again react with uncontrolled anger…"

Dark-R tries getting R's attention. "Yo, R! HELLLOOOOO!? Are you even listening to me? C'mon, already!"

_You have the control. You have the control. You have the control. Control…!_

Dark-R continue tempting, "Why fight it? Enjoy me, R! Enjoy me...!"

On and on it goes, as the voices fight for dominance in R's mind. At the last possible second, R comes to his senses!

"HUH!? What the…!" He covers his ears, trying to ignore the voices. "Aw, hell no! Ain't no way I'm going crazy! Shut up! SHUT UP!! So… you wanna see control? YOU WANNA SEE CONTROL, HUH!? I told you! I make my own decisions! NO ONE controls ME, you jerks!! So…SUCK ON THIS!"

R begins to radiate his own battle aura! As he does, the dark energies around him converge, surrounding him! Just one taste of that energy, laced with such violent power, would change him, free him, give him the strength to follow his darker half's – and his! – every desire.

The cat, who'd been enjoying the attention it was getting, sees R's menacing aura, yowls in terror, and flees!

R's darker half laughs triumphantly, satisfied that R is about to set him free! "At last! HA HA HA HA….! Huh!?"

R, instead, absorbs the evil energy into his right fist, raises it high into the air… and slams it down into the ground!!

The result was incredible, amazing, even frightening to those who witnessed it. On impact, a HUGE column of dark purple energy shot upwards into the sky!

Inside the column, however…

Dark-R is shocked! He angrily objects, "WHAT!? NO! You tricked me! Dammit, R! This ain't over, you hear me!? I'll be back, and next time, you're gonna go wild! YAARRRRGHHHhhhh…..!!!

The dark half of R fades away violently as the ki-blast continues to rise!

The rising ki-column lasted for about two minutes. Once it was over, standing in the center of a huge smoking crater was R. His ears perk up, listening for something. No voices. No visions of cats trying to claw him to pieces. He breathes a sigh of relief.

R shrugs. "Geez. The dangers of letting yourself get all worked up. Well, I'd better get back to class. Ugh…"

Feeling a little disoriented from what just happened, R gingerly walks back inside the school.

This didn't go unnoticed, however…

_**MEANWHILE, INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

"My, my…. It seems R's upset about something," Erick says as he watches R on one of the video screens.

Delia concurs, "Judging by that display of power, being upset doesn't even come close to describing R what just did, darling."

"True, but it also proves something else. The Zero Spawn we placed inside Furinkan High is doing a very good job. At the moment of R's little outburst, a massive amount of energy was detected. It lasted only for a moment, but it was so strong that the drone's sensors picked it up."

"The Phoenix Stone?"

Erick laughs at that idea. But he frowns, thinking, _If only it were that…_ Then, he finally speaks, "Unfortunately, no. It was coming from R."

Delia blinks, "From R?"

"Yes. Intense emotional energy, created from his raw emotions, or more specifically, his anger. Furthermore, the drone's sensors indicated this energy caused a change on the cellular level. It's a shame that R released it so soon before we could see what it does to him."

"What are you saying, darling?"

"Delia, I believe we have seen a glimpse of R's true power. Despite his impressive abilities, he's holding back. We MUST find out what it is, get him to use it, and then control it for OUR purposes."

Just then, a portal opens and from it, Bass steps out. Aside from a few scratches in his armor amazingly he's survived the first day of Erick's bizarre training dimension.

Bass complains, as usual, "Geez! I thought I was never gonna get out of that desert. I had to fight ol' "Goober-dantess" like what? Three or four times? And what's up with that shield he uses? If it wasn't for those Cells and their self-recovery powers, that clown would have cut me in two before I'd even get a chance to strike! Then there were those huge sandstorms, and don't even get me started about the quicksand traps…! I wonder where I'll end up training next time?" Then, he notices Erick. "Hey, Erick! I had a feeling you wanted to see me, so I came as soon as I could escape that whacked-out "Danger Room" of yours. What's up?"

Erick is surprised. "Ah! Indeed I did, Bass. We'll talk about your first training session later. But tell me. Have you ever seen R get angry?"

Bass snorts, "Well, of course **I** have. I mean, who DOESN'T get angry when Dog-Boy's involved?"

"I wasn't referring to YOU, Bass. Have you ever seen R get so angry, angry enough to kill?"

After a moment Bass admits, " …… Well, there was this one time…."

"Yes, go on."

"Brightman calls me from the lab. Says it's an emergency and wants me to bring in reinforcements. So I get a dozen of soldiers and head over there. We get there and find out the lab's been trashed. Old bulb-head says Dog-Boy's gone berserk, out of control. The guards that were already there got their butts handed to them."

Erick's impressed. "Really? Continue."

"I got a good look at Dog-Boy that day. He wasn't himself. It was as if I was looking at a wild animal, not a human. His eyes were all white, steam coming out of his mouth as he's breathing, and he was radiating an incredible battle aura. And the way he acted, it kinda reminded me of that guy who went nuts in that wild tournament back in '97. What was that crazy dude's name… red hair, uses purple flames, geez, even laughs like Dog-Boy…."

Erick knows very well who Bass is referring to. "Yes, I know THAT person, and his abilities. But let's get back to the subject. What happened next?"

"Anyway, after Dog-Boy's done using the troops as scratching posts, the idiot escapes and the Doc and Brightman want ME to go fetch him. I'm thinking, "Perfect. Just freaking perfect. What am I, a dogcatcher!? It's bad enough I have to tolerate that mutt!" To make a long story short, we went out and got Dog-Boy back – took us hours to find him 'cause he ran off into the woods. Then Brightman takes him for another spin in the brainwashing machine so something like this won't happen again. And that's it. Period."

"Bass, I suspect there's more to this story than you're telling me. Am I correct?"

Bass grimaces, knowing that Erick is right. He remembers one fateful day….

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_**CHINA – OUTSIDE THE RED CAT GANG'S FORTRESS – **_

_**ONLY THREE MONTHS BEFORE OUR STORY BEGAN:**_

Bass is inside a cave-like area behind a waterfall. It is early in the morning, with a cold breeze flowing through the cave and fog. The sound of running water is heard constantly and echoes throughout the cave.

But he is NOT alone. For he has come face-to-face with his opponent, R! He is as Bass has just described him, eyes were all white, steam coming out of his mouth as he's breathing, and giving off an incredible battle aura.

R growls angrily, "Grrrrrrrr...!!"

Bass says to him, "Give it up, Dog-Boy! You've been pumped full of sedatives! Just let'em do their thing so I can take you back to the Doc and he can fix your messed-up little doggie brain!"

"RRRRAAAAAAHHH!!!" R roars.

He rears back and slashes at Bass, puncturing his armor and leaving four deep gashes in his chest from his hand.

Bass clutches his chest in pain. "ARGH! What the hell is with you, huh!? That's it! I'm putting you down for good… the HARD WAY!! Eat this! SUPER BUSTER!!"

Bass shoots a huge charged blast of purple-white energy at R, who just swipes a clawed hand at it and makes the blast dissipate.

Bass's shocked. "NO WAY! HOW!?"

Before Bass can react, R is in front of him and he backhands Bass, and sends him flying. But Bass recovers in mid-air, and uses the boosters in his feet to propel himself forward. He slams into R hard with an elbow to the face! As R staggers from the hit, Bass lands on the ground and then smashes him in the stomach. R hunches over in pain and begins to cough up blood. Bass winds up, prepared to hit R again, when he notices the blood doesn't seem to stop pouring from R's mouth. Bass stands there and thinks he'll just let R bleed to death. That way, nobody can say that he killed him, that R had died of blood loss. Big mistake! All of a sudden, R's wild aura flares back to life in an instant! All the while, R is hunched over, like a tiger about to strike!

R's reply is a quick slash towards Bass. Bass manages to avoid it, then…

"**BUSTER KICK!!"**

Bass leaps at R with an upward rising kick, surrounded by a blue-green battle aura (like the kick attack he has in Megaman 7's secret Versus Mode). R dodges out of the way. Bass then shoots another Super Buster shot at R. R blasts an Active Red Pearl at it, and cancels out Bass's attack. Bass is impressed by the skill R seems to possess now, despite the obvious fact that in this berserker state R has no more intelligence than a wild animal.

_Who would've thought he'd have THIS much ability?_ Aloud, he says to R. "Gotta hand it to ya, mutt. When you're fighting like this, I could ALMOST tolerate you. Let's play some more, shall we?"

R growls in response, "GAAHHH!!" And then he charges wildly at Bass!

"Aw yeah, now THAT's what I'm talkin' about! LET'S DO THIS!!"

And the battle between robot and beast continues! They were locked in a clinch now, Bass's robotic strength against R's brute animal power, grappling with each other trying to overpower his opponent and bring him down. Breaking free, Bass moving back to get some fighting room while R charges toward him. He instantly lunges for Bass!

_Figures you'd try something stupid like that._ "Sorry, I've got no intention of being your prey! EAT THIS!!"

At the last possible second, Bass raises his Bass Buster and lets rip with a fully charged Super Buster shot…

**BOOM!!**

The force of the blast hits R dead-on and sends him flying across the cave back to where he was before his most recent attack. To Bass's surprise, R recovers in mid-air and lands on all fours, like a cat. However, as R begins to stand up, he staggers a bit, feeling groggy and disoriented.

R growls dizzily, "Rrrrrrr….! Urrrrgh….!"

As his vision gets blurry, his eyes getting heavy, R tries to shake it off, to keep fighting. Bass, unfortunately, sees this and concludes, muttering to himself, "Finally! The tranquilizers are kicking in! Now, to wear him out so they can do their thing. Here goes…!" He then yells, "SPEED BUSTER!!"

Bass starts firing shots rapidly from his Buster, moving side to side so he can spread his attack and prevent R from getting too close to him. R, undaunted by this, uses his enhanced speed and agility to maximum advantage. He constantly dodges, rolls, and hops in and out, as he evaded Bass's attempts to shoot him down. But not successfully though; he takes a few good shots, two in the chest, while the rest just graze his skin.

He barely even noticed he got shot.

Still, he presses on!

Bass is shocked, to say the least. In spite of repeatedly hitting R, his attacks ultimately had no effect on him. It was as if R's nerve endings were dead – he could feel no pain. Any wounds he did suffer during the course of this battle he'd just shrug it off and keep on fighting!

"Damn! What is it gonna take to beat this idiot!?"

Bass was about to get his answer. It happened in just less than a second. R had found a gap in Bass's attack, and used that one moment, while Bass was distracted wondering how he could beat him. With a loud roar, R leaps high into the air!

The action slows down MATRIX style as R leaps up and over Bass's gunfire, lands right in front of him, and plunges his clawed right hand into Bass's chest right where he'd slashed him before, puncturing his armor and damaging his circuits!

But R's not through, not by a long shot. He slashes Bass with his left hand, and then dropkicks him away! As Bass goes flying, R leaps after him, grabs him by the head in mid-air, and smashes Bass into the ground in a pillar of purple flame (sort of a Midnight Pearl slam attack).

And R's still not through yet!

Bass tries to get up, his armor burnt and smoking from the Midnight Pearl, but he stumbles and falls to one knee. Red blood-like fluid pours from his wounds. His vital systems are badly damaged, his power levels slowly dropping.

Weak, hurt, Bass gripes, "Great, just great… the Doc's gonna owe me for this…but there's no way I'm gonna lose to him. If I gotta go… I'm going down fighting!

Bass raises his buster, preparing to fire…

But R had no intention of giving Bass any time to recover. Now, he moves in for the kill. He pounces on Bass, tackling him to the ground, then grabs his Buster arm and effortlessly rips it off, right out of the socket!

Bass howls in pain, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!"

While he has Bass pinned to the ground, R begins to claw at Bass. Bass desperately tries to shake R off of him, but it's no use. R responds by slashing at Bass's face with one hand as he simultaneously raked his armor with the other hand. Blood flew as R's first blow peeled away nearly half of Bass's face. Blinded in one eye, Bass screams in agony.

_Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He's been hit with enough tranquilizers to knock out an elephant, taken my best attacks, shot at, and he's STILL able to fight! What kind of MONSTER did the Doc create?_

R continues to claw, scratch, slash, beat, and pummel Bass into scrap. Unable to fight, totally at the mercy of this boy-turned-beast, he feels an emotion that he's not used to… fear.

_Is… is this what awaits me? To be torn to shreds like this…?_ Refusing to accept what's happening to him, Bass gets angry! _I won't let it end like this! I WILL NOT!! First, I gotta get him off me!!_

Bass takes a risky move. If this works, R's in for a "shocking" experience. If it doesn't, well… Either way, it's better than being used as a scratching post! Concentrating, he overloads his power generator to critical, all while charging up energy, waiting for an opening…

It was then that R drew his hand back to strike Bass again. In that split-second, Bass uses his one good arm, places his outstretched hand on R's chest and yells…

"FULL POWER!! LIGHTNING BOLT!!!"

Using Dynamoman's (from Megaman & Bass) signature weapon as a massive stun gun, Bass releases the excess energy into R!

**FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHH!!**

"AAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" R howls as he's being electrocuted!

**BOOM!!**

The huge jolt of electricity sends R flying amid a spray of blood and sparks. He slams into a wall with such force that it leaves an impression in it. His body slumps down to the ground, twitching and convulsing all the while.

His trick successful, Bass weakly staggers to his feet. Synthetic blood poured from where his right arm used to be. There were multiple cuts and scratches all over him. Anyone else would already have been dead by now.

_Being a machine truly has its advantages, but MAN…!_ Breathing heavily, Bass says out loud, "DAMN! I can't believe I actually worked up a sweat after fighting your sorry ass! Do you get it now, Dog-Boy!? I gotta admit you're tough, but you'll NEVER beat the best, and that's ME! HA HA HA HA HA!!" He gloats over his victory. "And when you mess with the best, you die like the rest….WHAT THE…..!?"

To Bass's horror, R gets up, suddenly rolling to his hands and knees. His lowered head and his hair hides the vacant expression in his eyes but Bass can hear the low, throbbing growl coming from his throat. Hands curl as he pulls his bare feet under him in a familiar stance. The low growl increases in volume to become a deep roar of challenge. He bares his teeth and hisses viciously, one hand raking at the air.

This time, if R was feeling anything at all, it was primal rage. Bass dared to attack him. He would die for it.

"GRAAAAAARRRGH!!" he roars, flinging himself at Bass with the speed of a bullet train, his wild blood-red battle aura blazing!

Bass is amazed at R's stubbornness. "GEEZ! You still want to take ME on! Give me a break! You don't know when to quit, do you? Well, let me TELL YOU! YAAAAHHH!!"

Bass has had just about enough of R's beastly antics. With that, he charges at R, glowing with a blue-green battle aura of his own. He overloads his energy generator one more time, directing the flow of excess power to his legs and feet, leaps forward, and yells…

"CRESCENT KICK!!"

To put the seal on his frustration with R, Bass basically does his own version of Guile's Flash Kick (Bass has this attack in Megaman 2: The Power Fighters / Megaman Anniversary Collection on PS2). Flipping in mid-air, Bass somersaults backwards while kicking, creating a large wave of blue-green energy; the force of his anger strengthens his attack beyond anything he'd ever known. He could hear the delightful (well, to him, anyway) sound of his foot meeting flesh and bone, the kick making contact with R's head, and the unmistakable sound of trickling blood. The flash of light from the kick was so bright that Bass was nearly blinded; but when he lands on his feet again, there was no doubt in his mind that R was finally down for the count.

There was dead silence in the cave now, the only sounds now coming from the running water. Kneeling over the now-finally-unconscious R, Bass feels a boil of anger rising from his gut to his chest. He growls like an animal, and as the rage consumed him, he suddenly starts lashing out and beats on the unconscious form of R with his one good arm.

"WHY…"

**WHACK!!**

"DON'T…"

**THWACK!!**

"YOU… "

**KA-KRACK!!**

"JUST…"

**BAM!!**

"**DIE!!**"

As he beats away on R's limp body, blood flying with every hit, Bass could feel the heat of his Buster energy rising. It came up in a rush, and he channeled it into his fist, doing even more damage to R. Finally, he wells up as much energy as he could summon into his one fist, raises it high into the air, holding the evil energy in until it became too painful to contain it anymore. He was about to smash R's skull like a ripe watermelon!

Bass says quietly, at first, "You do understand, don't you, mutt? This is the only way. With you gone, I'll be the Doc's favorite again. Not you…" He screams, "NOT YOU!" Then, calm once more, he says with finality, "Wish I could say it's been fun, but the truth is I REALLY HATE your guts! Say goodbye, Dog-Boy!"

As he's about to strike, Bass hears someone calling him.

"Lord Bass!… Lord Bass!…. HEY! There he is!… Hey, Lord Bass!… Oh! He's been injured!… Well, at least he got R to calm down. I hope!…"

Uh oh. It'd look pretty bad if Bass killed R right in front of the soldiers, who'd surely tell Wily on him. Wisely, he drops his flaming fist. But Bass notices R's eyes fluttering as if he's coming to. Fortunately that wouldn't happen; now that R was unconscious, the tranquilizers would take effect and he'd be in nappy-nap land in no time. So before his eyes close for the last time, Bass whispers something into R's ear. "You're a dead man, Dog-Boy. So help me, one of these days, I'll KILL you! Until then, spend the rest of your days preparing for your death! You hear me, you disgusting dog-faced bastard?"

He gets up and kicks R once just to make sure he's out.

RED CAT Soldier 035: Incredible! He took on that wild beast-boy and survived... What!

The soldiers finally get a good look at Bass, and the damages he suffered at R's hands. Bass look back at them like the idiots they are.

"Well? What are you staring at? Take Dog-Boy back to the fortress and call the Doc!"

RED CAT Soldier 108 hands Bass his severed Buster arm. "Here, sir. You, er… forgot your, um… arm."

Bass gives him a nasty look, then takes the decapitated arm from the soldier and…

**THWHACK!!**

RED CAT Soldier 108 cries out "OH!" as he is hit. Then he moans, "Ooooooooooohh…."

The RED CAT Soldier is out cold on the wet, stony floor of the cave.

"Idiots. All of you," Bass says with disgust.

The soldiers were now silent, very silent; and when Bass turns and starts to walk out of the cave, those in his way quickly (and wisely, I might add) step aside to allow him room to pass. Now outside, he almost stumbles as he walks away from the falls, but he was far from being exhausted or through. His rage was slowly disappearing, being replaced by a cold, disgusted resolve. One day, R would pay for humiliating him in battle, and the price would be EXTREMELY high

Bass swears to himself, thinking, He_ will pay. He will pay!_

-(END FLASHBACK)-

Bass looks at his right arm, which has since been reattached and repaired by Dr. Wily. He moves the fingers of his hand and flexes his arm. Though the external damage had long since been repaired, the internal damage was even worse. The memories of that terrible fight still linger inside him. So he simply says to Erick, "Lemme put it this way. On that day, I had the chance to kill Dog-Boy right then and there. But… I didn't."

"My, my, Bass… Feeling merciful that day?"

"Feh. Far from it. If only…." Bass is about to finish his statement, but changes his mind. "Nah. Forget about it. Look, Erick, no disrespect to you intended, just drop it OK? Given my utter dislike for Dog-Boy, I'd rather NOT discuss this again."

"Agreed. Thank you anyway, Bass. You may go now."

As Bass starts to leave, he turns to Erick. "But… If you REALLY want to know how it all went down, go ask Brightman."

"Brightman?"

"Yep. He was there when "it" happened. Course, you might want to "jog" his memory if y'know what I mean…"

"I see… I'll keep that in mind."

After Bass leaves, Erick and Delia have a conversation:

Delia frowns a bit. "Well, that certainly was helpful."

Erick begs to differ, "On the contrary, De-chan, it was good enough. I think I'll be paying Brightman a little visit…"

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	47. Within the Heart of a Rose

CHAPTER 47

_**-"WITHIN THE HEART OF A ROSE HIDES A RAGING BEAST! THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS THE TERRIBLE POWER!"-**_

_**RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE - TOP SECRET RESEARCH DEPARTMENT:**_

We see Brightman working in the lab, conducting experiments. Suddenly, he begins to look everywhere.

"Huh!? Who's there? Show yourself!"

He cries out as he looks everywhere…but he doesn't see anyone.

"OK, this isn't funny! Come on! Where are you hiding?"

"Right behind you!" a voice says from out of nowhere.

Scared, Brightman jumps up! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

Erick appears out of nowhere, right behind Brightman! His sudden appearance scares the daylights out of the genius robot. Brightman pants slowly and has his hand on his chest. He scolds, "Lord Erick! GEEZ! Don't do that! Must you keep popping out of nowhere behind people, scaring them out of their wits!? You COULD use the door like everyone else does, and…!"

Erick cocks his eyebrow, and gives Brightman an irritated look.

Brightman, now scared, changes his tone of voice REAL quick! "EEP! OH!… Errr…um, I mean, what can I do for you, sir?" he panics, talking rapidly, begging, "I'msorryLordErickpleasedon'tturnmeintoscrappleasepleaseplease!!"

"That's better. You can relax, Brightman. I have no intention of harming you." Erick watches as Brightman breathes an audible sigh of relief. The poor robot nearly faints from all the excitement. "Anyway, I'm here to discuss something important with you."

Brightman can't help but feel rather nervous today. Erick wants something, but what? Nervously, he asks, "*Gulp*… Okay, what do you want?"

"It's about R. I want to know how you managed to suppress his animal rage."

NOW, Brightman has reason to be worried. All the air rushes out of his weary lungs. His head begins to throb at Erick's words. Erick looks at Brightman with concerned interest.

"Is… something wrong, Brightman?"

Brightman does not answer. His mind seems to be coated with a fuzzy panic. He steadies himself a bit and fixed his eyes on the High Priest.

"What for? Unless you plan to…" he realizes, horrified. "NO! **NO!!** There's no way! I'll never tell!"

"You sure about that?" Erick lifts Brightman up by his throat, choking him!

"Ggggh-ACK! Ugh! Ach!"

Erick calmly says, "Now, let's try this again. Tell me how you sealed away R's power. Or, I shall cut your lights out… permanently. Do you understand?"

Brightman tries to nod "yes", despite the obvious fact that Erick is only mere seconds from crushing his air intake.

"Smart boy." Erick then releases his death grip.

Brightman gasps for air. " ……..hah…..hah….." Once he's able to breathe again, he then relates to Erick the tragic story:

"Well, it all started three months before Ran betrayed us and took the Phoenix Stone. Dr. Wily came into the lab one day…"

OK, cue the flashback! (Dreamy flashback music starts playing)

BEGIN FLASHBACK

_**CHINA – RED CAT GANG'S SECRET FORTRESS – IN THE LAB:**_

Dr. Wily enters the lab to find his faithful assistant Brightman working hard. He laughs his usual mad laughter…

"MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Brightman turns upon hearing Wily's crazy laughter. "You seem to be in a good mood today, Doctor."

"And with good reason, m'boy! Take a look at THIS!" Dr. Wily pulls out a book, and shows it to Brightman. But it's not just any book. It's a book familiar to all the fans of Ranma 1/2 – the infamous "Advanced Combat" manual!

Brightman blinks. "Advanced Combat"? What would you need a book on that for?

"Aha! That's the best part! He opens the book to a particular page and gives it to Brightman, who reads it as Wily continues speaking.

"The Cat Ghost King mentioned that when he fought Ranma the first time, Ranma tried to beat him using a powerful technique called…the Neko-Ken!!"

From out of nowhere, horrific music plays, a single dramatic chord!

Brightman gasps! "The…. Cat-Fist?"

"Yes! According to this book, the Neko-Ken is immensely strong, and immune to nearly any weapon. When it's properly used, it's almost invincible!"

As Wily goes on singing the Neko-Ken's praises, Brightman reads more about the technique. The method by which one learns it is VERY unorthodox, unlike any kind of martial arts discipline that he'd heard of. The training for Neko-Ken is rather simple. The trainee is wrapped in fish sausages, and thrown into a pit of starving cats.

_Hmph. Martial arts technique indeed. It sounds more like a torture method! If I'm reading this correctly, which OBVIOUSLY the Doctor hasn't, this "training" could potentially destroy the trainee both physically and mentally. Why would he want to make use of something like this? Unless…_ Thinking of Ran and R, Brightman realizes, _Oh no! He wouldn't…_

"Now, if Ran and R were to learn the Neko-Ken, they would be unbeatable! Ranma Saotome wouldn't stand a chance! WAH HA HA HA HA HA!"

Brightman groans, "Ohh….!" _Oh, dear God! He's finally lost it! Ever since those two kids came under his guidance, he's subjected them to every kind of test, experiment, and training regimen imaginable. But this… this is unthinkable, even for him!_

Brightman reads on until he gets to a very important page, a page which Wily hasn't even bothered to read. It clearly states:

"The Neko-Ken is, unfortunately, just another technique that would be used by a total idiot. Anyone that would teach this forbidden art needs to have his head examined! It is EXTREMELY dangerous!!"

Brightman looks up at the aforementioned idiot (also known as Dr. Wily). He wonders what they've gotten themselves into.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

After hearing this, Erick is amazed. He can't believe what Brightman just told him. "Are you serious? Wily attempted to train Ran and R in the Neko-Ken?"

Brightman sadly admits, " I'm afraid so, Lord Erick."

Erick's now furious. "Why did he do it? That technique has been banned for centuries! ARRRGH! Wily is an IDIOT!"

Brightman remarks thoughtfully, "For once, I agree with you."

Erick calms down. "If Ran and R tried to learn it, it won't work. The trainee has to be under the age of ten. They're too old – and that means the technique is useless to them."

"I know. I tried to tell the Doctor that…"

-(CONTINUE FLASHBACK)-

A WEEK LATER…

"Brightman, I want a progress report on R's abilities," Dr. Wily requests of his faithful assistant.

Brightman, the genius robot, paused a moment before giving his report. "Since his, er…"birth", R has made incredible progress. In just a short time, he's already mastered all of Ranma Saotome's signature attacks."

Dr. Wily's pleased. "So soon? That's excellent."

"All… except one that is."

"Only one? Which one?"

"Well, it's that "Neko-Ken" ability you mentioned. For some reason, R can't perform the technique exactly the same way as Ranma. But, he's quite powerful without it. All the tests since then have been successful."

Wily, however, was not convinced. "In the test that went wrong, what happened? What were the side effects?"

Ever since Dr. Wily came up with this half-baked plan to clone Ranma Saotome, Brightman had his misgivings about it. As one of Wily's robot warriors, of course he would support Wily's latest effort. But as a scientist, well… Brightman basically thought the whole thing was a bad idea, that it was simply an expression of one man's obsessive need for revenge. Oh, he'd tried many times to persuade Wily not to go through with it, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. So the poor genius robot, with deep regret, had no choice but to go along with Wily's mad scheme.

Therefore, Brightman didn't hesitate. It was clear that he was extremely concerned about THIS situation, and was welcoming the opportunity to make his concerns known.

"Excessive violence. Extreme aggression. And, I fear, total insanity."

Silence fell over the lab for a moment. Then, Wily finally spoke. "And THAT would be a bad thing, because…?

Brightman explains, "Well, it seems that this "Neko-Ken" technique only works if the trainee is under the age of ten. Otherwise, we're just subjecting the trainee to pain. Furthermore, it seems to be activated when the subject's fear of cats reaches a certain point. And in order to escape this fear, the subject's behavior becomes catlike, and there's the problem. The person becomes unstable and will attack anyone or anything that he or she perceives as a threat."

"All right, so what's the problem then?"

"If I may continue, Doctor… Some catnip or a ball of yarn can also easily distract Neko-Ken fighters. And even worse, it can be thwarted…"

"Stop. I've heard enough. And just what do YOU recommend we do about it?"

And then Brightman delivered the final blow to Wily. "We should abort this experiment immediately."

Feeling betrayed, Dr. Wily shouts, "WHAT? Madness! The technique WILL work! You're just being paranoid!"

"I'll be frank with you. I never supported this project. I was against it from the beginning."

Dr. Wily grumbles, "You know, I'm beginning to think I made you too smart for your own good…." He sighs, "Very well, then. If we cannot make R fear cats, then we shall make him HATE cats! After all, hate is a MUCH stronger emotion than fear, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, bulb-brain. I want R to be Ranma's equal in fighting skill, and that includes knowledge of the Neko-Ken! You don't show any progress within two weeks, I'll have you booted off the project! Got that!?"

"But, Dr. Wily…!"

"No buts! Do it NOW! **NOW!!**" And with that Wily storms out the lab. One of the RED CAT Lab Technicians standing nearby finally speaks to Brightman. He cheerfully says, "Well, that seemed to go well, sir."

Brightman glares at the well-meaning, but stupid person. "Oh, shut up."

"As a result of that, the Doctor came up with a plan."

Erick's interest is piqued. "Really?"

"Judging by your reaction so far, I'm assuming that you know that only the strongest individual could possibly survive the Neko-Ken training. So Dr. Wily chose R as his first test subject. Using the brainwashing machine, he would subject R to hypnotic age regression, making him think he is ten years old. Then, while he is regressed in time…"

Erick finishes for Brightman, " …Wily could train R in the Neko-Ken."

Brightman nods, "Precisely, Lord Erick. But as we undertook this experiment, things did not go as we hoped…"

_**TWO WEEKS LATER:**_

We see Dr. Wily, Brightman, and the rest of the RED CAT scientists as they hook R up to a set of complex machinery. There were many different wires; some were taped to R's skin and others were inserted on various places on his body. There is some sort of strange helmet over his head. It is heavy and has just as much wires as the other equipment.

R, however, is surprisingly calm through all of this though deep down he is rather excited. If this works, he would truly be the ultimate Anything-Goes warrior! It didn't take much convincing by Dr. Wily to get R to agree to this unusual training, much to Brightman's dismay.

Once everything was ready, the technicians left R to himself. He was sure that they wouldn't hurt him or anything. Right? It would just be a few brain waves, and then a quick download of the knowledge of Neko-Ken and it's over. Or so he thinks…

"All right! We're ready to begin the Neko-Ken training!" Dr. Wily says to his crew. Then, he asks R, "Are you ready, R?"

R nods, "I'm ready, Doc."

"You're not nervous, are you?"

"Nah. Well…maybe a little. But it's more of the good kind of nervous. Matter of fact, I'm anxious to get started. I'll do whatever it takes to master the Neko-Ken!"

Pleased, Dr. Wily says heartily, "That's the spirit, m'boy! And I want to help you do that. Here."

Wily prepares a needle with a heavy dosage of a silvery serum. R didn't bother to struggle, and merely grunts as the needle impales him. He starts to relax as the serum takes effect. Soon, R is in a state of deep hypnosis.

Brightman, however, is worried for R. "Do we really have to go through with this?"

Dr. Wily answers, "Yes, we do! Okay, he's ready! Prepare the brainwashing machine!" He then commands, "Activate NOW!"

Brightman starts giving instructions to the RED CAT Scientists, "Connect the main power supply and all circuits together."

RED CAT Tech 01 repots, "Main power supply connected."

"Start the activation system."

"Checking brainwaves, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature, and metabolism. All green."

"Start the second phase of the activation system."

RED CAT Tech 02 nods in reply, "Roger. Commencing Level 1 brainwash."

"Start System Phase II."

We see an elaborate CG display of R's brainwaves as the brainwashing takes hold.

RED CAT Tech 03 reports, "Synapses inserted. Junction started."

RED CAT Tech 01 continues, "Pulses transmitted."

RED CAT Tech 02 adds, "All neural circuits are 100% operational. His subconscious mind is wide open and ready for programming!"

"Good. Now, download the simulation!" Dr. Wily orders.

RED CAT Tech 01 obeys, "Roger. Switching to VR Mode. Downloading "Neko-Ken Training Simulation", Level Three."

Brightman is shocked! "Level Three! But Dr. Wily…? With all due respect sir, are you MAD!? We've never run the simulation at that level before! R couldn't possibly take it without going off the edge! The mental damage….!"

Wily locks eyes with his lab assistant. "Oh shut up! What we're doing is for the good of our united cause! The Neko-Ken training will succeed and it will go on as scheduled! Is that CLEAR!"

Brightman could only gulp, nod his head, and then step away from Dr. Wily. He does NOT have a good feeling about this…

"All-righty then!" Then, to the technicians, Wily asks, "How's it coming, boys?"

RED CAT Tech 01 confidently says, "The initial download has no problems, Dr. Wily."

RED CAT Tech 02 repots, "Ki levels are at 2000 and climbing. No problems with the neural links."

RED CAT Tech 03 confirms, "Checked. VR Simulation at stage two now…."

A satisfied grin appears on Wily's face. "Excellent! Continue!"

Brightman watched the readouts as the experiment continued. He was mainly concerned about R's physical and psychological well-being through all of this. But the screens didn't lie.

_Hmph. All stats are green. R's doing OK so far._ Brightman sighs. _Maybe Dr. Wily is right. Perhaps I'm just being too paranoid about this test. Yet I am still rather uneasy. But it won't be long now. The simulation takes only thirty minutes._

He then looks at a countdown timer on one of the computer terminals. It indicates that twenty minutes have passed overall since the simulation began. Underneath that are three more timers marked STAGE I, STAGE II, and STAGE III. The STAGE I timer has the word – CLEAR – beside it; obviously, since the first stage of the Neko-Ken Training Simulation was complete. The STAGE II timer has one minute left and counting down.

_And the second stage is just about done. There's only the third stage left, and it's the roughest part of the simulation. I can only imagine what R might be faced with now…_ He looks over at Wily. _… since SOMEONE decided to increase the intensity of the training! _Then, he looks at R) _But R doesn't seem to be fazed. Maybe… Just maybe… This could work! I can hope… right? Right?_

RED CAT Tech 03 then reports, "Stage two complete! Simulation now at final stage!"

Dr. Wily lets out a whoop of success. "YES! HA HA! This is it, boys. Soon, R will have the power of the Neko-Ken and Ranma will be history!" Excited, he laughs, "WA HA HA HA HA!! PROCEED!!"

The RED CAT Techs hasten to obey. "Yes, Lord Wily!!"

Meanwhile, R was sitting there, strapped in the chair, as Dr. Wily kept giving orders to the technicians, who were looking at the screens typing at stuff. R didn't concern himself with it - that kind of stuff bored him anyway.

Then, he felt a searing pain shoot up through his spine and into his brain!. He arched his back trying to stop the pain but it only got worse! He lurches forward and holds his helmet-covered head in agony. He'd never felt this much pain before! Never!

"Urk! ACK! AAAAAAARRRGHHH!!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!"

He screamed, although it did nothing to ease the pain, he couldn't help it. As the dreaded third stage of the training took hold, the screams intensified. R's screams carried throughout the lab.

Brightman was horrified! He never would have thought that Wily could do this! It was inhuman! He had to force himself not to throw up from the sickening screams coming from the boy's mouth. He wanted to order them all to stop the test but he had no authority. Only Dr. Wily did.

And then, wouldn't you know it? Yep, things went from bad to REALLY bad! Alarms began to go off in the lab. "Hey! What's happening!"

RED CAT Tech 01 says, "Houston, we've got a problem! Major system error encountered on the third stage. Rejection is setting in on the nerve center elements."

"What's R's status?" Dr. Wily asks, concerned for his son.

"Not good. Vital signs have changed dramatically! Brainwaves erratic! Blood pressure, pulse, respiration are climbing rapidly! Temperature and metabolism are all off the charts! All stats are in the red zone!"

RED CAT Tech 02 admits, "Yeah, but his Ki levels have doubled to 4000+! No, wait! 5000! 5500! 6000! 7000! 8000! His power's growing with every second! Now 9000 and climbing!"

Dr. Wily can't help doing a victory dance. "Spectacular! Oh, my boy's gonna be invincible!"

RED CAT Tech 03 puts a halt to the celebration. "Uhh… Doctor. I wouldn't be too happy if I were you! I'm detecting problems with the neural links."

Still dancing with mad joy (doing a little ballet hop-and-spin, I might add. GOOD GRIEF!), Wily's like, "Oh, pish posh! The training's almost over anyway! Continue!!"

RED CAT Tech 01 reports, "Uh oh! We're at the absolute borderline! Pulses are beginning to flow back!"

At this point, Brightman, seeing how things are going, decides to take action. He might not be able to stop the test, but R's safety became his top priority. "Well, stop the contacts. Break the neural circuits in the hindbrain before the pulses reach the cerebral cortex!"

RED CAT Tech 01 can't comply. "Negative. The signal's not being received! He's going out of control!"

Brightman makes his decision, knowing full well that he's heading for a confrontation with the loony old man. "Then we'll have to abort the experiment. Shut off the power supply. Get R out of there NOW!"

RED CAT Tech 01 obeys. "Yes, sir!"

"NO!" Dr. Wily objects.

Brightman can't believe this! "WHAT!?"

"You heard me! There's only five minutes left before the simulation is complete! R's about to master the Neko-Ken!!"

RED CAT Tech 01 apologizes, "Forgive me, Lord Wily, but Brightman is right. We have to abort!"

As Dr. Wily, Brightman, and the technicians argue, R's murderous programming takes its course. His senses, heightened and distorted by the brainwashing, are wide open. And there was pain, so much pain. It felt like thousands on thousands of claws were scratching across his body. He writhes in agony, tries to get away but he can't. He can't!

In his mind, he was trapped in the pit AGAIN!!

Cats.

Cats.

CATS!! Why did it have to be cats!

As they jump on him, claw at him, a new wave of extreme pain washed over him like an unstoppable tsunami, tearing at his flesh, at his limbs, at his very soul.

And then, five minutes later – or was it five seconds later? – it stopped.

Just like that.

R drops his head, and slumps down in the chair, unconscious… or worse…

In that moment, R was no more.

With one flex of his muscles, he burst free of his restraints. R leapt out of the prison that had held him, tearing away at all of the wires that had been attached to his body, surrounding him and encasing him in pain and torment. He tossed away the helmet.

And then he opened his eyes. Those eyes… Brightman would never forget the sight of those. R's golden eyes were now solid white. The teenage boy growled a deep throaty growl that reminded Brightman of a tiger or a panther. His fists clenched menacingly. His teeth are much sharper now. He let out an animalistic roar that carried throughout the lab in an unearthly echo.

"GRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Dr. Wily is surprised. _Is this the Neko-Ken?_ "HA HA HA! YES! He's done it!"

He runs over to R.

Brightman tries to stop him. "Dr. Wily! NO! Don't….!!"

"Congratulations, my boy! The power of the Neko-Ken is yours, and… ACK!!"

R swipes at him angrily with a punch!

"HEY! R! It's ME!" the daffy old coot whines.

"I tried to tell you before, Doctor! While in this state, R will attack anyone or anything he considers a threat!" Brightman reminded Wily.

R comes toward Wily menacingly. "Grrrrrrrrr….!!"

Dr. Wily trembles at the sight of the creature that was once his beloved child standing before him. "*Gulp*…N-now, R…. Let's not do anything that we'll regret, okay?"

"RRAAAAHHHH!!" an angry R roars.

"WAH! BOY, CALM DOWN! Good boy, nice boy." Wily urgently whispers to Brightman, "Quick! Call the guards! Call Bass! Call somebody! Now! Hurry!"

Afraid, RED CAT Tech 02 asks a stupid question. "Uh… we're going to die, aren't we?"

Before they can react further, R bares his fangs, and pounces at Wily and the technicians!

Dr. Wily and the RED CAT Techs all scream, "AHHHHHHHHHH!! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"

Well, it's kinda hard to run away inside a lab, y'know. As R goes medieval on Wily's ass, sounds of people getting their butts kicked and lab equipment getting trashed can be heard. Brightman gets on a nearby telephone and calls Bass…

On the phone, Brightman says, "Bass? Yes, it's me. We have an emergency on our hands. Yes, the Doctor's latest experiment backfired. Yeah, I TOLD him, but he wouldn't listen…. Look, just come down to the lab, OK? And bring reinforcements! OH NO! AHHHHHH….!!"

RED CAT Soldiers who were near the general area of the lab burst in to intercept the berserk R and stop him. They never got very far as R leapt tearing at bone, flesh, and anything that stood in his path to escape. He was upon them like a hurricane tearing at their bodies with unleashed animal fury that now was permanently a part of him.

Brightman's voice-over narrates: "Eventually, Bass showed up with reinforcements. A lot of good that did, for by that time, R was done beating up Dr. Wily, me, the technicians, and the soldiers who were already there."

Bass and the soldiers who were with him arrive to find the lab in ruins. Much of the equipment sparked and caught fire. There were slash marks everywhere. Their comrades before them were sprawled out on the floor, most unconscious, several holding weapons in their limp hands, and blood all over.

"Geez! What happened here?"

A weakened and hurt Brightman croaks, "Bass…! Over here….!"

Bass goes over to Brightman, who's lying underneath a pile of debris. He pulls him out. "Okay, bulb-head, where's the Doc?"

"Down here, fool!"

Bass looks down to see he's standing on top of Dr. Wily, who's also lying under the debris. "Hey, Doc! There you are! Didn't see ya down there."

"Yeah, I'll bet. NOW GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"Ah ah. What's the magic word?"

"NOW!"

Bass shrugs, "Feh. Close enough." He pulls Dr. Wily out of the rubble. Then, he looks around at the destruction caused by R.

"My, my, you sure made a mess. Usually, your experiments don't cause this much damage." In a mock-serious tone of voice he scolds, "What have I told you about drinking and doing research?" He then laughs, "Oh, you naughty mad scientist you!"

Oh boy, Bass is on a roll today with his sarcasm. He really knows how to push Wily's buttons.

Dr. Wily's irritated. "Always with the jokes! Can't you be serious for once?"

Bass comes back at him with, "What? And ruin the comedy? Besides, Doc, sarcasm's my forte."

Brightman gets things back on track. "Bass, please! We have a situation here!"

"Okay, okay! One more, and I'm done." Bass then says to Wily, "Furthermore, it's hard to take YOU seriously when you keep on bungling like this. I'll tone my witty remarks down when you stop screwing up. But since THAT's not gonna happen anytime soon…"

Dr. Wily has had it! "**BASS!!"**

Bass frowns. "Damn. You're no fun. Okay, all joking aside… why does the place look like Slashman's attempts at interior decorating?"

Brightman cries out, pointing at something – or someone! "THAT's why!"

He cowers in fear as a dramatic chord plays. A pause. Nothing happens.

Bass is like, "What?"

Brightman, scared, says, "Th-there he is!"

"Where?"

Dr. Wily points to R, "There!"

Bass turns around to see R standing before him, breathing heavily. He growls menacingly.

"Grrrrrrr….!!"

Bass acts as if he has no clue what they're talking about. "What? Behind Dog-Boy?"

"It IS R!" Brightman says.

Long pause. Then…

Bass contemptuously says, "You IDIOTS!"

Brightman's insulted. "I beg your pardon!?"

"You two geniuses got me all worked up… for THIS!?"

Dr. Wily explains, " Bass, R's not himself… He's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered… erm… animal you ever set eyes on!"

Bass looks at Wily. "And… your point would be?" Now disgusted, he says, "C'mon, Doc, this is R we're talking about here! Brightman said this was an emergency. I got a dozen guys with me, armed to the teeth, and for WHAT!? To see Dog-Boy, growl, snarl, and drool like an idiot!? What a complete and utter waste of time!! I am SO outta here!" He orders the troops with him, "All right, guys, let's go." To Wily and Brightman, he says, "Call me when there's a REAL problem, for cryin' out loud! Geez!"

As Bass tries to leave, a terrified Wily grabs him by the arm. "HEY! Don't leave us here with HIM!!"

All the while, R eyes them, watching them, moving back and forth, like a predator stalking his prey.

Bass's reply to this, "Gee, Doc, that's EXACTLY what I was going to do. Now let go, you old coot!"

Brightman tries to impress upon Bass the seriousness of their predicament. "Look, Bass, right now R's got a vicious streak a mile wide. He's a killer!"

Bass snorts, "Get real."

Brightman warns menacingly, "He'll mess you up real good!"

"Oh yeah? Bright, ol' buddy, YOU are such a wuss!"

"I'm warning you."

"What's he gonna do, huh? Run around and chase his tail?"

"He's got huge, sharp ... eh ... he can leap about ... well, just look at all the damage! The blood! The horror! The horror!"

Bass rolls his eyes with disgust. "Geez." He motions to one of the soldiers, "Bors, handle the mutt, will ya?"

The RED CAT soldier (who just happens to be named Bors) hops up smiling and draws a sword. "Right, Lord Bass."

Brightman gasps in horror, "Look!"

As Brightman points they all spin round to see R leap at Bors with a savage roar. Before the poor soldier can cry out, R whacks him with such force that his body flies away and lands on the ground hard.

Bass steps back from the display of raw animal power and savagery. "ACK!!"

Brightman reminds him, "I warned you! But did you listen to me? Oh no, you knew it all didn't you? "Oh, it's just R!" Well, what do you think now, hm? I told you ... "

Bass angrily says, "Oh, shut up!

**SLAP!!**

Bass slaps Brightman so hard that it makes the poor robot stagger back, topple forward, rolls his eyes in his head, and knocks him out flat.

"OW! Ugh….!!" Brightman falls over, rendered unconscious from the fearsome technique known in some circles as the "Kishin Harite" (Demon God Hand Slap).

With Brightman out of the way, Bass goes to work!

"Right!" He raises his Buster, preparing to shoot R. "Time to put the mutt down!"

Dr. Wily stops hi. "NO! Take him alive, Bass!"

"What for!? I don't know what you've been doing here, but methinks your tinkering around with Dog-Boy's little doggie brain is what caused this mess! And I got my own way of cleaning up messes! So move aside so I can get a good shot!"

"Are you nuts! I won't let you hurt my boy with unnecessary force!"

"Good grief! Will you please stop calling him THAT!? He is NOT your son, and you are NOT his father!!"

R watches as Wily and Bass fight over him. His animal-like mind can't possibly comprehend what's going on. Whether it was instinct, or out of some fond memory that reminded him that Wily was his father, and that he had to protect him, R leaps at Bass and tackles him to the ground!

**WHAMM!!**/Sound FX

Bass gets the wind knocked out of him! "ACK!! OOF!"

Dr Wily is surprised and moved by R's actions. _My boy attacked Bass to protect me! Oh, R, my boy, my pride, my joy! Perhaps…perhaps there's a chance I can reach him!_ He goes into his paternal role, and calls out loud, " Hey! R! It's me, my boy! Don't be afraid!"

"RAAAHHHHHHGH!!" R swipes at Wily with one clawed hand.

Dr. Wily jumps back, frightened! "WAH! Well, THAT didn't work!"

Mad, Bass gets up, cursing, "Dammit!" _Okay, that's strike one!_ He orders the troops, "ATTACK!!"

The RED CAT Soldiers charge at R, but it was all for naught. And once again, R thrashes them with hardly any effort. Looking around, his eyes searching the room for another victim; upon not finding anyone, he grunts sharply. Without anyone to attack, he gets bored.

Poor Wily found himself frozen on the spot as he saw that his son was beyond all reason. With a final desperate plea, he said, "P-please R! I'm… your father!"

R let off a roar that made the entire lab tremble as he gets on all fours and launches himself forward. Wily shut his eyes and waited for the end.

It never came. Instead, he heard a loud crash behind him as R lands in front of a large crack in one of the walls and proceeds to slash, claw, kick, and bash at it until the wall gives way. Opening his eyes, he saw a huge gaping hole beside him.

All Wily and Bass can do is watch as R leaps through the hole, and out the lab.

Now outside, R stares back at the lab and those who were responsible for his pain. A sound escapes from his lips.

R howls, "A-WOOOOOHHH!!"

With that, he runs off into the woods surrounding the RED CAT Fortress.

Dr. Wily cries out, "R! R! Come back, boy! COME BACK!" He starts crying Soun-like tears! "Boo hoo hoo!! WWAHHHH!!"

Bass asks no one in particular, "OK. NOW what do we do?"

Upset, Dr. Wily grieves for R. "R… My son!… My God, what have I done?….Boo hoo…!!"

Brightman, who by now has regained consciousness, is immediately at Wily's side. He consoles the sobbing Wily. "There, there, Doctor. We'll get him back. Don't you worry." To Bass, he politely asks, "Bass, take some men, and go and fetch R would you?"

Bass snaps, "HEY! Who died and made you boss!? And why do I have to go get him!?"

Brightman's tone becomes serious. "Bass, that wasn't a request. As head of the RED CAT GANG's Scientific Research & Development Team, I'm ordering you to find R and bring him back to the lab, so we can undo what's been done to his mind."

Insulted and angry, Bass growls, "Why you….! Just because you got a title now, you think you can order me around like some cheap flunky. HELLO!? I'M the Doc's second in command! I outrank YOU! So don't make me put you in your place, Bulb-head!!"

"Bass, please! This is no time to argue over petty things such as rank! As you can plainly see…" Brightman points to the blubbering sad sack Wily, "…Dr. Wily is in no condition to boss us around right now. Therefore, as his assistant AND as head of R&D, I must take charge." He smiles. "I believe the appropriate expression to use here would be "So THERE! Nyah Nyah!"" He sticks his tongue out at Bass.

"D'OH!" After a moment, Bass sighs and gives up. "Fine. I'll go and get the mutt."

"Thank you, Bass. By the way, make sure to arm your men with tranquilizer darts, not real bullets. We need R alive, Bass. Alive, as in "not dead". Okay?"

Bass hated Brightman's nice-guy approach to getting things done, and he REALLY hated it when the genius robot would explain things by breaking them down in smaller terms. It made him feel stupid, or worse, like Bubbleman (who IS the textbook definition of stupid).

"Yeah, yeah," Bass grumbles, "Man. Give some people a title and they let it go to their heads… I tell ya, it just ain't right…"

Bass storms out of the ruined lab, complaining all the way.

Brightman's voice-over continues, "So Bass and the soldiers hunted down R all night long into the morning It was not easy to find him, for he'd fled into the woods. And all the while, the hunters were themselves being hunted. During the hunt, they'd been attacked by R. He'd made good use of his surroundings, sneaking up on them like a jungle predator and striking with violent animal fury! A few RED CAT Soldiers were badly injured as a result…"

But Bass was on to his foe. As soon as R showed his fanged face, he'd ordered his troops to fire away! Three good shots had punctured R's flesh, but to no avail. The soldiers were shocked! Those three darts that DID hit R were filled with enough tranquilizers to put him out for weeks!

At any rate, R fled, and the chase continued on until they reached the falls.

Spotting the fierce beast-boy, RED CAT Soldier 023 says, "He's gone inside the cave behind the waterfall!"

Bass turns to the rest of the solders with him, and says, "You guys wait here... I'll take care of this personally!"

"By yourself, sir?" RED CAT Soldier 078 asks.

"With Dog-Boy the way he is now, he'd turn you into hamburger. Me, I'm made out of much tougher stuff. I don't want any more of my troops being sacrificed!"

RED CAT Soldier 078 seems touched. "Aw, gee, it's nice of you to think of our safety, sir."

"Feh. Whatever."

"Of course, I wasn't there when Bass went out to look for R. But when he came back, and I saw the damage that had been done to him, I knew that it took him quite a bit of effort to capture R, and that in his berserker state, R would not go down without a fight…. Sigh… " Then, Brightman finally says to Erick, "After the incident, I used the brainwashing machine to make R forget his knowledge of the Neko-Ken."

-(CONTINUE FLASHBACK)-

"R, can you hear me?" Brightman calmly asks R.

Hypnotized, in a sleepy voice R says, "Yes."

"You will repeat after me…."

R nods in reply to Brightman's command, completely under the sway of Dr. Wily's lab assistant, a voice he was powerless in that very moment to disobey. Then, like a hypnotist planting a suggestion very deeply in the brain of his hapless subject, Brightman intones:

"You are to forget everything that happened today."

R repeats, "I will forget everything that happened today."

"You'll only remember it when I tell you to. You are to forget about it. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I will forget about it. I understand."

Brightman continuing to hypnotize R. "The beast that lurks inside you is dead, sealed away within the deepest, darkest recesses of your mind. You do not wield the Neko-Ken anymore. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"You are a warrior, a fighter. You are not a wild animal. You are not a monster. The Neko-Ken was a failed technique. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

"I wanted to totally erase any knowledge of that horrible power from R's mind. But Dr. Wily was quite insistent that R learn and master the Neko-Ken so…" Brightman reaches into a drawer, pulls out a small metal object about three-and-a-half inches long, and hands it to Erick. It looks like some kind of whistle.

"Brightman, I've no time for guessing games. What is this whistle for?" Erick asks him.

Brightman wearily says, "You seem to know about these things, Lord Erick. You figure it out. As for me, I want no part of whatever you intend to do with R. If Dr. Wily finds out what I've done…"

"He won't, so relax. Besides, I got what I wanted from you. And, I do apologize for my roughness earlier. Bass suggested that you might not be willing to assist me in this, and it seems he was right."

Brightman thinks, _Bass__? Are he and this priest working together?_

"You know, Brightman, the Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily made you the head of this organization's Scientific Research & Development team. I DON'T think they would have put you in charge if they didn't think you could handle the responsibility. I'm well aware that you and Wily have had differences regarding the "RS Project". Seems you've gotten too close to your research…"

Shocked and worried, Brightman thinks, _Oh God! He knows about our research?_ He gathers his composure and confesses, "Yes, it's true. I was against Wily's half-baked scheme to clone Ranma Saotome. I've tried many, MANY times to persuade him not to go through with it. But once R and Ran were "born", so to speak, I had to admit that the Doctor might have been on to something."

"Interesting. Continue."

"The research was incredible. Their ki-generating abilities, their innate knowledge of Ranma Saotome's fighting style, even their ability to improvise and create new techniques on the spot, so much that they've made their own special attacks, each suited to their individual personalities – I must say, I was impressed. But over time, I became very concerned." Brightman laughs bitterly, "Heh heh heh, my "research"… YOU should try it sometime, Lord Erick. YOU try being the guardian of two children, created by an utterly LOONY mad scientist for the sole purpose of revenge. YOU try caring for them, supporting them, steering them in life directions that are mandated not by what you feel is best for them, but by someone who has his own deranged agenda for them, a twisted "destiny" they have to fulfill. Oh! How about this? YOU try holding your tongue, doing everything you possibly can NOT to cry out, to do something, anything to stop his madness, while he conducts every kind of impossible test, perverse experiment, and / or ridiculous attempt to enhance their already exceptional gifts while at the same time trying to erase ANY possible shred of humanity within their very hearts and souls, turning them into cold-blooded fighting machines!" He calms down, sighing, "You… try doing all that without getting "too close" and see just how successful you are. I may be a robot, but I have learned a LOT about humans, the good things about humans, through my research as I watched those two kids grow."

_Why, Brightman… I had no idea you felt that way about them. I do hate to burst your bubble, but you know absolutely NOTHING about humans._ "You know, I just might. It sounds like a stimulating intellectual exercise." Erick then takes a few menacing steps toward Brightman, until he was almost in the robot's face. "As for YOU, Brightman, you've got to learn when to let your research go. It's over. Ran and R are not your problem anymore. They're MINE."

Something about the way Erick says "mine" chills Brightman to his electronic core, leaving the poor scientist robot wondering what evil designs Erick has for Ran and R.

Now upset, Brightman finally speaks, "Their whole lives have been one of having their fate determined by others acting behind their backs. When do they get their own lives?"

Erick's counter-reply to this is, "When do any of us? Many people will tell you that their lives are guided and determined by God."

Brightman is serious. "Sir, you are NOT God."

Erick smiles wickedly. "As far as Ran and R are concerned, Brightman, I'm God, the Devil, heaven, and hell rolled into one. A word of advice - I suggest you put aside your personal feelings, and get with the program. Do you understand?"

Brightman reluctantly nods, "Yes, sir."

Satisfied, Erick bids, "Good day, Brightman."

He then walks out, leaving Brightman smoldering with anger in the lab.

"…… I really, REALLY hate that man."

His anger at Erick spent, Brightman slumps into a chair behind him. He feels a deep sadness inside him. And he begins to wonder. How did it come to this? Ran and R were such nice kids when they started out. And now… Ran's a wanted traitor. R's walking around completely unaware of the monster that sleeps within his subconscious mind, a monster that Brightman himself helped Wily create. And now, that mad priest knows about the "RS Project". And they still haven't found that Phoenix Stone yet!

Oh, yes, there are dark days ahead.

Brightman regretted it all. He regretted everything he had done. But what could he do now? What, if anything, could be done to undo what he'd done?

Even worse, he fears for Ran and R's lives, and wonders what Erick has in store for them.

Alone, in the silence of the lab, Brightman did something that might have surprised or perhaps even amused Dr. Wily, Bass, and the other bots: he buries his face in his hands and weeps.

Who'd ever thought a robot could cry?

_**LATER, AT A PARK:**_

We see Erick seated on a bench. He is dressed in his Neo-style costume (black jeans, black shirt, black trench coat, and dark glasses). As he sits there, he pulls out the little whistle that Brightman gave him back at the lab.

_What good is this whistle for anyway? Brightman mentioned it had something to do with R's dormant animal-like power. Perhaps it's some kind of key, a trigger…_

Erick puts the whistle to his lips and blows. Nothing, not even a single sound.

Erick mutters, " Hmph. The blasted thing doesn't even work. In my day, many centuries ago, I was quite the musician. Maybe I'm not using the proper playing technique."

Erick then tries to blow the whistle as if he's playing a flute. At the same time, a woman is walking her dog. Suddenly, the dog's ears perk up, and…

"Awoooooohh!"

That gets Erick's attention. He turns around and sees only the woman and her pet. He goes back to blowing his whistle.

The dog howls louder, "Raw-ooooooohhh!"

At this, the woman looks at her dog, then looks at Erick. Erick shrugs his shoulders, and then continues practicing. He takes a deep breath, and blows the whistle really hard!

"OWOOOOOOOHHHH!!"

The poor creature can't take anymore of Erick's… erm… music. It lies down, and covers its ears with its paws. The lady's had enough of this. She marches right up to Erick. Obviously, she has NO idea who he is and how dangerous he can be. "Hey you!"

Erick innocently says, "Hm?"

"Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing with that dog whistle? What? Do you get some kind of thrill from torturing small animals? Enough already!"

Erick blinks. "Dog whistle?"

He looks at the woman. Pretty, but she's got nothing on Delia. Then he looks at her dog, cowering, paws over its ears. Then he looks at the whistle, takes it, and blows it one more time.

The dog can't stand that sound! "Ohhhhh-woooo!!"

"Stop that!" the woman tells Erick.

And he does. Erick looks at the whistle once more. Then, it dawns on him – what the true purpose of the whistle is, and the sound that it makes. He smiles.

_Brightman, you're a genius. Now, I know the secret to controlling R's berserker rage. Very clever._ Out loud, in a surprisingly polite manner, Erick apologizes to the woman, "I'm terribly sorry, my dear lady. I had no idea that this was a dog whistle. You see, I recently acquired it from a colleague, and I'd been trying to figure out how to work the silly thing all day. Please, forgive me for the trouble I've caused you and you beloved pet. I meant no harm at all. Really."

The woman is surprised by Erick's politeness. He seems truly sorry for what he's done.

Caught off-guard, she says, "Well… I… Oh well, as long as you didn't mean to do it…"

"I assure you, miss, that it won't happen again." Erick then checks his watch. "Ah! I must be going now." _I must return to the base. R will be home from school soon, and I'll need to run some tests of my own!_ "Good day, my dear lady. And once again, please accept my humble apologies."

He gentlemanly takes her hand and kisses it. She blushes. Having successfully worked his charm on her, Erick leaves. But as he does (like so many villains are wont to do), he laughs as he makes his exit.

"Hm hm hm hm…. HA HA HA HA! HAA HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!"

Watching him leave the park, the woman says, "Hmm…nice guy. But kinda strange. What does he think he is, a villain, or something?"

Lady, if you only knew what Erick plans to do!

Oh, what's going to happen next!? What horrible scheme has Erick cooked up now? And how will it involve R, and the violent power that lies within him?

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	48. Plots, Preparations, Personal Problems,

CHAPTER 48

_**-"PLOTS, PREPARATIONS, PERSONAL PROBLEMS, AND POTENTIAL PERIL!"-**_

_**R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

-(Insert BGM – Etude in C Minor, Op. 10 No. 12 ("Revolutionary") – Frederic Chopin)- It kinda helps if you have a recording or MP3 of this to listen to.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those readers who aren't into classical music, just play King of Fighters 2003. You can hear a little bit of this piece when you fight Adelheid, one of the game's final bosses. It's neat music. Trust me.]

We see High Priest Erick Genryusai sitting at a piano, playing music to pass the time while he waits for R return home from school. His fingers glide effortlessly across the piano keys; he is quite skilled at this stuff, folks! The haunting music echoes through the hallways as he plays. Just as he's about to finish the piece, Erick hears a car pull up into the driveway of R's house. He stops. A sinister smile appears on his face.

His guinea pig is home.

Erick whispers, "R… Soon, I'll see all the power you possess! Heh heh heh….!"

With that, Erick vanishes from sight.

Outside, we see R get out from behind the wheel of his Honda S2000. Leaving the garage, he crosses the yard, his briefcase at his side, a mild afternoon breeze caressing his face. He enters the front door of his house, takes off his shoes in the main hallway, and goes inside.

We see R sitting on the floor of his living room shuffling through papers and reading books. He is busy doing homework – such is the life of a high-school student. For the next half hour or so, R is absorbed in his studies. Then he gets on his laptop, and types up a few paragraphs for a paper he has due for his literature class. He'd never admit it, but R liked doing research papers. There was just something about pursuing a fact and finding it despite obstacles that he found deeply satisfying. It reminded him of his martial arts training – trying to master a new technique, studying it, learning how to execute as well as how to defend against it, and so on.

R paused for a moment. Thinking about martial arts would eventually and inevitably lead to Ranma Saotome.

Ranma.

That guy.

The one he'd been ordered to kill.

Whose death was necessary to avenge his family's honor and that of the Anything-Goes School.

He hurt Ran.

That was all the excuse R needed.

But then, he'd remembered his promise to her.

Frustrated, R says, "D'OH!" Then, he shrugs, "Ah, well…. I'll deal with Ranma later."

He cleans up his work area, putting away the assignments he finished in his briefcase, saves the paper he's working on, and shuts down his laptop.

"Homework's done for now anyway. Better do something else, take my mind off things. Maybe I'll go outside for a bit before dinner."

Later, R changes his clothes and puts on a pair of overalls. He makes his way to the backyard, with gardening tools in his hand.

And oh, what an amazing sight it is that now meets our eyes.

At long last, dear readers, we get to see the rose garden behind R's estate. We look down upon a rather lovely valley. There were green meadows on either side of the valley, and along the bottom of it there flows a river. What's more, there is a tremendous waterfall halfway along the river – a steep cliff over which the water curls and rolls in a solid sheet, and then goes crashing down into a boiling churning whirlpool of froth and spray. Graceful trees and bushes grow along the riverbanks – bonsai and cherry trees with their pink blossoms.

Beyond the falls, we can see the mountains where the Cat Ghost King's shrine is located.

And most of all, there were roses everywhere. Roses of all different colors, including a few black ones – he'd recently gotten some seeds from Kodachi.

There are some paved paths in the garden. R comes down the stone steps onto the main path, which branches out in four directions. One path leads to an open space where R can practice his martial arts outdoors. Another leads to a patio where R can sit and read or think. A third leads to a secret entrance to the RED CATS' base. And the fourth and final path leads to a place where only white roses grow, which R uses to make his "White Rose Throwing Darts", his trademark and signature attack.

He walked through his garden, scanning for anything that needed immediate attention. This was his usual ritual, something he had done virtually everyday for some time now. He always managed to make time to check on the garden, even with his schoolwork and his duties as a soldier of the RED CATS.

R walks over to where the white roses are and goes to work, caring for them. As he does so, he spots something unusual. "Hm? What's this?"

One of the white roses growing among the rest stood out. You could see a little bit of pink at the edges of its petals. The bud itself was pretty thick; R knew that once it blossomed, it would be huge.

But there was something else about it that caught R's attention. This particular rose had NO thorns at all. Not a single one.

R frowns at this. The thorns added an extra measure of lethality to his "White Rose Throwing Darts". A rose with no thorns, especially one with those pink streaks in it, would be rather useless in R's arsenal. He takes out a pair of clippers and is about to cut it off when he stops.

Looking closer at it, R can see that it's very beautiful. He finds it rather unique. It's so different from all the others.

Having a change of heart (which is rare, since this is R we're talking about), R puts away his clippers. The rose might not be of any practical use to him as a weapon, but it has an aesthetic value to it that pleases him. So what could he even do with it?

_I bet Ran would like this. _Aloud, R smacks himself in the forehead. "D'OH!"

The moment he thought of the pig-tailed girl, R's mood darkened. He knew that Ran loved and was deeply in love with someone else, but he had yet to figure out who her mystery lover is.

R mutters, "Please, let it be anybody but Ranma."

It if was some other guy besides Ranma Saotome, R had no problem with that. In his opinion, Ran could fall in love with whomever she wanted – R could care less. But if it WAS Ranma, well… R had already warned Ran if she ever tried to interfere. He couldn't have any personal feelings for her get in the way of his mission.

Sighing, R shrugs his head and continues to tend to his roses.

Unfortunately, he's being watched the whole time! D'OH!

From one of the cherry blossom trees, Erick emerges, as if literally stepping out of the tree. He'd used his power to turn invisible and observe R without being noticed. Now visible, he walks quietly toward R, his footsteps not even making a single sound…!

But wait a minute! How can Erick do this?

Well… cause he's Erick, that's how! He uses an ancient technique of using one's supernatural aura to conceal his presence. Erick is literally giving off zero Ki, not even a single drop of his dark energy. With this technique, Erick can hide in plain sight, even move around undetected, unnoticed by anyone!

Now that he's close enough to R (and by close, I mean at point blank range!), Erick prepares to test his theory. From a pocket inside his long coat, he pulls out the dog whistle, places it to his lips, takes a deep breath, and blows it – the whistle, that is.

Meanwhile, R was tending to a white rosebush, using a pair of clippers to cut the roses off from the stems. Suddenly, his ears perk up at once.

"Huh?"

Turning around, looking around him, he sees nothing.

"Feh. Must be hearing things. Well, back to work."

R continues to clip away at the bush. Erick is pleased at R's reaction. _Not bad. So much for my initial test. Now, let's see what happens when we blow the whistle for a longer length of time._

Once again, Erick raises the whistle to his lips and blows on it.

And once again, R looks up and looks around, but finds nothing and no one. He is alone, and the only sound he can hear is that of his own heart beating rapidly…. And that sound.

That sound.

That sound!

It keeps on ringing in R's ears. He tries to remember where he heard it from before, but he can't. And it's so intense that he has to cover his ears.

"Geez! My ears hurt. What's the deal with all this noise? It's like it's going through my whole skull."

But then, that sound gives way to something else. Something familiar, something he'd thought he'd never have to see or hear again.

Meow!

Meow! Meow!

Meow!

Meow!

The sounds of cats meowing echo around him. R tries to look up, and from his perspective, the sky is getting lighter and the world has pinkish tinge. Sounds of wind are suddenly heard. The landscape begins to move around him. And the meowing gets louder, and louder!

Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!

Meow! Meow!

Meow!

Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!

Meow!

Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!

Meow! Meow! Meow!

Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!

R grabs his chest and bares his teeth. He seems to be in pain. "Gah!.... What...? This sound…. My blood's on fire...!"

A dark shadowy figure appears behind him with a pair of large cat-like eyes staring back at him. It's safe to say that it's the physical manifestation of R's dark side has returned, trying to lure him into his berserker state. He appears before R, same dark red school uniform, same wild appearance, fanged smile, bloodshot eyes, etc. Both he and R start to glow with a dark purple aura. "Yep. It's me, R. Told you I'd be back! Now, are you ready to embrace your power?"

"I don't need it! I told you! I can crush Ranma myself... So kiss off, jerk! Grrrrgh….!" R hugs himself and grunts while his body surges with purple lightning.

Dark-R frowns. "Hmph. You silly ingrate... can't you hear them, R? Can't you hear the sounds of those little brutes? If you want them to go away, then UNLEASH ME!!

"No…no… I'll never use that power again! Never! Ahhhhhhh!!!"

The evil energy surrounding him forms a huge sphere! Meanwhile, Erick watches with anticipation. "Ah, yes. Now, it should happen. I can sense his power growing with every second!"

He looks at the sphere of energy, which has just doubled in size. But then, Erick lets out a sigh of disappointment and frowns, thinking, _Oh dear, this just won't do. It seems R's trying to resist._ He then pulls out the dog whistle. _Well, time to give him another nudge, just enough to send him into that sweet, sweet grip of insanity._

And then Erick blows the whistle!

In the midst of all this tension, R is now hunched over in pain. His eyes are bloodshot, his teeth have gotten sharper, and his body seems to swell up from all that power. His senses are distorted and amplified at the same time. Upon hearing the whistle, R's ears perk up. And then…

"...*Gasp*! *Gasp...!* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Unable to bear it, he closes his eyes, covers his ears with his hands, and runs away from the sphere. He sprints across the garden, around corners, looking, searching for anyplace to hide from the cats and that hideous sound. He keeps running, trips, hits a tree, and bloodies his lip, and the world begins to tilt around him at a forty-five-degree angle. He was losing all sense of who he was and where he was, and as he lifts himself up, an animal cry emerges from within him. The scream echoed throughout the garden, images cascading through his mind, Dr. Wily, Brightman, the cats, Ran's face, except it had a look of fear, and there were soldiers with rifles aimed at him at Bass's orders…

...and pouring copiously through all the images is blood, his blood, thick and viscous and red, except it's glowing with a dark purple haze.

...and fury, huge, smashing, rending, through the wall, feel it collapse, feel resistance vanish beneath strength, fury pounding animal snarl muscles knotted power surging bottled up exploding release, yes, good slash smash slice slash slash smash cut crush slash...

"Cats….cats…..cats! Why does it have to be CATS! ARRRRGH!!"

He tries to look up, and to his horror, he sees cats everywhere. Hungry cats, which look like they haven't eaten in days. They look at R, ready to feast on him. And in the midst of the hordes of felines, R's dark side stands grinning evilly.

" Well, R, if you won't let me play, I guess I'll just let these little guys have you for supper. Ta-ta for now, chump." He steps aside and says to the cats, "Chow, boys!"

And then, with one accord, every single cat pounces on R. "RWOOOOORRR!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

In his mind, those hungry cats once again assault R, clawing and scratching at him. He tries to fight them off…

"AHHHH! AHHHH!! GET 'EM OFF ME! GET 'EM OFF ME! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

But in reality, there are no cats at all. R has fallen into a clump of rose bushes nearby. He thrashes around violently, fighting off the imagined cats. The thorns cut into his skin and rip his clothes.

Erick watches with satisfaction as R rips himself into a bloody mess. He is pleased with the howling creature that he has made R become.

RED CATS' SECRET BASE - HOURS LATER…

R was walking slowly down the hallway, his hands gaping on the wall. His hair was now messed up. He was barefooted.

He was just so tired. His knees were trembling, his lips were quivering, his eyes almost half-closed.

Added to his suffering was the loss of blood.

His nightmarish visions of being jumped on and attacked by cats had ended – he had no idea when, but was thankful that they were over. With all his remaining strength, he'd made it to the secret entrance to the base. He needed to get to Dr. Wily or Brightman for help. But even that wasn't enough….

His knees felt weak. Too weak.

And his eyes won't cooperate anymore.

His vision starts to get hazy…

We shift to a large room where a group of RED CAT Soldiers is gathered. We can see musical instruments, music stands, and stacks of sheet music. Kinda reminds you of a high school's band room. The soldiers are holding music folders in their hands; one of them is sitting at a piano. Once they open their folders and find the song they're looking for, the soldier at the piano plays a chord, they all take a deep breath, and…

RED CAT Soldier 052 sings, "Meow meow meow meow…"

RED CAT Soldier 099 joins him, "Meow meow meow meow…"

RED CAT Soldier 013 follows right after 099, "Meow meow meow meow… "

Then all the RED CAT Soldiers are singing, "Meow meow meow meow / Meow meow meow meow / Meow meow meow meow / Meeowwwwwww……..!!"

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Gee, not much of a song, is it? Sounds like the jingle for that "Meow Mix" cat food. Anyway…]

Meanwhile, R stumbles along the hallway trying to make it to the lab, when his ears perk up. Hearing the soldiers sing their song sets him off. He tries covering his ears to block out the sounds, shaking his head, but it's no use. The constant meowing steadily drives him mad….

R's breathing heavily, "Hah… hah… hah…." Then, he grunts, "Ugh……grrrgh….! Gah!"

…. And then he's no longer tired or weak anymore. With newfound energy, R dashes toward the source of that hideous sound.

Back in the music room, the RED CAT Soldiers are doing yet another chorus of their…erm… song, singing with feeling!

"Meow meow meow meow

Meow meow meow meow

Meow meow meow meow

Meow meow meow meow

Meow meow meow meow

Meow meow meow meow

Meeowwwwwww……..!!"

Just then, R bursts into the room, startling the singing soldiers!

RED CAT Soldier 052 looks up and sees R. "Ah! Lord R! Forgive us, sir! We were just practicing a wonderful song!"

Standing in the doorway, R's head is hanging down, his long white hair covering his face. "………………………!!"

RED CAT Soldier 052 is worried. "Sir, are you all right? What's the matter?"

Hoo boy, he REALLY shouldn't asked that question, 'cause he's about to get his answer! At that moment, R finally looks up. And he has changed dramatically! He opens his eyes, which are now blank – all white, no pupils, and bloodshot. He grins nastily, bares his fangs, and holds up his right arm, fingers tensed - the nails on his fingers also look longer than normal.

"*Gulp*…. Lord R…?"

RED CAT Soldier 019 asks, "Uh… we're screwed now, right?"

R screams, roaring, "GYAAAAHHH!!"

The terrified RED CAT Soldiers scream, "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

"RAAAARHHHHGH!!" And with that, R pounces on the soldiers!!

The next scene is nothing but outright violence as R goes off into his berserker rage, attacking the soldiers with the savagery of a wild beast unleashed! On and on the bloodshed goes for what? Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

At any rate, never mind when, it was all over. Just like that.

Not long after regaining consciousness, R sees the music room, which looks like a tornado or something had torn through it. All around him are RED CAT Soldiers, beaten and bruised. One soldier was stuffed into the piano, his legs hanging out limpidly. The whole room is completely trashed.

R notices his body starts to calm down. He becomes more human in appearance, and he can think more clearly now. He doesn't understand what happened to him or to the soldiers. He tries to think about it, but it's all a blank after he starts coughing up blood. He starts to lose consciousness again. In the corner of his eye, he notices someone familiar approach him. He turns to take a good look at the person. His eyes widen with shock when he realizes who it is…

"Huh…? Erick? Uuuuugh…." R passes out.

Erick says quietly, "Yes… This is what you are… A beast… You're only a berserker… A bloodthirsty beast to be used as a weapon… And now, armed with this new knowledge of your true abilities, I will make every thinking moment you have filled with pain until you are permanently just as you are now… A weapon… An instrument made for killing. An ultimate predator…"

Looking at the now unconscious form of R, Erick smiles with anticipation, waiting for the moment when he will unleash his new weapon against the ones who can stop his evil plans.

RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE – NIGHT:

An important meeting is taking place this evening. The Cat Ghost King himself requested that everyone attend – for he wants to know how things are going.

Inside the shrine, we see the huge golden statue of the Cat Ghost King. We can see Delia standing off to the right of the statue, Dr. Wily and Bass with Treble to its left. Before them are a host of RED CAT Soldiers and Wily bots, and at the front of the crowd stands R. Then the Cat Ghost King speaks, addressing everyone, "Meow! Good evening, my loyal followers! Let us begin tonight's meeting meow." He then asks Delia, "Delia, where is Erick?"

Delia replies, "Erick is busy working on an important project. He asked me to attend this meeting in his absence."

Bass snorts, "Important project? Bah! Asking you what he's working on now would be pointless. I can just hear him saying…" He then imitates Erick's Xelloss-schtick, "Ah, but…. that is a secret."

_Precisely, Bass, _Erick's voice echoes inside Bass's head.

"ACK!" Bass thinks back in reply, _Geez, Erick! Enough with the mind reading already!_

Dr. Wily grumbles, "Hmph. Honestly… that man and his secrets!" To the Cat Statue, he asks, "Just how long are you going to let him do as he pleases? We're wasting valuable time here!"

Delia gives Wily an icy stare that makes his blood run cold while the Cat Statue glows with an angry red aura.

Dr. Wily steps back in fear! "WAH!" Realizing he's crossed the line, he apologizes, "Okay, okay! Don't look at me like that! I'm sorry, okay!"

"Dr. Wily, I assure you that Erick is NOT wasting time. As a matter of fact…" Delia glances briefly at R. "…what he's working on will help us eliminate Ranma Saotome, and Lady Ran, if necessary."

"It will? Finally, some good news! Then I'll withdraw my earlier comment."

Bass adds, "Y'know, Doc, Delia's right. This thing Erick's so hush-hush about must be really important for HIM, of all people, to duck out on a meeting. Otherwise, he'd be here. Maybe, for once, we should wait and see what he's got planned?"

"And that's another thing! When did YOU start sticking up for him?"

"I'm not. I hate to admit it, but sometimes, Erick's way of doing things makes a lot of sense."

Delia smiles at Bass's complementing Erick. Wily frowns. The Cat Ghost King continues, "Need I remind you, Wily meow, that without Erick we would not have progressed this far? Until we have the Phoenix Stone and Ranma Saotome and Lady Ran are dealt with purr-manently, I'll allow Erick to do whatever is necessary to achieve our goals meow."

Dr. Wily just has to have the last word. "Yeah, well, I still don't like it."

Upset, the Cat Statue hisses, "RWORR! Enough, Wily! Complaining will get us nowhere meow." To Delia, he tells her, "You may give your report now, Delia meow."

Delia Bows. "Thank you." She begins her report. "As you are all aware, Erick's Zero Spawn are in position all over Japan…"

She waves her hand, and many video screens appear out of thin air. Each one displays what the drones see and record, wherever they may be.

"With their advanced monitoring capabilities, they will keep us posted on the whereabouts of the Phoenix Stone."

The Cat Statue purrs, "Purr-fect, Delia. And have these new toys of Erick's found anything yet?"

"No. Not yet. Nevertheless, Erick is confident that they will bring you good news." Delia glances around the room. "Unlike SOME of you…"

Bubbleman, stung by that comment, stands up!

Hurt, he objects, "That's not fair! That girl Ran tricked me with that jewel back there! How was I supposed to know it wasn't the Phoenix Stone?"

"MEOW! SILENCE!" The Cat Statue's eyes glow brightly, dark clouds of energy appear overhead, and everyone hears the sounds of thunder, then a huge bolt of lightning strikes Bubbleman down!

**ZAP!!**

"ACK!" Electrocuted, Bubbleman falls over - again!

Bass remarks, "Y'know, I never get tired of that. So, Delia, as you were saying…"

The Cat Statue agrees with Bass, "Meow, yes. Continue."

Delia motions, and a Zero Spawn teleports into the room. At last, everyone assembled can see the new robot Erick created. It wears gray-colored armor and has a long silver ponytail. Mounted in its face is a single red camera-lens-like eye. For Dr. Wily and Bass, this is the first time they've seen one of the drones.

Dr. Wily is surprised. _Why, that robot almost looks like the one I'm working on!_

Bass unimpressed, thinks, S_o now we know the real reason why Erick sent me to fight Zero._ He looks at the Zero-copy. _Feh. Not too shabby, Erick, but it can't hold a candle to the real thing._

Delia points to the Zero Spawn. "This particular unit is the original prototype, built from data collected when Bass fought those two visitors from the future, X and Zero."

Dr. Wily grimaces at the mention of those two. Not long after Bass fought with Megaman X and Zero (See Chapters 32 & 33), Erick had taken the video footage and showed it to Wily and the Cat Ghost King. When Wily saw Zero in action, he was almost heartbroken to see his creation fighting alongside that X guy. He hoped that this Zero was NOT the same robot that he'd created, that Zero's resemblance to "his" Zero was just a coincidence.

Bass notices Wily's reaction to Zero. He chuckles to himself, deciding to keep what he knows about Zero a secret for now. Good thing Bass didn't tell him that it was indeed Wily's Zero that he fought. The old man might have a heart attack knowing his so-called ultimate robot was fighting for the good guys. But that could be changed…. if Bass could somehow convince Zero to join the RED CATS, that is.

Delia continues, "Each drone is equipped with a high-speed computer. Anything they observe will be sent directly to us via satellite. They possess some of the same abilities as the real Zero, such as the use of the Z-Saber. Since they are made from the DVL Cells, they also possess the Cells' abilities of regeneration, multiplication, mutation, and evolution, making it easy for us to mass-produce as many of them as we need."

Needless to say, both Wily and the Cat Ghost King were impressed with Erick's latest creation.

Dr. Wily comments, "Amazing…simply amazing."

The Cat Statue praises his High Priest. "Meowwww… Erick does it once again. I am pleased."

Dr. Wily frowns at that. Ever since Erick came, the Cat Ghost King's been relying on him and not Wily to get things done. He can't help but feel a little jealous. He mumbles, "Hmph. Erick, Erick, Erick… despite all he's done, he's not so great!"

Delia overhears what Wily just said, and gives him an extra-cold stare. She won't let him talk that way about her beloved master.

Scared Dr. Wily eep's, "WAH! Sorry!"

Delia accepts the complement meant for Erick. "Thank you. But Erick can't take all of the credit." She notices Brightman in the audience. "He wanted me to inform you all that Brightman and the team at R&D was the ones responsible for developing the prototype." She smiles at him.

Brightman blushes. "Why, er… thank you very much, Lady Delia." He bows respectfully.

Dr. Wily is relieved, thinking, _So Brightman and Erick built this look-alike robot. Whew…well, at least my plans for Zero are safe!_ "Well done, m'boy!"

Bass admits, "Yeah. Nice work, Bulb-head."

The Cat Statue agrees with Wily and Bass. "Meow, I agree. Brightman, once we have achieved our goals, you will be rewarded for your hard work! Meow!"

"Thank you, everyone," Brightman says.

Onekomaru raises his hand, er, paw. "Um, excuse me, Lady Delia? If you have these robots searching for the stone, then what do you need us for?"

Delia assures him, "Fear not, Onekomaru. Getting the Phoenix Stone back will still be our task. The drones are only there to assist in the search. However, they can also serve as reinforcements if needed."

The Cat Statue likes the idea. "Very well. Tell Erick to order his drones to continue their search for the Phoenix Stone. We must not waste any more time meow."

"Understood."

"BUT meow, in order for our plans to succeed, we MUST remove the one obstacle in our way – Ranma Saotome." The Cat Statue then addresses R as he glows with a red aura. "And you, R, have not yet been able to defeat him!"

Everybody else in the room steps away from R, leaving him alone before the Cat Ghost King, Wily, Delia, and Bass.

R bows. "I have no excuse, my king. In preparing my next attack on Ranma, I've encountered, er… difficulties along the way."

"Yes, yes, Erick has told us of your plans to date that Kuno girl and learn her secret techniques…."

Bass blinks in surprise. "No kidding? You're actually dating the nutcase in the leotard with the flower fixation? I would have thought you'd have better taste in women than THAT, Dog-Boy! Geez!"

The Cat Statue continues, "But so far, your efforts to learn those secrets have proven fruitless…"

R respectfully disagrees, "On the contrary, I've learned a few of her tricks already."

Bass sarcastically comments, "Yeah, like how to endure that crazy laughter of hers! Dog-Boy, you should've just gotten what you wanted, put it to her, and dumped her afterwards! C'mon, tell us. What's she like in bed?"

R blushes, embarrassed! He angrily blurts out, "HEY! SHUT UP! Besides, these things take time!"

"What? Oh, so you prefer to do a girl slowly? Man, how can you do it with her and not go insane from her laughing? Don't tell me she does it even during…."

The Cat Statue stops Bass from going any further. "RRROWRRR!! BASS! ENOUGH ALREADY!" It asks Wily. "Good grief! Where does he learn this stuff, Wily?"

Dr. Wily shrugs, "You got me. I'm as surprised as you are, Cat Ghost King."

"Er, well, anyway…. and, to top it off, you're actually being nice to Lady Ran!! OOH! That makes me SO mad! MEOW! You're FAR too lenient..."

Upset that R has disobeyed him, Dr. Wily yells, "WHAT!? R! Didn't I tell you NEVER to see that girl again?"

Bass is impressed. "Whoa! Two girls at once! Go ahead, Dog-Boy! To be honest, I didn't think you had it in you!"

Dr. Wily and the Cat Statue both yell, "**BASS!!"**

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Geez… you guys are NO fun at all!"

The Cat Statue asks, "Tell us, R meow, is the mission too much for you to handle meow?"

"Grrr.... I do not believe so, my king!" R hesitantly replies.

"Meow. Then what will you do?"

R assures his leader, "It's under control. Don't worry yourself about it. I WILL defeat Ranma!"

Bass begs to differ! "Heh heh heh! Seems to me that he's giving you a lot of trouble, Dog-Boy. Perhaps you need an experienced hand in this matter. Am I right, gentlemen?"

The Cat Statue considers Bass's suggestion. "It sounds like a good idea meow. Bass could be helpful."

R objects, "No way!"

Bass grins at R. "The Big Cat thinks that we should work together."

"Look, the Cat Ghost King and Dr. Wily gave the job to ME. I do as I like. I work alone. Excuse me, everyone."

With that, he gets up and storms out the shrine. Before he can even leave, the Cat Statue calls him.

"MEOW! R!"

R stops, his back turned to the group.

"No more wasting time. Kill Ranma now. We expect you to bring us results."

Dr. Wily warns, "And don't go anywhere near Ran again, you hear me, boy!?"

Bass laughs while threatening R, "Hey, Dog-Boy! Don't screw up this time, or it'll really, REALLY suck to be you!"

The Cat Statue, Dr. Wily, & Delia yell, "**BASS!!**"

Bass innocently asks, "Whaaat?"

"Yes. I understand. I will NOT fail." Angry and embarrassed (though he's doing a really good job of not showing it!), R leaves the shrine. Once he's outside, though….

R says quietly, " Feh. "Don't screw up," he says. Yeah, right. This mission's getting harder than I thought…"

_**THE NEXT MORNING, AT FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:**_

The school bell rings as students still mill around the public shoe locker area. After R puts his street shoes away, he discretely goes towards Ran's locker, puts something in it, and then leaves.

A few minutes later, Ranma, Akane, and Ran arrive. The students quickly empty the courtyard as the bell signals the beginning of classes. Ran goes to the shoe lockers and finds something stuck inside her locker.

"Eh? What's this?"

A single white rose, with a note attached to it. Ran knew immediately who it was from. She glances over at Ranma and Akane, who are chatting with each other. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulls the note off the rose, and hides the flower in her book bag. Then, she opens the note and reads it.

"Ran, I need to see you about something very important. Meet me at the usual spot after school. Come alone. This is for your ears only. R" Slightly nervous, Ran gulps, "I… I wonder what R wants now. Something doesn't feel right…"

The school day came and went by quickly. After the last bell, Ran meets up with Ranma and Akane and tells them to go on without her. When asked why, Ran reaches into her book bag and pulls out…

"A white rose!" Akane says.

Ranma snorts, "Feh. R's calling card. What's he want with you now?"

Ran replies, "I don't know. But he left me a note this morning. He said it was very important."

After school, we see R standing behind the tree where he usually eats lunch, his back against the tree trunk. He glances at his watch and frowns. He was certain that Ran got his message and would meet him. But something IS different, though. While he appears to be cool, calm, and collected on the outside; inside however, he dreads every single moment. He's felt this way ever since that meeting back at the Cat Ghost King's shrine. Though he is determined to destroy Ranma Saotome, lately R's thoughts have been toward Ran, and her mysterious dream guy. And there's the sneaking suspicion that Ranma is somehow tied up in all this.

It would appear that R's concern for Ran conflicts with his mission to destroy Ranma. He faces a crossroads; now, he must decide between love and destiny, between friendship and his mission.

Personally, R hopes that Ran doesn't show up at all – he doesn't want his feelings for her to get in the way of what he's now been ordered to do. He does NOT want to tell her what he plans to do. He knows certain things about Ran – that she lives at the Tendo Dojo with Ranma, that she hangs out with Ranma, even has some of the same classes with Ranma…

R murmurs, saying through clenched teeth, "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma…. What does she see in that guy anyway? Grrr….!"

Just the thought of Ranma seems to make R's blood boil. He lets out a sigh of frustration. He checks his watch one more time. If Ran doesn't show in the next few minutes, he'll go ahead and carry out his mission. If she does, then….

"R!"

R perks up at the sound of Ran's voice. But he keeps his back turned, so he's facing away from her. From Ran's perspective, she can see him leaning against the tree. But she can't shake the feeling of uneasiness. He's unusually quiet today, more so than usual.

Ran apologizes, "Sorry I'm late! I was talking with Ranma and Akane."

"Geez…." R says under his breath. _There she goes about Ranma again! I'm really getting sick of him! I oughta just forget this, kill him, and get it over with! But for some reason – I don't even know why! – I feel like I have to tell her!_

Sensing his emotional state, Ran says, "Um…. I got your message, and I came as soon as I could. What's so important?"

"………………………."

Now worried, Ran asks her friend, "R? What's wrong? Please, tell me."

R finally speaks. "Look, kid, I thought you should know this… I'm going to fight Ranma soon."

Ran gasps, " …………….!!"

R notices this, but keeps on going. "Don't tell me you're surprised? We've already discussed this before. You KNOW why I'm doing this."

A hurt Ran says, "Yes… yes, I know. But…"

Ran can't describe it, but she feels what R's feeling right now. He's saying it, but in his heart he feels otherwise. He wants to fight Ranma, but something's making him hold back. But what? Or who? Could it be…?

"Yeah. But that's not the only reason I wanted you to come…"

That gets Ran's attention. "Oh? Then….what?"

Then, and only then, does R turn around from behind the tree and face Ran.

"Ran…. You're a sweet kid. Really. I wasn't going to tell you my plans… but I felt…that I had to. And you're right. There is something bothering me. I remembered you said it helps to talk things out, so …And I feel like I can trust you. Bottom line, Ran…. I need your help. You hang out with Ranma, right? Maybe you might have even seen him fight? I need to know something. If I'm going to win, I need to know exactly what I'm up against. He's got to have an Achilles' heel. A weak spot."

NOW, Ran knew the reason for her uneasiness. She now knew what R wanted to see her for. "Why would you ask me something like that for?" She takes a breath, tries to stay calm, and then says, "I want us to be friends, R. I want us to trust each other. But this….! No. I'm sorry, R. I want to help you. But I can't. I just can't…!"

R asks her point-blank, "Tell me honestly. If you knew what his weakness is, you'd tell me, right?"

Now Ran's upset. "What for? You'd only want him dead, anyway."

R raises his voice, "Of course I would! Ran…. Don't you believe me?"

"I do believe you. Really, I believe you … R … but I don't know. I don't know anything." Ran begins to cry.

R closes his eyes; he can see her mind's made up. "I see. You won't help me, then."

With that, he walks right by her. He pretends not to see the tears coming down her eyes.

R turns around to face her again. "Y'know, I only told you this because I thought we were "friends", as you called us. Just tell me this. Why are you so keen on protecting HIM now? Unless…"

Ran looks back at R, tears running down her face. The pleading look in her eyes, her trembling lips, the very look on her face gives him his answer.

As realization dawns on him; R thinks, totally disgusted, _Oh, God…_ Now angry, he's like, _Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. So you're saying you prefer him to ME? Is that so? Okay. Fine. Whatever._ Then, he calmly says aloud, "So be it. Fall for him if you want… but I warned you about what'll happen if you get in my way."

R starts to leave. But Ran grasps his shoulder, pleading, "R…! Please…!"

In an icy voice, dripping with hate, R firmly says, "Don't. Touch. Me."

She takes her hand away. R storms off to the parking lot, hops in his S2000, and drives away. Now alone in the schoolyard, Ran sinks to her knees, puts her face in her hands, and sobs bitterly.

And from the second floor of Furinkan High, the Zero Spawn (still in its janitor disguise) witnesses the whole thing.

_**MEANWHILE, IN ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick sits in his throne, watching a video screen. He's just seen the entire conversation between Ran and R. The Zero Spawn has brought him VERY good news.

"This is great. This couldn't have worked out better even if I had planned it. Looks like I'll get a chance to test my new weapon soon. Hm hm hm hm…. HA HA HA HA! HAA HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!"

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

Picture a huge area, the size of a high school gymnasium. From the ceiling, huge lamps hung down and bathed the room in a dim yellow light. This large room is a testing area used by the RED CATS' Scientific Research & Development Team. Here, we can see the technicians from R&D, who've been working round the clock on a new project. Truth be told, they've been working on it all day, non stop, without even so much as a lunch break.

In the very center of the testing area is a gigantic machine on wheels. It was a mountain of gleaming metal that towered high above the workers. Attached to it is an enormous satellite dish, and a whole army of RED CAT techs are clustering around it, oiling its joints and adjusting its knobs and polishing the inside of the great round dish. Out of the very top there sprouted hundreds and hundreds of wires, and the wires all curled downwards and came together in one single connection, a long thick cable that led to a far corner of the room about fifty paces away from the machine, where a single RED CAT scientist is sitting at a battery of computers.

Supervising all of this activity is none other than High Priest Erick Genryusai, who's been staying with the team through the entire process until he had assured himself that all had been carried out according to his VERY specific instructions. When he had assured himself to the point of downright fussiness, he then summons his apprentice Bass to join him.

Later, Bass, Treble and Bubbleman enter the chamber.

Erick pleasantly greets his apprentice. "Ah, Bass you're just in time. Behold! My latest invention – The EG-K9 Trancemitter!"

Bubbleman raises his hand to ask a question. "Uh, excuse me, Lord Erick?"

"Yes, Bubbleman. What is it?"

"Don't you mean Transmitter?"

"Of course."

"No. You said Trancemitter."

"Yes. That's what I said."

Bubbleman insists, "No, no! That's not what you said! It's Transmitter!"

Irritated, Erick says through gritted teeth, "Yes… That's EXACTLY what I said."

"No! It's supposed to be Transmitter!"

Bass thinks the argument between Bubbleman and Erick is silly. "Tran**ce**mitter, Transmitter. Potato, Po**ta**to. Tomato, To**ma**to. Why don't you two just call the whole thing off?"

But Bubbleman says, "No, Bass, we can't! I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed here…"

Bass grins, then mock-declares. "Ladies and gentlemen! It's the understatement of the year here!"

Bubbleman blinks. "…Huh? HEY!" Then, he continues from where he left off, " …but Lord Erick is clearly mispronouncing the word "transmitter"!"

"Gee, Bubbles, ya think he MIGHT just be doing that for a REASON? I understood what he meant the first time! Why don't YOU get it?"

"I do! But he said trancemitter when he clearly meant transmitter…!"

Erick feels a migraine coming on. An anime-style angry vein throbs on his head. He has had it with Bubbleman's useless arguing, but doesn't show it. "*sigh*…." He turns to Bass, "…Bass?"

"Way ahead of you, Erick." With that, Bass draws back his fist and gives Bubbleman the finest uppercut you ever saw!

(Sound of Bass's fist making contact with Bubbleman's chin)

**POW!**

The poor robot literally flew up a good couple of yards before….

**SPLAT!**

He lands back on the floor, where he lay splayed out like roadkill.

Grateful to his apprentice for shutting Bubbleman up, Erick says, "Thank you."

Bass aceepts the thanks. "Yeah. Anyway, as you were about to tell us…" He looks over at the unconscious Bubbleman. "… well, ME, anyway… what's this Trancemitter of yours do?"

Erick explains, "This device will emit a sound that only R can hear. When he hears it, his latent power will be unleashed and with that power he will destroy Ranma!"

Bass plainly concludes, "So essentially, what you've created is an oversized electronic dog whistle."

Erick frowns at Bass' observation. But, he has to admit – Bass's description of Erick's fantastic creation, his latest weapon in the RED CATS' war against Ranma Saotome and his friends, though blunt, is dead on correct. "That's a bit over-simplistic. But yes, it IS something like that – in concept, anyway."

"Okay, so now you've built this thing, I guess you're going to use it right away, huh?"

"Not yet, though a potential opportunity HAS presented itself. When the time is right, Ranma Saotome, Lady Ran, and anyone else foolish enough to stand in our way will no longer pose a problem for us. Until then, we'll wait."

Bass thinks for a moment about what Erick has told him. He knows that even without his weapons, he could take on R in a real fight. But he remembers the day he fought a berserk R and was nearly killed in battle. The beastly strength, increased agility, and raw power that R had displayed proved to be too much for Bass to handle – it took everything he had to beat him then. And now, somehow Erick plans to use this whacked out gizmo to draw out the beast within his hated rival once more.

_So you think you'll unleash Dog-Boy's latent power, huh? You better hope you're right Erick, 'cause if not, I'M gonna do what I should have done a long time ago! I might not have been able to kill him then, but now with your training, I KNOW I can slaughter the mutt!!_

Erick responds to Bass' thoughts, "Please, Bass. You've only begun your training. You're not even ready yet to fight R now. I promise you WILL get your chance to take your revenge upon him for defeating you. You know, you REALLY must learn to control that burning jealousy towards R. I see you still have much to learn."

Bass facefaults. "D'OH!! Again with the mind reading! Geez, knock it off!"

"As for R's true power, I will not only unleash it but I will also control it as well. I will succeed where Wily and Brightman failed. So have a little faith in me, will you?"

_**THE NEXT DAY, AT SCHOOL:**_

There was the usual "five minutes before school starts" rush as students crowded through each other to get to class. Three figures jumped over the entire group and got to class with time to spare. They were, of course, Ranma, Akane, and Ran. Suddenly, Ranma's danger sense perks up. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something streaking through the air towards him. Quickly, Ranma catches it in his hand. It's one of R's white roses, with a note attached. Only then, does he notice R standing just about four yards away from him. To anybody else in Furinkan who saw R that morning, R has his usual calm, expressionless look on his face. But Ranma Saotome, of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts, looks closer at R's face and notices the raging flames in his eyes. Later on, Ranma would swear those flames were PURPLE in color. Akane Tendo was by her fiancée's side, already in a fighting stance, in case a fight should break out. She'd never fought R before. But she could tell that R was a strong fighter, and she was confident enough in her skills as well as Ranma's. So therefore, she concludes, she and Ranma together could take him down. Did I mention that she's never fought R before? With his knowledge of the Saotome Anything-Goes style AND in the state of mind he's in right now, if he REALLY wanted to, R could take Akane out with ONE single blow. And as for Ran Hayami? Like Akane, she too assumes a fighting stance, ready to help her friends (as well as the one she loves – Ranma!). But truth be told, she's afraid that R might kill Ranma today. She feels deep sadness for R, because he's doing this terrible thing to the one she loves with all her heart to honor the vow he'd made to his late parents (who might be her parents as well – she still wasn't sure, even after that dream she'd had back in Chapter 36). But the really bad part is that NOW R knows how Ran feels about Ranma, and she fears that R will use that knowledge to his own advantage.

Believe it or not, R's totally in control of this situation. He sees the fear and sadness in Ran's eyes – and totally ignores it. He doesn't even give Akane a glance. He can tell that she's gotten stronger – probably because she trains with Ranma. But ultimately, in R's eyes, her power and skill is NO match for his AT ALL. He can kill her quickly. But that would just provoke Ranma into fighting him right then and there; something R would like – but not now. His attention is totally focused on Ranma the whole time and on what he's here to do. The burning rage, this murderous intent, this killing wave that flows through R's blood wants, cries out for Ranma's death. But R keeps it in check – he knows that one day he'll get to use all his power with no reservations or hesitations. He knows that Ranma will one day die by his hand, horribly and painfully. _Whichever comes first_, R thinks. There's something else too, something only R himself knows, and that'll he'll never ever let Ran in on. And it is the reason for R's hatred this day. Ranma has something… someone special that R wants but can't have. He can't even explain it himself right now. And right now, R doesn't even care.

Make no mistake about it folks – R is PISSED, and Ranma knows it. _But why?_, Ranma thinks. _I mean, what's R got against me, anyway? Why does he feels the need to come at me with all this hostility and hatred within him – it makes no sense! Still, if he wants to fight, I'll grant him his wish._

Meanwhile, everybody else has gathered around to see what's going on now between Ranma and R. You can just feel the tension in the air, the scent of danger in the place. You WOULD think that a fight is about to break out. Then, R finally speaks.

"Read it."

Ranma reads the note attached to the rose. He looks back up at R and clenches it in his fist. It seems R has just issued a formal challenge! _Okay R, challenge received and accepted_, he thinks.

"And you'd better show up. Do NOT disappoint me."

And with that, R leaves, turning his back on everyone assembled. Ran, however, can't stand by and let this happen. So she tries to stop R. "R! Wait!"

R stops, his back still turned to Ran. He has put aside whatever feelings he has for her and embraced the anger that burns within him. Though still calm, he lets some of his anger show in his voice. "This is between me and Ranma. Stay out of this!"

And he continues walking away, leaving Ran crushed and Ranma wondering what the hell's gotten into R.

Ranma went to the exact point where R asked him to go. It was around the back of the school; around 5 pm. R was waiting for him. "So, you came Saotome."

Ranma responds, "Yeah I did. Now would you mind telling me why you asked me here in the first place?"

R snorts, "Heh. Always the impatient type. Very well…Answer this question then and with the truth, okay?"

"Okay."

"Tell me Saotome…what is your relationship…with Ran?"

Ranma blinks. "With Ran? Well…we're just friends, that's all. Okay… best friends."

""Friends", you say, huh? You sure about that?"

"Positive. Why are you asking me this anyway?"

"Cause I've been noticing lately how Ran behaves around you. How very 'friendly' she gets with you, unlike the rest of the students she hangs out with."

"Okay R. What's your problem? Why all this interrogation about Ran?"

"Because I don't want you going out and trying to flirt with her."

"FLIRT WITH HER!? You out of your mind? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Like I said before…the way she acts when she is close to you. I'm warning you Ranma…Treat Ran like the rest of your fiancées…and I'll cut your balls off, and use them for a baseball!"

Now mad, Ranma says, "I don't know WHY you're saying that. But I won't treat her badly…she is my friend! Heck, she's the first true friend that I had in a long time. And treat her like the rest of my fiancées? I've never treated them badly, even when THEY treated ME like dirt, or a prize. I treated them with respect and honor. So don't you dare say that I'll treat Ran like that."

R seems to accept this. "Hmph. So be it. You better be right about that…or you'll face me."

"Oh, about that. Why are you so into this, about Ran? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"W-WHAT!?" R explodes. His cheeks turn bright red as he blushes. Cooling down, he says, "No! But I don't want her to suffer…that's all, as a friend."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. Listen, I've gotta go, see you next time."

Ranma then turns back and walks away, leaving R behind:

R thinks to himself, _Hmmm…why am I so protective of Ran?_

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	49. Dan's Bad Day! MegamanEXE Meets Megaman

CHAPTER 49

_**-"DAN'S BAD DAY! MEGAMANexe MEETS MEGAMAN!"-**_

Well, while all of this plotting, scheming, and drama is going down, let's take a peek and see how some of the other characters in our story are doing…

This is Dan Hibiki, the self-proclaimed master of Saikyo-ryu, "The Strongest Style".

He's a Street Fighter who hasn't had good luck lately, whether in fighting, or with the girls. Fame and fortune have turned their backs on him, stuck their tongues out and given him a big double raspberry ("Th-Phhhhht!!"). This narrator WAS going to say they'd given him "the finger" too, but…

"HEY! You don't have to rub it in, you know!" a dejected and miserable Dan complains.

Recently, he had a Fan Club of his own, as well as a Cheerleading Squad.

He'd released a book called "From ZERO to HERO: The Dan Hibiki Story", which told all about Dan's supposed battles and victories.

He had wealth, power, the adoration of his beloved fan club, and hopefully... the love of beautiful women.

Oh well, three out of four isn't too bad…

"HEY!" Dan objects.

And he was having a great time too…until THAT guy came along.

That guy called R.

Out of nowhere, he shows up and exposes Dan to the crowd as the fake he was. He lost his fans…he even fought against R to prove he wasn't a fake, but a real fighter…only to have R kick his butt all the way downtown.

After that, Dan even fought the MCD, but just like his previous battle with R, he lost that one too.

These days, business has been EXTREMELY slow lately at the Saikyo-ryu Dojo. Dan didn't have many students training there anymore. After word got out about the incident with Mai Shiranui and his defeat at the hands of R and later THE MCD, people fled from the Saikyo-ryu Dojo. After all, who in their right mind would want to train with a perverted loser whose moves look retarded in addition to being completely useless in a fight?

We see Dan Hibiki in the new dojo he'd opened up way, way back in Chapter 3. He practically lives in it now. Sales of his exercise video "7-Minute Saikyo" were almost down to zip, zilch, zero. At least his autobiography "From ZERO to HERO: The Dan Hibiki Story was still selling well. The royalties he was being paid for every copy sold were about the only thing keeping the bills paid.

Dan's been depressed cause of his defeat at the hands of R and later THE MCD.

"Oh man! What am I going to do? First, that Inuyasha-lookalike R beats me up. Then, I get clobbered by that MCD guy. Ever since then, I've been reduced to almost nothing!"

We see a map of the world. Little pink pushpins are stuck in it, marking the location of Saikyo-ryu Dojos all over the world. Looking at the map, Dan sees what dojos he had left. Once he had several dojos, among them the ones in Hong Kong and Thailand (See Dan's endings in Street Fighter Alpha 2 and 3, respectively).

Now he only had one.

Sad and desperate, Dan continues, "And on top of that, I've only got the dojo I opened here in the city. I had to close down all my other dojos, and sell them in order to pay off my remaining debts, just to get some food and shelter…but now, I've got nothing left…if I don't do something soon, I'll be broke and living on the street! Boo hoo hoo!! It's all that guy's fault!"

Since then, Dan decided to go on a training trip to train and improve his skills, so he could face R again and defeat him…but…

_**LOCATION - HIGHLAND HIGH, USA:**_

Dan is doing some so-called Katas in a playground of a Park, burning with determination.

"Just you wait you Inuyasha-wannabe… when I get stronger, I will defeat you. And then I'll have the faith of my loyal fans once again. Because of you, I couldn't get the phone number of that hot cheerleader!

As he was working out…two teens were walking in the park and see Dan training…

Who were these two teens? Well, none other then…

"Wow, check it out Beavis. There's a weird guy, doing some stuff in the park," Butt-Head says, watching Dan's erm… training.

"Really!? He he he hee…!" his pal Beavis laughs.

They notice Dan's Gi and laugh…cause of the pink color:

Beavis snickers, "He he he he heee…who's the fag? Is he gay or something?"

Butt-Head figures, "Huh u huh u huh hu…maybe. That guy sure dresses like he's gay."

Dan hears some laughter, turns around, and sees the dumb teens. "Who are you guys? Are you fans of mine?"

Butt-Head blinks. "Uuuuuuuh…Fans?"

Beavis asks, "Fans? What the heck's this gay dude talking about?"

"Really! And what's with the pink color? That's so gay."

Stung by the remark, Dan objects, "HEY! I'm not gay! I'm the Great Dan Hibiki, the greatest Martial Artist in the world!"

"WOW! So you're, like, a fighter or something?"

"That's right! One of the best!" Dan proudly says.

Beavis snorts, "Heh! A gay fighter!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME I`M NOT GAY! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT!?"

"Uhhhh…well dude, for one thing, cause of the Pink clothes. Only gay people wear that," Butt-Head explains with a dumb laugh.

Ok, NOW Dan's offended. "THAT'S NOT TRUE! FOR INSULTING ME, I MUST PUNISH YOU BOTH!" He then strikes a defensive pose. "PREPARE TO BE AMAZED BY MY FAMOUS SAIKYO-RYU TECHNIQUES! HYAAAA!!"

Dan begins to demonstrate some Karate Moves for the dumb duo…then finishes with a Crane technique…with both his arms up high, and standing on one leg. – (Like Daniel-san in the Karate Kid movies) –

"Now, are you ready to face me!?"

Beavis and Butt-Head were in awe and dumbstruck (but that's nothing new). Next thing you know, it happens…Beavis walks toward Dan:

"Hey, get out of here, you gay man! He he he he hehehe! YAH!"

Beavis kicks Dan right in the balls with a football style kick. Dan screams in pain as he falls down like a bag of cement:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MY BALLS!!" Dan hits the ground, clutching his wounded manhood.

"Woo…That was cool Beavis!" Butt-Head says, complementing his buddy.

With a dumb laugh, Beavis chortles, "He he he hee! I know, it was kinda cool. What a fruitcake!"

Butt-Head agrees, "Yeah…let's go to the mall to see hot chicks. Maybe we can score with one girl."

This gets Beavis excited. "YEAH, YEAH! SCORE, SCORE!" Shaking his head and his fist fast, he goes, "BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!"

Then, Beavis and Butt-Head head for the mall, leaving poor Dan alone in the park. Dan was feeling kinda humiliated.

_**TWO DAYS LATER:**_

Dan returns to Japan, after his so-called, erm… training trip. Now, he undertakes his quest to find R and challenge him to a rematch to prove the might of his Saikyo-ryu.

That was SUPPOSED to be his plan…but unknown to Dan, things will not be easy for him.

_**LOCATION – AKIHABARA STORE**_**:**

Dan passes by a store, and looks at the sign and the store's name:

"Hmm…Akihabara Store. What kinda store is this? Perhaps I should look into it?" Dan shakes his head. "Nah, I have an opponent to find and…"

**BOOM!****! CRASH!!**

A loud crash and an explosion came from the store:

"What the…what was that?""

Next…two girls came from inside the store. Dan gets a good look at the girls, who are now fighting each other. One wears a blue and white maid's uniform, a hat of the shape of a cat, and has green hair. The other girl was taller than the first one. She dresses the same way as the other girl, but has long, purple hair, two long white bunny ears, and a bunny tail.

Dan blinks, "Who are those girls…and why are they dressed like maids?"

Rabi-en-Rose taunts, "NYA NYA, CANT GET ME DEJIKO!"

An angry Dejiko yells, "DEJIKO WILL BEAT YOU USADA!"

Rabi-en-Rose taunt Dejiko back, giving her the raspberry. "DEJIKO`S TOO SLOW, DEJIKO`S TOO SLOW!"

"GRYAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Dan observes, "Those girls are sure weird."

Then, Rabi-en-Rose stood in front of Dan. She hasn't noticed him at all. "CAN'T GET ME DEJIKO! NYA NYA!"

"DEJIKO WILL GET YOU…BANKYO BEAM!!" Then, from her eyes, Dejiko launches a Hyper Beam toward her opponent. But, Rabi-en-Rose jumps away; unfortunately, Dan was in the way of the beam:

Wide-eyed, Dan shouts, "WHAT THE HECK…OH NOOO!!"

**KABOOOOOOOOM !!**

Dan was hit by the beam and blasts up toward the sky.

"THIS IS NOT COOOL!!" Dan wails as he's flying away and disappears into the sky.

_**THE NEXT DAY:**_

Dan is walking through the streets of Domino City, Japan, yet again looking for R.

He curses, "Damn those little girls. Wonder how that girl – (Dejiko) – did that blast from her eyes? Was it a Ki attack? Was she a Martial Artist? Oh well, I'll wonder about that later. Now… TO LOOK FOR R!"

With renewed determination, he continues his quest for vengeance.

Dan was passing by a Park…when he sees a gorgeous Lady sitting on one of the benches. Dan is in awe of her beauty…she has long, dark hair, wears a black skirt, black high heel boots, brown pantyhose, a white jacket, dark sweater, and a little skull bow in her head:

"WOW! What a woman! Wonder if she's available."

Next, he goes to her, to try to charm her with his good looks. Channelling Don Juan, he greets her, "Hello, pretty lady."

Unaware to Dan…The woman who he was trying to conquer was…DELIA, Erick's Fiancée! (Danger, Danger! Code Red, Code Red!)

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those of you who were wondering, this happened during Erick and Delia's date way back in Chapter 36. We now resume our story currently in progress. Thank you.]

Delia was waiting for Erick, because he went to buy ice cream…

Delia blinks, briefly startled by Dan's presence. "Huh! Excuse me?"

Dan starts flirting with her, "What's a pretty lady like yourself doing all alone here?"

"I'm not alone…I'm waiting for my fiancée."

"Your fiancée? That means you're taken?"

"Yes."

Unfazed, Dan turns up the charm a notch. "But tell me miss. Wouldn't you like to leave him, to be with me…? You know, I'm a Martial Artist, and one of the best."

Delia quickly shoots him down. "I don't think so."

Dan gasps, "WHAT! Oh, come on! After all…I am a hunk and a great fighter. I bet that I could mop the floor with that boyfriend of yours."

_How dare he!_ Delia thinks angrily. Aloud, she calmly says, "That…would be impossible."

Dan laughs, "Impossible…you mean for him. I bet he's a wimp…and can't compare to my supreme skills! HAHAHAHAHA!"

_The nerve of this stupid mortal._ Delia warns, "I suggest that you use your head more then your mouth mister. It's not wise to make such foolish declarations."

It was then that Erick returned with two ice cream cones…

"Delia, I'm back with the ice cream…"

….and sees a man flirting with his fiancée! "Who's this?"

Delia, relieved at Erick's presence, says, "Erick darling, thank goodness you're back. This simpleton is annoying me."

Erick addresses Dan. "Who are you mister? And why are you bothering my fiancée?"

Dan strikes a heroic pose. "The name's Dan Hibiki."

"Dan Hibiki? Hmmm…Where have I heard that name before…?" Erick then remembers, "Ah, I know you. Dan Hibiki, a so called Street Fighter."

"So you've heard of me! Dan Hibiki, one of the greatest Street Fighters in the world."

Erick laughs, "Not quite…Dan Hibiki; A miserable, worthless, weak man. A man who's never won anything in his life, and a con artist. A man who takes someone else's glory, and claims it for himself. And also a pervert."

On hearing this, Dan's face quickly changes from happy to hurt to sad. Offended, he objects, "HEY! THAT'S A BIG LIE! I'VE FOUGHT AGAISNT POWERFUL FIGHTERS….TAKE BISON FOR EXAMPLE! I TOOK HIM DOWN, AS WELL AS HIS SHADOWLOO!"

"Really? Is that so?"

Full of pride, Dan replies, "That's right!"

"Just like you took down the "Emperor of Muay Thai" Sagat…right?"

"Um…well…the thing is…that…"

Erick chuckles, "Truth is Dan…you didn't. And that book of yours called…- "From Zero to Hero" - , I read it and I found it kinda, how should I say it…so fake. It tells tales of your fights against many powerful warriors. But, all those fighters that you claim you fought…were defeated by someone else. You only wrote that you did it…how pathetic of you Dan."

Dan decides to stand up to this guy. "THAT'S IT! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO INSULT ME OR MY MIGHTY SAIKYO-RYU!"

"Mighty Saikyo-ryu?" Erick then laughs, ridiculing the idea. "Please, your so called "mighty Saikyo-ryu", is nothing more then a cheap, unfinished, and ridiculous imitation of Gouken-ryuu Shotokan Karate, just like you. Why…Ryu's student Sakura is more of a warrior than you'll ever be, and she's only 16 years old."

Delia giggles, "Tee hee hee heee!!"

Dan roars with pure rage, "STOP THAT! MISTER, YOU'VE JUST EARNED YOURSELF A KICK IN THE BUTT!" He assumes a battle pose, ready to deliver some punishment… er, yeah. "PREPARE TO BE BEATEN BY THE GREAT DAN HIBI…"

But Dan couldn't finish his sentence as Erick raises his arm, and a big explosion of dark Ki from under Dan feet, like a geyser, blows him up into the sky:

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!**

" …KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!" Dan cries as he's sent flying away.

Delia watches Dan soar off into who knows where. She thanks Erick. "Thank goodness you got rid of that stupid mortal, he was really a pain in the…butt."

Erick smiles at his beloved. "Quite right you are De-Chan. Now, how's about if we sit down and enjoy our date."

_**THE NEXT DAY:**_

Dan is yet again walking through the streets of Japan, for his match against R.

"Man, never thought it was gonna be so hard to find that miserable white-haired Inuyasha wannabe. But I will find him, and when I do…MY REIGN WILL RISE UP AGAIN! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

The people look at Dan as if he was crazy:

A little girl blinks, and asks her mom, "Oh mommy, what's wrong with that gay man?"

The lady just pushes her daughter away from Dan. "Nothing dear, just… just don't look at the weirdo."

"Is that guy crazy?" a man wonders.

Dan ignores what the people were saying, or likely, he wasn't listening to them…

"Prepare yourself, R! I'm coming for you!"

"Well hello, young customer," a man's voice cheerfully says.

Dan turned around and saw at the corner of a store a man. This person was a very familiar character from the Ranma-verse. A fat man dressed in European clothing, with curly blonde hair and beard. With his unusual clothing, he looks like the King of spades…it was none other than that con-artist of the cards…THE GAMBLING KING:

Dan points at himself, "HUH! You're talking to me?"

King replies, "Of course I am sir. Tell me, would you like to play a game with me?"

"A game?"

"Yes…would you like to play a game where someone always wins?"

Dan's interested. "Really!? Tell me more."

The Gambling King explains the rules of his game, "It's quite simple sir. We'll play Poker, using these cards I have here. If you pick a card with a higher number…you'll win…however, if you pick the Joker, you lose. So, do you want to play?"

Dan smirks, thinking, _Hmmm…I think this'll be easy! I can taste the money!_ "Okay sir…let's play!"

The Gambling King just flashes his famous evil smile.

40 minutes later, we see Dan, wearing a wooden barrel to cover his body, and walking away, while hiding. He lost ALL OF HIS MONEY (!) and the clothes off his back against the Gambling King.

Dan curses, "Damn that man…I'm gonna get him for this."

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Dan's pleading, "Come on baby, come on baby. Let this card be a winner for a change!"

Dan picks a card but…it's a Joker:

"Ha!" King shoves the Joker in Dan's face. "You lose!"

Dan cant believe it! "NOOOO…!! Hey! You said that in this game, someone always wins, but you lied!"

King corrects, "No, I did not. Someone always wins in this game…" He laughs while he mocks poor Dan. "ME! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"But…but…but…OKAY! ONE LAST TIME!"

-( END FLASHBACK)-

"Oh man. Now I gotta get money!"

_**THE NEXT DAY:**_

After getting some more money, Dan resumed his quest, - (yet, yet again) -. He's on his way to Nerima…

As he's walking near a park…he hears some mechanical laughter:

-"OH YEAH!! SOON MY LOVELY RAN, YOU WILL BE MINE FOREVER!!"-

"Huh! What's that laugh? It came from that park. I'd better check it out." Dan rushes to the scene. When he gets there, he sees a weird robot, shaped like a grenade:

Dan blinks. "What the heck is that robot? He looks like a giant grenade!"

Grenademan is laughing, thinking about his plan to get rid of Ranma, and getting the love of Ran, unaware that he's being watched by Dan. "Guahahahahaha…when I destroy Ranma for good, Ran will be mine…MINE! HAHAHAHA! OH YEAH!"

A heroic-sounding voice declares, "You'll do no such thing you hunk of metal, because I'm here to stop your evil plans!"

Grenademan turns around, expecting to see Megaman, but…much to his surprise, he sees a man wearing a Pink karate getup:

Grenademan blinks three times. "Um…A man dressed in pink? What the hell do you want you gay man!?"

"DAMN IT! I AM NOT GAY!" Dan calms down, then says, "I'm the Greatest Martial Artist in the world…!" He strikes a cool sentai pose. "…DAN HIBIKI!! Tremble before me evil one!"

A moment of total silence is seen…a bush rolls by:

Grenadema's like, "Oh great…A Gay Pink Power Ranger wannabe's gonna stop me…?" He starts laughing hysterically, "THAT IS SOOOO FUNNY! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Dan:" I'm giving you the chance to surrender you hunk of metal…so what do you say?"

"Hmph! I'll choose THIS…!" Grenademan tosses a Flash Bomb at Dan. Dan grabs it and gasps in fear, as the bomb flashes white then…

"OH NOOOOOOOOO!!"

**KABOOOM!!**

Dan goes flying toward the blue sky once again:

"WHY MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…!!"

Dan disappears once again.

_**THE NEXT DAY – LOCATION: NERIMA, JAPAN:**_

Dan was getting very tired of the events that have been happening to him…getting blown up into the sky so many times was something that Dan didn't like doing. However, those were forgotten once he remembers his mission:

Annoyed, Dan recaps his previous attempts. "Man, this has not been my best week. First, a crazy weird little girl, dress in maid's clothes with a cat hat – (Dejiko) – blows me up with that Ki blast from her mouth, then, that strange person – (Erick) – blasts me away with an unknown blast from out of nowhere, - (angry) – that fat, European guy, who was dress like a King from somebody's deck of playing cards– (Gambling King) – steals all my money, and then, a strange robot that looked like a giant Grenade – (Grenademan) – blows me up with a strange flash grenade or something. And I still haven't found that cursed R. But I mustn't give up! I know I will find him!"

Unfortunatly, yet again for poor Dan, fate was gonna grant him his wish.

Just two blocks away from him…We see R and Kodachi… coming from the Movie Theatre.

The Black Rose is happy, hugging R's arm. "Oh R. I loved that movie so much..."

"You did?" R asks.

"Yes…so full of Romance, Drama. I love how that warrior held that lovely woman in his arm…" She happily sighs, blushing, "…that was soooooo romantic!"

"Ah. You mean like this Kodachi-Chan?"

R then grabs Kodachi and holds her so close to him. Kodachi blushes and her heart beats fast.

In a smooth voice R tells her, "Oh my Kodachi, my life is yours forever, and my heart will always be yours."

Kodachi blushes to the max. "Oh R….!!" She hugs him tightly.

They enjoythe moment. 5 minutes later, they separate and continue on their date:

"So, how did I do?" R asks her.

Kodachi comments, "Just like the star of that movie…I love it!"

"Yeah, I know. Hey, guess what? I just finished perfecting an attack that I will use on Ranma."

"Really?"

"Yep." R frowns, "Too bad that there isn't anyone that I could test it out on. If only I could find a fool to challenge."

"But where are you gonna find a fool?"

"R!!"

Kodachi and R turn around and see Dan Hibiki in front of them in the park:

"R, I`VE FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

Kodachi blinks. "Huh! R darling, who's the fruitcake in the Pink clothes?"

R smirks, introducing Kodachi to his erm… rival. "That Kodachi-Chan, is the lamest warrior I have ever met…Dan –"Wussy-Boy" – Hibiki."

Kodachi giggles. "Is he gay or something?"

An exasperated Dan shouts, "ARRGH! GOD DAMN IT!! WHY IS IT THAT EVERYONE THINKS I`M GAY!?"

R laughs, "Probably cause of the way you're dressed. Pink is NOT a cool color for a fighter."

Dan angrily points his finger (no not THAT finger!) toward R. "R, I`VE COME HERE TO CHALLENGE YOU TO A REMATCH!!"

"A rematch you say?"

Dan was eager to fight against R. But R answer to Dan request was:

"……No."

Obviously, Dan wasn't listening to R's reply. "Good, now you will see my spe…What did you say?" Too late, Dan just realized that R has turned him down.

"I said no."

"No, NO, NOOOOOOOO!? Are you refusing my challenge R?"

"Yeah. See, I only fight against truly, worthy, powerful opponents. And YOU, buddy boy, don't fit ANY of those categories."

Dan refuses to accept this – his vengeance will NOT be denied! "NO! I'VE TRAINED HARD TO FIGHT YOU! AND YOU WILL FIGHT ME!"

R shrugs his shoulders. "Whatever, do what you want. Let's go Kodachi."

Kodachi sweetly says, "Of course R-Darling"

R and Kodachi turned around and began to walk away from the park, leaving Dan alone. Dan was feeling offended by R's answer…he wasn't gonna allow R to insult him, decline his challenge, and walk away like that:

"HEY! YOU CANT WALK AWAY FROM ME LIKE THAT!"

R laughs, "News flash you baka wuss. I already am."

"Wha…? GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME…OR…OR…OR ARE YOU A COWARD!?" _That will get him for sure_! Dan thinks confidently.

R turns around and faces Dan with a serious look:

"Heh… You're calling ME a coward. You insane?" _But…now that I think about it, this could be a great opportunity for me. I wanted to test some of my Special Moves, and this bozo showed up._

Kodachi's worried for her beau. "R-Darling. What are you thinking about? Don't tell me that you intend to accept the challenge of this fruitcake."

"I will. I was telling you that I had some moves that I wanted to put into practice…" He flashes a wicked smile, pointing at Dan, "…and this joker showed up…what better way to do it…than by fighting this buffoon? Wouldn't you agree Kodachi-Chan?"

"Yes, you're right R. That is a great idea. So go for it."

R then turns to address Dan. "Very well Dan. You want to fight me? Then bring it on! Hahaha!"

Then…the battle started… - (yeah, right) –

Dan takes the offensive, running toward R. "PREPARE TO FEEL MY POWER…GADOU-KEN!" he yells, throwing his small Ki-blast.

Bored, R says, "Whatever…here goes…SILVER METALLIC!!"

Then…

R unleashes a shower of punches. They were similar to Ranma's Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken…but the only difference were that…R's interpretation of Ranma's signature attack creates small silvery blades of force with each punch. R's move destroys Dan's little fireball and strikes him hard. Dan receives the shower of punches and his clothes are getting torn apart.

Kodachi's very impressed with R's attack.

When the move ends…Dan is all bloody, weak, dizzy, and loses his pink shirt… "Wha…who…what…what was that?"

R considers this fight over. "THAT, wussy boy, was a REAL technique…now get out of here."

Dan refuses to quit. "NEVER…I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE…KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Once again he charges toward R.

"You never learn…do you? Very well…"

Summoning his Ki, bolts of lightning flash around R as he prepares to use a new technique he'd developed.

"Take this… LIGHTNING YELLOW PEARL!!" R then blasts a yellow and purple tinted ball of electricity toward Dan:

Scared, Dan reacts, "WHAT THE…!? OH NOOOO!!"

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!**

Dan, for the fourth time was blast toward the blue sky:

"NOT AGAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN…..!!"

After that:

R dusts off his hands. " And that's that…good riddance."

Kodachi hugs him. "R, you were great. And that move was awesome."

"Thanks Kodachi. It was pretty cool. I can't wait to use it on someone…like Ranma for a change."

"I know you will. Now come to my house R so that I can make a delicious meal for my little sweetheart."

"ALL RIGHT!"

_**M**__**EANWHILE…**_

Dan is flying through the air, cursing, "I don't believe my luck. I've been blown up like, what, four times into the sky…? This is SO annoying. Am I the only one who's ever been blasted into the air, I wonder?"

- "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" -

"What the…what was that?"

Dan turns around and saw two people and a white cat near him, and a weird blue thing. When he looks at them closer he sees a girl with long red hair, and a boy with short blue hair. Both of them were dressed in white outfits with the letter R on them. The cat had a golden coin on his head:

Jessie cries, "DAMN THAT PIKACHU!!"

James whines, "I THOUGHT WE HAD THEM THIS TIME!"

"BUT LIKE ALWAYS, WE LOSE!" Meowth says.

"WUBAAAAA!" Wubbofet says.

"Um…excuse me."

They see Dan:

"Hey, who are you? I don't think we've seen you before." Jessie asks.

James agrees, "Yeah."

Dan introduces himself. "Well, I am Dan Hibiki. Who are you guys?"

"If you want to know…I am Jessie."

"And I'm James."

"Meowth's my name," their cat (!) says.

Dan groans, "A talking cat…now I've seen everything."

Jessie declares, "We're Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket…Cool name you guys have."

Jessie smiles, "Thanks."

"Hey, we've never seen you up here before…why are you here?" James wanted to know.

Dan explains, "Oh…I was blasted off by a guy named R. You?"

"By a Pokemon called Pikachu." Jessie says.

Dan's like, "Ooookay."

"Is this your first time here?" James asks.

Dan tells him, "No. My fourth. It's getting to be a pain in the butt being sent into the sky and landing somewhere else."

Jessie smiles. "Oh don't worry. We have plenty of experience doing this."

"You have?"

"Yeah, for a long time, so we've gotten used to it," James says.

"Cool! But it's painful to land on the ground."

"Oh we can give you pointers on how to land on the ground without hurting yourself so much." Jessie says.

"I'd like that a lot thanks…but…I'm gonna get that R. That I will!"

"That's the spirit. Never give up! We haven't!"

James extends his hand. "So…welcome to the Blast-Off Club."

Dan shakes hands with James. "Thanks."

And so…

Jessie, James and Meowth chime in unison, "LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET…"

Dan adds, "…AND DAN…!"

"…ARE BLASTING OFF AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!"

Wubbofet wails, "WUBAAAAAAAA!!"

And they all disappear into the clear blue sky.

_**MEANWHILE, AT A BUS STATION IN NERIMA, JAPAN:**_

Lan Hikari steps out of the bus, with his bag and starts walking toward the exit. The little Persocom Sumomo was seated on Lan's right shoulder. "Well…. So this is Nerima, Sumomo?

Sumomo happily replies, "Hai. This is the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, home of Martial Artists"

Lan blinks, "Martial Artists?"

"Hai. This is a place where many weird things have been happening, next to Juuban, home of the Sailor Scouts."

"Sailor Scouts?"

"They're Magical Girls who fight weird creatures…" Sumomo giggles, "But dress up pretty funny."

"How so?"

"They wear short skirts, so short you can almost see up their panties!"

Lan blushes at the thought.

Sumomo blinks; she notices Lan's checks turning shades of red. Concerned, she asks, "Um…why are you red in the face Lan? Are you hot or something? Is the sun too hot?"

MegamanEXE laughs, "Hahaha! Oh, he's hot alright, but it's not from the sun!"

Sumomo's pondering about this. Then it hits her:

"Oh I get it!" She teases poor Lan, "You're blushing from the sight of those girls' panties…right Lan?"

Totally embaressed, Lan blushes, his face red as a tomato, as he's waving his arms frantically. "ACK! NO I DIDN'T! IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!"

Sumomo giggles, "You're like Hideki. You were thinking about those girls' panties…- She daces around singing, "_**Lan is a pervert! Lan likes panties like Hideki! Lan is…!**__"_

Lan's face is a deep red now from all that blushing. He stops the little Persocom, yelling, "SUMOMO, CUT THAT OUT! I'M NOT A PERVERT!"

Scared, Sumomo cowers! "EEP! Okay okay!"

MegamanEXE scolds, "Hey Lan, you didn't have to yell at her. She was just teasing you."

Lan admits, "Yeah, bro, you're right. Listen Sumomo, I'm very sorry for yelling like that."

Sumomo apologizes, "Well, I'm sorry too. I guess you're not like Hideki, and you are not a pervert. I was joking, that's all!"

"Now that that's settled, were should we go?"

"Location of Dr. Light's address is located 45 degrees North, 6 South, and 23 West"

Sumomo then points, "That way!"

And they begin their quest…

Lan bought some donuts and milk from a convenience store. He begins to view Nerima, and its surroundings. "Hey Sumomo, I thought you said that this was a place of Martial Artists. How come I haven't seen anything?"

Sumomo says, "Well, it's not like they appear every single hour."

Lan nods, "Good point.

"So Lan, what are you gonna do once you find Dr. Light?"

"Ask him if he could help me to find a way home."

"Cheer up Lan, I'm sure that he'll help you."

MegamanEXE agrees with Sumomo. "She's right. Cheer up."

Lan does just that. "Yeah, so let's go."

As they were walking in the streets, Lan hears some shouting near him… "Hey, what's all that shouting?"

MegamanEXE observes, "Hmmm… Its looks like women shouting"

"Wonder why the shouting?" Sumomo asks.

Lan tells them, "Don't know. But it's getting closer"

Next thing happen…they see a little old man, wearing a mask, carrying a big, black sack with him …it was Happosai. Behind him, they saw many, many angry girls following him:

Happosai whoops in mad glee and delight, "WOOHOO…WHAT A HAUL, WHAT A HAUL!!"

One angry girl yells, "GET HIM GIRLS!"

"PERVERT!" a second girl yells at the Old Pervert.

"GET BACK HERE WITH OUR PANTIES!!" a third girl demands.

Likewise, a fourth girl. "GIVE THEM BACK YOU PERVERT!!"

Lan blinks at the scene – which if you've lived in Nerima for a while, you get used to. "Who… or what was that?"

MegamanEXE replies, "I don't know. It looks like those girls were chasing that little old man. As for why, I'd like to know."

Sumomo gasps, horrified, "That's Happosai!"

Lan's like, "Happo-what?"

Sumomo explains, "Happosai might be a little old man, but he's an extreme pervert, who's also a master of Martial Arts."

Lan points in the direction of the fleeing Happosai. "THAT little man is a Martial Artist?"

"Yes. Don't judge him by his looks or size. He is a very powerful being. But also VERY perverted." Sumomo shudders. "We are very lucky that he doesn't live near our home. Poor Chii, or any Female Persocom would not be safe from him. Especially for Chii, who's very naïve and doesn't know quite much about those kinds of things."

Now that he understands, Lan agrees, "I can see why."

Later, Lan stops at a restaurant to buy something to eat. When he got his order, he sat down and ate. While he was eating, he sees a couple children close to him playing the game of Duel Monsters:

"I place 1 Card Facedown, and I Summon Jiraiya in Attack Mode!" one kid says.

The other kid counters, "Oh yeah? Well, I'll place 2 Cards Face Down and put my Monster in Defense Mode!"

Lan says, "Hey Mega, check it out. Those boys are playing Duel Monsters."

MegamanEXE says, "I see. That was an awesome game wasn't it?"

"Yep. Perhaps later on, I'll try to learn it and buy some Cards and take them to our world. I'm preety sure that all the other guys will love it, especially Dex."

MegamanEXE comments, "And I'm very sure that Chaud will like it too and become a great Duelist."

"Not before I do!" Lan's quick to say.

"I wonder what became of Kaiba? We haven't spoken to him lately since we left Domino City."

Lan admits to his Net-Navi, "Good point. And did he upgrade the program that he copied from my PET?"

"Guess we'll try to find out later."

_**DOMINO CITY – KAIBA CO. HEADQUARTERS – LAB:**_

Seto Kaiba is talking to some of his Scientists and Engineers regarding the work on his new Duel Disk System. "How's the development of the NEO Duel Disk coming?"

A scientist reports, "Great, sir. We're at 85%."

A female engineer says, "Pretty soon, we'll finish it. Sir, this could be a huge breakthrough. This PET technology is very impressive, unlike anything I've ever seen."

Kaiba says, "I know. Once the NEO is finished, I'll launch it to the public. Soon, everyone will want one, and I'll make a fortune."

"I know you will sir." Female Engineer 2 says encouragingly.

"Well, keep on working and tell me when you're finished."

"We will sir." Scientist 2 says.

Then Kaiba leaves for his office. His employees are unaware that while they're working hard on the next generation Duel Disk Kaiba's working on his own project.

He's trying to create…his very own NET-NAVI.

Using the data he took from MegamanEXE as a template, Kaiba's making a duplicate of his shape and in the process he's modified it to his own tastes. A Navi programmed with his own personality, and he had his eye on the Perfect Duel Monster to be his Net-Navi…

Kaiba says in anticipation, "Soon, I will have my very own Net-Navi!"

_**JAPAN – DR. LIGHT'S HOUSE:**_

This is a house that Dr. Light owns in Japan, whenever he was there for a conference, meeting, etc. It was a modest 2-story traditional-style Japanese home:

The reason that Dr. Light, Megaman, Protoman, and Roll have been in Japan is because of the incident they saw back home on the news - the report of his rival Dr. Wily in Japan, and the news of Slashman and Cutman.

And the Incident with Grenademan, by Protoman. This gives them more reason to investigate. While Megaman and Protoman go out to investigate, their sister Roll stays home helping Dr. Light.

_**LATER THAT EVENING, AROUND 6:00 P.M.:**_

Lan arrives at his destination. He was in front of Dr. Light's house.

"Well, guys, we made it. Are you sure that this is the house Sumomo?"

Sumomo confirms, "Hai. This is the house of Dr. Light."

"In that case…let's go."

Lan walks toward the door, once there, he knocks three times…then he rings the doorbell. Three minutes later the door opens, and Lan sees an old man, with a long white beard and mustache, and wearing a white lab coat. Seeing Dr Light for the first time, Lan is almost reminded of his own grandfather, whom he'd met in the Cyberword during the battle with Alpha (see Mega Man Battle Network 3)

Dr. Light asks, "Yes, can I help you?"

"Um…Are you Dr. Light?" Lan risks asking.

"Why yes, yes I am. Who wants to know?"

"Ehem…Mr. Light, um…my name is Lan Hikari, and I've come here to see you."

Dr. Light blinks. "To see me? But why?"

Lan replies, "Because I need your help. You're the only one who can help me."

"Come again? Help you? Help you with what?"

"Um…It's kinda complicated, and I don't know where to start."

"In that case, why don't you come inside, and tell me all about it."

"Okay, thanks"

Once Lan's inside, he sits in the Living Room. Dr. Light comes in and offers him a glass of lemonade, which Lan gladly accepts. After that…

Dr. Light sits down and talks with Lan, "So, Lan Hikari, exactly why do you need my help?"

Lan tells him, "Cause I heard that you're the only one who can help me get back to my home."

"Get you home?" The kindly old scientist chuckles, "Why don't you take a bus. It's the easiest way to do so."

"It's… not that simple."

"Oh? And why not?"

"You see…I'm not from around here…I…came from far away."

"So…do you live in the U.S.A?"

"Nope…very far away"

Dr. Light blinks. "Far away? I don't understand."

Lan groans, afraid that this would happen. "Gulp…listen…I want you listen to what I have to say. You may not believe what you're about to hear. But hear me out okay?"

Dr. Light smiles. "Okay…shoot."

"Well, it's like this…"

Like with Katsuhito and Kaiba, he told Dr. Light his story how he ended up in this world. When Dr. Light heard Lan telling him that he was from another dimension, he was in awe.

Lan finishes, "…and that's what happened."

Dr. Light is speechless. Then, he says, "So…you're saying that…you come from another world, a parallel Earth, similar to ours."

"Yeah."

Dr. Light takes it all in. "Unbelievable. That's… that's hard to believe."

Lan groans, "Like the rest of the people that I've told this to."

Dr. Light notices Lan's PET and Sumomo. "Excuse me Lan, but what is that thing that you're holding in your hand and that little robot on your shoulder?"

Lan introduces his companions. "Oh, them? This little girl is Sumomo, she's a Pocket Persocom."

"Nice to meet you!" Sumomo greets Dr. Light.

Dr. Light blinks, and then realizes, "A Pocket Persocom. OH! So there are small ones too! Hahahaha!"

"You…know of Persocoms?"

"Indeed I do Sumomo. I, along with Icchan, was one of the persons responsible for their development."

Sumomo lights up. "You were!?"

"Yes. I was the one who equipped them with a conscience…to be able to act like humans."

Sumomo's squealing in joy, "WOW! REALLY!?"

"Yes. In fact…one of his greatest works was a special girl, called Chii. She was the most human of them all…A Chobit."

"THAT IS SOO COOL! SO YOU'RE LIKE HER FATHER?"

Dr. Light sighs, remembering his old friend and esteemed colleague, "Before Icchan had passed away, he'd entrusted most of the knowledge of his work on Persocoms to me, some of which I've since applied to my robot designs. So in a way…yes, I am. So tell me, do you know her? If she's fine?"

"OH! SHE'S FINE! SHE'S LIVING WITH HIDEKI, AND THEY'RE HAPPILY IN LOVE WITH ONE ANOTHER!"

Dr. Light is pleased. "They are? I'm happy to hear that. Like I said, she is the most closest to humans, and has feelings. So, Lan, what IS that in your hand?"

Lan shows it to him, "This…this is my P.E.T."

"P.E.T?"

"It stands for **P**ersonal **E**xploration **T**erminal."

"It is?"

"Yes. In my home world, we have these beings inside the Cyber-world called Net-Navis. The Navis are our friends, and they help us, by fixing things inside the Net, like battling Viruses, talking with others' Navis, and many things."

Dr. Light observes, "Fascinating. These Net-Navis are awesome."

Lan introduces to Megaman, "And inside, is MY Net-Navi…MegamanEXE."

From inside the PET, MegamanEXE greets, "Hello Dr. Light."

Needless to say, Dr. Light is shocked! "Wh-WHAT? MegamanEXE?"

"Why the shocked face Doctor?" Lan asks.

"This…this is amazing. His name is identical to the one living with me."

"What do you mean?"

Dr. Light begins to explain, "Lan, it's like this…"

-"Dr. Light! We're home!" –

Hearing his family enter the house, Dr. Light says, "Perfect, they've arrived just in the nick of time."

"Who?" Lan wonders.

"You'll see. Just wait right here."

Then Dr. Light gets up and goes to the entrance…15 minutes later, he comes back. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Listen; remember when I told you that the name of your Net-Navi was identical?"

"Yeah?"

"Well…I want you to meet my children…" He ahem's, clearing his throat, "Lan…meet Megaman, his sister Roll and their brother Protoman."

Now it's Lan's turn to be shocked. "WHAT!?"

Then, a person steps in. He's wearing a blue helmet and blue armor. A small blonde girl, wearing an orange dress and white tennis shoes came behind him. And a another person taller than the blue one, with a red helmet, gray clothes, red iron boots and a big shield on his back:

Megaman greets Lan, "Hi, my name is Megaman."

"I'm Roll."

"And I'm Protoman"

Lan, as well as his Net-Navi MegamanEXE, is shocked "NO…NO WAY. YOUR NAME IS MEGAMAN? I CANT BELIEVE IT!"

Megaman blinks. "Why?"

"It's just that…your name is identical to my Net-Navi's."

"Your what?"

Dr. Light interrupts, "Lan, perhaps it would be best if you tell them all about you."

The three siblings listen to all of what Lan told them. They were amazed to know that Lan came from another world. But most of all, the story of the Net-Navis they had in their world. In the end, they were in awe:

Megaman says, "So you're from another dimension. That's so cool."

Roll's like, "And those Navis you told us about. Cool!"

Protoman agrees, "She's right. Damn awesome."

"What amazes ME is that your Navi has the same name as I do. I can't believe it." Megaman looks at the PET. "I can't believe that you're so like me."

MegamanEXE shares Megaman's amazement. "Tell me about it. Who wouldn't thought that in this world would be a Megaman AND in the real world."

"Yeah. And you also fight this Viruses inside the Net. Kinda like the robots I fight in this world too."

"Can you tell us more Lan, please?" Roll asks.

Lan nods. "Sure. Dr. Light, can I plug this PET in your T.V so that I can show them some pictures?

Dr. Light gives him permission, "Of course Lan, go right ahead."

"Thanks."

Lan then takes out a cord and plugs his PET into a USB port on the TV. He runs his PET's media viewer and sets it up to run a slideshow of the pictures he has saved on it. Next, using the PET's controls, he begins to show the Lights many pictures:

"These are my friends and their Net-Navis."

A picture of Mayl and her Navi RollEXE is first. "This is Maylu Sakurai, my best friend, and her Net-Navi RollEXE…"

Megaman comments, "She looks pretty, same as her Net-Navi."

With a kawaii face Roll says, "So that's RollEXE?. She looks so cute…kinda like me."

Next, Lan pulls up a picture of Eugene Chaud and ProtomanEXE:

"…this is my friend and rival Eugene Chaud, and his Net-Navi ProtomanEXE. And he's a very tough Net-Navi, next to MegamanEXE of course"

They were amazed at the Net-Navi ProtomanEXE. Especially Protoman.

"Wow…that Protoman looks cool, and tough!", Megaman says.

Protoman coolly agrees, "Yeah…same as me. Awesome armor he has, along with shield AND beam sword. Pretty awesome."

Then, Lan shows them a picture of RushEXE. Back in Lan's world, Rush is a canine program created by Lan's dad and installed into Maylu's PET who can travel between the real world and the cyber world with advanced holographic technology. "…This is RollEXE pet, RushEXE…"

The siblings had funny looks on their faces when they see the Cyber-Dog RushEXE:

Roll giggles, "That Rush looks kinda funny!"

Megaman agrees with her, "Yeah. Not like OUR Rush, right boy?"

Rush hmph's, saying, "Bark Bark bark! (That's right, I'm cuter!)"

Lan shows them all the Pictures of all his friends and their Net-Navis.

Megaman's excited. "WOW OH WOW, they all look so cool. So your friend Dex has GutsmanEXE, and Tory has IcemanEXE…"

Lan says, "Yeah, but Dex's always bothering me in battles, and I always beat him."

Megaman frowns a little. "Too bad that the Gutsman here is evil."

Roll asks Lan a question. "You know…That character known as Commander Beef…I mean, if his Navi SharkmanEXE is a fish type, um, why is HE called Commander Beef as in meat?"

Lan sweatdrops, remembering Masa's heroic (but downright eccentric!) alter ego. "I myself have that same question."

So Lan and the Lights exchange stories about their adventures and the enemies they've faced. During the course of the conversation Lan shows them pictures of the Evil Navis he and MegamanEXE have faced, like MagnetmanEXE, FlashmanEXE, NapalmanEXE, and many more.

Megaman seems a little intimidated by the evil Navis. "*Gulp*…those Evil Navis sure looked more powerful then the ones here. That MagnetmanEXE looks bigger and more powerful then the real one. In fact, many of them look more powerful then the ones we have here."

Protoman agrees with his brother. "Yeah…and that Navi called PharaohmanEXE…". – He shudders behind his dark-tinted visor. "Brrr…!! The real Pharaohman can't hold a candle to this one!"

Roll says with some relief, "We are very lucky that they only exist in Lan's world, and inside the Net."

"You're right…if they were real, I don't think I could do anything against them." Megaman says, nodding.

Dr. Light speaks up about something that's bothered him about Lan's world. "And you say that there's a villain called Dr. Wily in your world?"

Lan tells him, "Oh yeah. He was the leader of the criminal organization known as the WWW, or World Three." He then pulls up a picture of Dr. Wily.

Looking at THIS Wily, Megaman says, "Man. The Dr. Wily of your world looks creepier that the one we have here."

Lan admits, thinking about some of the things Megaman has told him about the real world. "Man…it's too bad that the some of the robots here in your world are evil. I mean, in my world, some of them are cool friends and fight for justice. But on the other hand, they look kinda funny, except CutmanEXE and BombmanEXE. They looked just the same as the ones you have here."

Protoman says, "The only Navi that doesn't have a counterpart here, is that weird one called DesertmanEXE."

Megaman nods, "Yeah. And then there's the one called BassEXE. THAT was a real Bass; the one I fight here is a dummy. The Bass of your world would have surely beaten me. Hey Lan, does that Bass have a dog named Treble?"

Lan thinks about it. Not that I know off. But there was a Cyber-Menace called Gospel. That creature nearly wiped out all the Net."

Running his picture program again, Lan pulls up a picture of the fearsome Multibug Organism Gospel on the TV screen. He points at the beast, "THIS is Gospel."

Roll's scared. "EEEP!! THAT'S Gospel!? He's scary!"

Megaman's shocked. "NO WAY! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT!!"

Stunned by the sight of the creature, Dr. Light gasps! "Dear God! That's a monster!"

After 30 minutes…they decided to stop:

Lan finishes his presentation, "And that's what MegamanEXE and I've faced so far. Cool wasn't it."

Dr. Light remarks, "It sure was very interesting. Hard to believe."

"So this is why I've came to seek your help Dr. Light. They told me that you may be the only person with the knowledge to get me back home."

"Lan, umm… I don't know if I can. I'm only a scientist who specializes in robots. I don't know anything about opening gates to other worlds."

Lan is shocked. "Wh-what! You…you…you can't?"

Dr. Light sadly apologizes, "I'm sorry Lan."

Lan's trembling as he realizes, "But…but…but that means that…I'm stuck here…forever."

Dr. Light feels guilty. "As I said before, I'm very sorry Lan. I wish I could help you…but I can't."

Megaman notices the downcast look on Lan's face. "Lan!"

Lan was now crushed. "Um…I need to be alone for a second…okay."

He then dash away from the house…the siblings see some tears in Lan eyes.

10 minutes later, Lan was sitting on a park bench alone. He's sad and almost about to cry. His only hope to return to his own world was gone. He was going to remain in this world forever.

Lan's sobbing, "I'm…I'm…I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life. I won't be able to see my friends and my family again…? WHY?"

Sumomo's trying to cheer him up. "Lan…please don't be sad. It makes me sad too."

Lan softly cries, "How can I not be sad. My only hope to return to my world is gone. Now I'll be here forever. I won't be able to see anyone from my home."

-"Lan!"-

Lan turns around and sees Megaman, Roll and Protoman running toward him. "Oh, hey guys."

Megaman says, "Listen Lan. We know that you are sad because you won't be able to return to your home. So…we decided to ask you, if you 'd like to live with us."

"Live with you guys?"

Roll thinks it's a good idea. "Yeah, we'd love it if you could stay with us. It's like Dr. Light always said…- "_**When Life gives you Lemons, make a Lemon Pie**_" - ."

Lan blinks, " Uh…what does that mean?"

Roll blushes, admitting, "I…really don't know. But it sounded cool."

Protoman puts a hand on Roll's shoulder and flatly tells Lan, "What our well-meaning sister means is that, since you're gonna be stuck here for awhile, we might as well show you around. Teach you everything about this world. You'll love it."

"So what do you say Lan?" Megaman asks hopefully.

After some hard thinking, Lan says, "Well…" He sighs, "Since I will live here, guess I have no choice…but to accept your generous offer."

Roll's happy. "THAT'S GREAT!"

Megaman's pleased to have a new friend. "In that case, let's get back. Dr. Light wants to talk to you."

Lan nods, "Very well."

_**BACK AT DR. LIGHT'S:**_

Dr. Light talks with Lan. "Lan, I know that I couldn't help send you back to your world, but I can give you one here, with us. You'll be part of our family. And we'll treat you like one of us…right guys?"

Megaman nods, "Oh you bet Doc."

Roll agrees, "Me too. It will be cool to have you around."

Dr. Light adds, "And also…you could help me a lot in my work. Especially your Net-Navi. He could help me in the works on the Internet and other stuff that my computers normally couldn't."

Lan is touched. "I…I thank you very much you guys. And I know that since I won't be with my family…I can at least live with yours."

A happy Roll squeals, "GROUP HUG! Tee hee hee!"

Then, everyone hugs Lan. Don't you just love chapters with a happy ending?

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	50. Anything Goes Martial Arts Dancing!

CHAPTER 50

**_-"ANYTHING-GOES MARTIAL ARTS DANCING! EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING! HYA!!!"-_**

**_RED CATS' SECRET BASE – ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:_**

Erick is viewing his huge video screen floating in the air. On screen, some of his Zero-Spawn are reporting to him. "Okay boys, your reports. Anything new that I should know?"

Zero-Spawn 1 reports, "Negative, Lord Erick. Sector 1 all normal."

Zero-Spawn 2 reports, "Sector 2, zero activity."

Zero-Spawn 3 reports, "Disturbance in Sector 3, sir."

Erick raises an eyebrow, "Oh? What disturbance?"

"Subject dressed in pink martial artist's gi appeared in Nerima, Japan."

Something the drone reports catches Delia's attention. "A pink gi? Isn't that Dan Hibiki?"

Erick confirms, "Yes it is, my love. That pitiful person who we encountered a while ago." He then asks the drone, "So what about him?"

Zero-Spawn 3 continues its reports. "Subject spotted in many locations. Attempting to defeat R."

Erick chuckles, "And let me guess…he loses?"

Zero-Spawn 2 confirms, "Affirmative. Unable to compute result - requesting additional data. Rephrasing inquiry as (How did you know this?)"

Erick plainly says, "Well, you don't have to be psychic to predict that he would lose against him. That Dan is just a stupid guy with a huge ego."

"Data received and understood. Subject judged as threat to master plan. Requesting immediate disposal of threat, Lord Erick."

Erick laughs, "A THREAT? DAN? Hahahaha…don't bother, leave him be. Besides, the only danger from him would be his stupidity and the fact that he's downright annoying. With his pathetic skills, he's more likely to hurt himself instead of someone else. Keep me posted."

"YES SIR." All the drones report.

Erick logs off from the video screen. "Since there's nothing to see and do, how's about if we go out for pizza De-chan?"

Delia smiles. "Of course."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE... AT A SECRET UNITED NATIONS BASE, SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN - MEETING ROOM:**_

We see Dhalsim, Rose, Ryu, Sakura, Chun-Li, Ken, Guile, Charlie, and Cammy sitting around an oval table:

Rose begins the meeting. "We thank you for your attendance at this meeting."

"No problem," Ryu says.

Ken Masters, Ryu's best friend and rival, speaks up. "Now would you mind telling why we were asked here in the first place?"

Rose motions to Dhalsim. "Dhalsim, if you please."

Dhalsim explains, "There has been a disturbance here in Japan. I felt a dark power flowing in this place…a power that we must investigate."

"You don't say. What is it?" Sakura wanted to know.

Rose replies, "We do not know child, we are investigating as we speak."

Dhalsim continues, "And…a lot of things have been happening lately, among them…a lot of our enemies are gathering here in Japan. I feel that something big will take place."

Guile confirms what's Dhalsim's just said. "You got that right. Intel found out that M. Bison is here in Japan, and we have a report that Vega appeared at a place named Hinata Inn, where he attacked several resident girls."

"That's awful!" Sakura says.

Then Chun-Li says, "But the weirdest part of that…was that Vega stopped his actions, as an unknown girl ordered him to, and then he went with her."

Ryu can't believe it. "You mean Vega? THE Vega, Shadowloo's bloodthirsty assassin, obeyed a girl? That's…so unbelievable."

Ken agrees, "Tell me about it."

Cammy notes, "It was the same reaction WE had when we heard it, but it was true… Why, we don't know. But whoever this girl is, she must be someone special of great power if she was able to command Vega."

Rose briefly wonders about the identity of the strange girl Chun-Li and Cammy mentioned, and then continues with her findings. "We were also able to find out something very interesting. It seems that Bison has aligned himself with a group called the Red Cat Gang."

Sakura blinks, "That what? Red Cat Gang?"

"That is correct child."

Ken snorts, "Red Cat Gang? Sounds like a group of cats."

Dhalsim answers, "That's because they ARE cats, all led by a cat god they worship called the Cat Ghost King."

Chun-Li's finding this part a little hard to swallow. "Cat Ghost King? This is very weird indeed."

Sakura asks, "So what is this 'Red Cat Gang'?"

Rose prepare the assembled group for what she's about to tell them. "You'd all better sit down and listen closely, for this will take a while."

* * *

_**NERIMA, JAPAN – FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:**_

Classes have ended, and all the students are heading home. Ranma, Akane and Ran are walking together:

Akane suggests, "Hey guys, let's go to the Arcades. There are some new games that I want to play."

Ran likes that idea. "Yeah, I'm in the mood for some fighting type."

Akane's about to ask, "You wanna come with us Ranma? Um… Ranma?"

They turn around and see Ranma looking at a poster in the School Hallway:

Akane calls her fiancé, getting his attention. "RANMA!"

Ranma wakes up. "WHA…!? Oh, sorry 'bout that Akane. Were you calling me?"

"Yes, what were you looking at?"

"Oh that. I was looking at that poster of the school. It says that there's gonna be a dance this Friday in the gym."

Ran remembers, "Oh, I forgot about that. I bet it's gonna great to go there."

Akane nods, agreeing, "It will."

Ranma shyly asks, "Say Akane…I was wondering if you…would…like to go…you know…to the dance with me?"

Akane blinks, surprised. "Why Ranma, are you asking me out on a date?'

"Um…yeah…but if you don't wanna go, I wont force you to do it and…"

Akane sweetly says to her "Ranma no Baka", "I would love to go with you Ranma."

"Really, that's great…um…I'll pick you at 7, is that okay with you?"

Akane giggles, "Ranma, we live together, don't you remember?"

Ranma blushes, realizing, "Ack…you're right, that's stupid of me! Hahaha!"

Ran giggles, "Ranma's Foot-In-Mouth-Technique strikes again!"

Akane can't help but laugh, "You're right! Hee hee hee!"

R was not too far behind them, when he notices the poster about the dance:

"Hmm…- "Furinkan High School Dance, this Friday night, at the Gym." -. Well well, this is interesting - a dance! I'm definitely going…and I know just who to ask to be my date."

* * *

_**LATER, AT THE TENDO RESIDENCE:**_

When Soun and Genma hear that Ranma asked Akane to go to the dance, they go ballistic with joy…dancing around, saying stuff like the future of the Schools United, and all that crap. So Ranma, Akane and Ran went to Akane's room. Once in there:

Ranma groans, "You' think that our parents would stop doing that every time. It's getting kinda annoying."

Akane nods, "Yea, but what can you do…our dads are ALWAYS like that."

Ran observes, "It's so cool to see you guys going out together to that dance. I wish someone would ask me out."

Mind you, she's saying THIS while looking in Ranma's direction. And Ranma, as before, has NO clue how Ran really feels about him nor does he pick up Ran's subtle hint.

Ranma says encouragingly, "Come on Ran, cheer up, I'm sure that they will be many guys who will ask you out."

Ran softly gasps; Ranma ALMOST got her hopes up there. "You…think so?"

Akane says, "We know so. You're cute and gorgeous; you'll have lines of guys trying to ask you out."

Ranma warns in a serious voice, "But, if they try to make a wrong move on you… then I'll send them to the hospital."

This makes Ran feel a little bit better. She smiles at her dear friends Ranma and Akane. "Geez guys, thank you so much for your kind words."

* * *

_**AND, AT KUNO MANSION:**_

R steps into the mansion, looking for Kodachi. He then spots her out in her Garden, watering her Black Roses. She sees him; happily, she asks, "R-Darling. What are you doing here?"

R replies, "Just dropping by to see you, and to ask you something."

As she's taking off her apron, Kodachi asks, "Ask me what?"

"Say Kodachi…" R blushes briefly, then says, "…listen, there's gonna be a dance at my school, and I was…you know…," He's twirling his fingers. "…if you would…come with me."

"R…are you asking me to be your date for that dance?"

His face red, R admits, "Yeah…yeah, that's it. I really would like it if you could be my da…"

Next thing R knows, Kodachi glomps him and kisses him on his lips. "YES!…I would be honored to go to with you my darling!"

R blinks, "You will?…wow!…Thanks…so it's a date then."

Kodachi nods, "Yes it is."

This pleases R. "So it's on. It's gonna be this Friday night at 6:00 pm. So…can I pick you at, oh I don't know, 5."

"I will be waiting for you. And I'll put out one of my sexy dresses…just for you."

R blushes, sweatdropping. "Um…That's… nice of you. Okay, I can't wait to see you this Friday."

At that moment…Kuno Tatewaki enters the place. R glares at him, while Kodachi looks at him with fear in her eyes, fearing that her brother would make an awful scene:

Kodachi gasps, "Bro…brother!"

R snorts, "It's you…so you're back."

Kuno simply says, "I am. So…I heard right, that you've asked my sister to go out with you for the Dance at Furinkan this Friday…correct?"

R comes back with, "Yeah I did…and if you're gonna forbid her I won't give a damn, because she WILL go out with me."

Kodachi pleads, "Please, brother dear…I…I want to go out with him."

Kuno just lifts his palm, telling her to stop. Kodachi fears that he'll say no and cause a fight. But…Kuno says something that blows his sister's mind, as well as R's:

"Listen, as I away on my training trip in the mountains…I've been meditating a lot on your situation dear sister, and I've come to a decision…"

Kodachi thought that he was going to forbid her to ever see R again:

Instead, Kuno says, "…I've decided that I will allow you to go out with R."

Kodachi blinks, "You…mean it brother?"

"Yes. Since I can't talk you out of it…" He then sighs, "I might as well support you."

Kodachi then hugs her brother, tears of happiness glintening in her eyes. "Oh brother dear, thank you, thank you!"

Kuno embraces his sister. "No problem. After all… I just want you to be happy."

"And I am…I'm very happy"

R grins at Kuno. "So…you finally came to your senses, eh?"

Kuno looks right at R, and in a serious voice, he says, "Listen well R. I'm entrusting you with my sister. I do hope that you will treat her with the respect that she deserves, and that you will take good care of her."

"No problem."

Kuno finds R's reply acceptable. "Good." Now very serious, he warns, "Because if you don't, you shall be severely punished by me, you understand?"

R WAS going to tell Kuno something else entirely. But for the sake of Kodachi's happiness, he decides to be reasonable, and just says, "Right. You don't need to threaten me, 'cause I'm not scared of you."

* * *

**_ON THE STREETS OF TOKYO:_**

Erick and Delia walk out from the restaurant. After eating the pizza, they walk in the park, trying to relax a little. "So Delia, did you enjoy the Pizza?"

Delia nods, "Yes, it was very delicious."

"And we sure ate a lot. Five Big Pepperoni Pizzas with Sausages and Mushrooms deluxe."

Delia comments, "These mortals sure know how to make a good meal."

"That they do. So, why don't we go to the Arcades, I'm in the mood for some Fighting Games."

"Then let's go."

Together they walk toward the Arcade …when suddenly:

"Excuse me Sir, would you like to play a game?"

The couple turn to the corner of an alley and see someone there…it was, once again…THE GAMBLING KING:

Erick points to Delia and himself. "Are you talking to us?"

King says, "Yes I did sir. How would you like to play a game with me?"

"A game you say?"

"Yes. It's a game where someone always wins. Go ahead, and win lots of money."

Erick accepts the King's offer. "Very well…I will."

With an evil laugh, the Gambling King thinks, Ha…another couple of idiots for me to take away all their money! Hahaha!

Poor King. He doesn't know he's what's getting himself into. Nor WHO he's dealing with.

Then, as he did before with Dan, the Gambling King began to use his infamous techniques of cheating to win against Erick. Erick's losing money against him, but he doesn't mind. After all…with his vast, mighty fortune he has at his disposal, what he's losing is just worthless pennies, chump change. But unaware to the Gambling King, Erick KNOWS that he's cheating.

King's showing the Joker to Erick. "HA…! You lose again! Ha-ha!"

In a cool voice, Erick says, "That I did. Such bad luck I'm having. I guess it's not my night."

"Sure isn't, hahaha…! Wanna play more?"

Erick decides to asks, "Tell me Mr. Gambling King…you're not…cheating, are you?"

King acts offended. "Wha…how can you say that? Of course I'm not cheating. What kind of accusation is that?"

"It's just that, you're always winning. It's more than luck to me, don't you think so?"

"Well, of course its not…how could I cheat?"

Erick ponders aloud, "Oh I don't know. They are many ways…there's the old – "Switched Hand Card"- routine, the – "Look Behind It" -. They are many ways to cheat someone."

King gasps, thinking, ACK…! How does he know of those moves? "I assure you sir, that I'm playing legitimately."

Erick smiles. "Good, that's good…"

Then, Erick grabs the Gambling King by his throat and picks him up, and then he closes up, so that he's face to face with him:

A scared King chokes up (as he's getting choked!), "ACK…!"

With murderous intent burning in his eyes, Erick threatens, "…because if I find out that you're cheating…" His eyes glow red. "I'll break every bone in your body, then leave you on the ground to die…understand…King?"

King panics, "Yes, yes!!"

Once he releases him, they resume playing. Now the Gambling King was very nervous; he couldn't cheat without getting caught by Erick.

Erick makes a suggestion. "Tell you what King. Why don't we play one last game…a game which I choose?"

King risk asking, "What game?"

"I was thinking about…Chess. And to prove that I'm serious…I'm willingly betting $50,000 dollars."

Needless to say, King's shocked! Dollar signs flash in his eyes; he's practically drooling over the chance of winning that much money! "50…50…$50,000!? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Erick confirms, "That's right."

King's thinking, That guy is done for! Hee hee hee…I am a master at Chess. I'm gonna win BIG! HAHAHAHA!!

"So…Are you IN, or OUT?"

"I'm in."

"Then, let's begin."

After three minutes of playing:

Erick says triumphantly, "Check-Mate, King."

King gasps, "HUH!? But how…?"

Four minutes later:

Erick chuckles, having beating the King again. "Check-Mate King."

Now worried, King thinks, What? What's going on here!? I 've been a Chess Champion for 5 Years straight…and this peasant is making look me like an amateur!

Seven minutes later:

"Check-Mate again, King."

Very worried, King's sweating now! NO! I am losing all my money! NOOO! I`VE NEVER LOST A GAME BEFORE IN MY LIFE! AND I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS INFERIOR TO DEFEAT ME. I'VE GOT TO BEAT HIM!

Thrity minutes later, Erick walks away…Leaving a crying naked fat man in the Street…The Gambling King's lost to Erick, and what's worse, Erick's beaten him fair and square, no tricks or underhanded moves whatsoever!

Erick smiles at his defeated and humiliated foe. "Nice playing with you your Highness."

King cries out, "WAIT! I want a rematch!"

Erick flashes King a cocky smile. "And bet what? You have nothing else of value to wager, except your shorts, but I don't want those." He gallantly takes Delia by the hand. "Come, Delia.

As they walk away, King pleads, "PLEASE! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME OUT HERE LIKE THIS! JUST ONE MORE GAME, PLEASE? PLEASE? WAAAAAAH!!"

"Please. Have some dignity. Let's go back home, Delia." Erick turns to face the Gambling King one more time, "And as for you, your Highness, I suggest that you cover your Royal Butt…people will be disgusted by your royal hygiene."

* * *

Three days have passed…and Friday has come. The day of the Furinkan High School dance…

All the students are eager to go.

* * *

_**TENDO RESIDENCE – RANMA'S ROOM:**_

Ranma is looking at himself at the mirror. He's dressed and ready to go to the dance…he's a little nervous. Nervous cause he's never went to a party in all his life. And never asked a girl out. When he's finished, his mother comes in. "So my son, are you ready for the dance?"

Ranma tells her, "Yeah, kind of."

"What's wrong my son? Are you nervous?"

Ranma admits, "Yeah. I've never went to a dance. Ever. Heck, not even asked someone to go out with me. I'm just…a little afraid that I'll ruin it, or do something to embarrass Akane or…"

Nodoka assures him, "That won't happen my son. I know it because you are a very sweet man, you're very honorable. So stop worrying, and have fun. You'll do just fine."

Ranma sighs, a little relieved. "Thanks a lot mom."

Nodoka smiles. "My pleasure son. Now hurry up. Akane is waiting, and keeping a Lady waiting is very unmanly."

Now Ranma's waiting in the Living Room for Akane. 10 minutes later…Akane and Ran began to walk downstairs.

When Ranma looks up at her, he's so impressed by the sight before him that he's speechless…

Akane's dressed in a short blue skirt, white jacket, red undershirt, a pair of earrings, golden high heel shoes, and make up. Ran's wearing a red and purple cheongsam dress similar to Shampoo's, with silver earrings (Actually, Ran got this stunning ensemble from Ranma (of all people!); she'd discovered a few things Ranma's worn in his girl form that fit her perfectly, accentuating her "curves", if you know what I mean! ^_^

Ran tries not to giggle out loud at Ranma's reaction to her and Akane. She'll never forget that speechless look on his face – it's priceless! – and treasures it with all her heart.)

Akane looks gorgeous in Ranma eyes:

That's…That's Akane? She looks beautiful. Out loud, Ranma barely says, "A…Akane…is that you?"

Akane shyly says, "Yeah…um…do you like…the dress? I've tried to look for the best one and…"

"No no…you look, well…very beautiful in that."

Akane blushes. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Um…So what do you say…shall we go Akane?"

"Yes, let's go."

Despite her own feelings for Ranma, Ran's cheerful – and just as excited about this evening as her friends are. "Dance, here we come!"

Ranma offers her his arm, and Akane happily takes it. Their parents are, as expected, happy:

Soun crying buckets of tears. "WAAAAAAAAH…OUR CHILDREN ARE GROWING UP FAST SAOTOME! NOW THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY FOR THEIR DANCE!"

Genma likewise wails joyfully, "I KNOW, TENDO! WAAAAAH! HOW FAST TIME GOES BY!"

Nodoka playfully scolds, "Oh cut that out you two." To Ranma and Akane, she says, "Have a great time children's, and don't be late…" She winks slyly at them, "…if you know what I mean."

Ranma blushes. "MOOOOOM!"

Soun grabs Ranma by the shoulders. "Ranma, I hope that you'll take care of my baby girl Akane. Can I trust you with her?"

Ranma tells him, "You bet Mr. Tendo. You know me."

Soun smiles. "That I know. And you have my blessing."

* * *

**_R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT:_**

R too was ready for the dance, and he was ready to go and pick up Kodachi. Dr. Wily, like Soun, was also crying, "WAAAAAAAAAH!!. MY BABY BOY IS HAVING HIS FIRST DANCE, AND HE'S GOT A DATE! WHERE, OH WHERE DOES THE TIME FLY BY!?"

Irritated by his foster father's hysterics, R yells at him, "WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT DOC! GEEZ!"

* * *

**_FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL – GYM – 6:00 P.M.:_**

Inside the Gym the dance is already underway. It's decorated by many lights of every color and artistically-placed flowers. We can see tables with many kinds of food and drink. There's a DJ (no, not the Jamaican kick-boxer – he's not in the story yet!) playing many songs and controlling the lights. It looks fabulous. The place has been decorated by the Furinkan HS's Decorating Team. Many students began to arrive. Lots of the boys came with their dates and friends.

Ranma Saotome, of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts came with his fiancée Akane Tendo and his close friend Ran Hayami.

Ran takes in the scenery. "WOW! The Furinkan Decorating Team sure did a great job on this place!"

Akane agrees, "I know. It looks so awesome, right Ranma?"

Ranma admits, "Yeah. Listen, why don't we go to our friends and say hi?"

Akane nods, "Sure."

The three of them are heading to meet up with their friends, when suddenly Ranma bumps into…Kodachi:

Ranma apologizes, "Oh I'm very sorry…" He then sees Kodachi. "Huh!? Kodachi!?"

Kodachi, as everybody remembers from previous chapters, was deeply hurt by the revelation that her "Ranma-darling" and her brother's long-desired Pig-Tailed Girl (that "red harlot", as she called her) were the same person all along. Unlike her brother, who eventually accepted the truth and moved on, Kodachi still hasn't forgiven Ranma for his betrayal. So un-caring, she snorts, "Hmph…it's you Saotome."

Ranma blinks, "Wha…what are you doing here?"

Akane adss, "Yeah…this is Furinkan High School, not St. Hebereke."

Kodachi tells them, "I've come to the dance with my date."

"With who?" Ranma wonders aloud.

Just then, R appears next to her. "With ME, Saotome."

Akane was there when Kuno first told her, Ranma, and Ran that R and Kodachi were dating. Now seeing them together for the first time, she cannot believe it. "R…you mean…Kodachi is your date?"

R just says, "Yeah, is there a problem with that?"

Wanting to prevent a scene between him and R, Ranma says, "Nope, not at all. Listen, I don't want trouble, so if you leave us alone, we'll leave you alone, okay?"

R seems to accept Ranma's call for a truce. "Hmph. THAT's exactly what I was gonna say to you. So be it. Let's go Kodachi."

Then both of them turn around and walk away:

Akane's impressed with the way Ranma's just handled the situation. "Wow Ranma, I'm very impressed. For a minute there I thought that you two were gonna fight."

Ranma looks in her direction. "Not today. Today I just wanna have fun, so let's go Akane…wanna dance with me?"

Akane smiles, nodding, "You bet."

After that, the three of them have a great time. Ranma dances with Akane all the time. Many kinds of music are playing, from Techno, Rap, you name it.

Then, the DJ plays an oldie-but-goodie, a song only for couples…the song's name was…- "I´VE BEEN WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU" –

By Foriergner.

- "SOOO LONG…

I`VE BEEN LOOKING TOO HARD,

I`VE BEEN WAITING TOO LONG

SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WILL FIND

I ONLY KNOW IT'S A MATTER OF TIME

WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE

WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE

As Ranma and Akane are slowly dancing to the music…they embrace each other, and listen to every word of the music, for every word they hear, was so true.

IT FEELS SO RIGHT, SO WARM AND TRUE

I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU FEEL IT TOO

MAYBE I`M WRONG, WON'T YOU TELL ME IF IM COMING ON TOO STRONG

THIS HEART OF MINE HAS BEEN HURT BEFORE,

THIS TIME I WANT TO BE SURE…

Ranma begins to remember all the times he spent with Akane…from the awful ones, to the lovely ones.

I`VE BEEN WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU

TO COME INTO MY LIFE

I`VE BEEN WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU

TO LOVE AND SURVIVE

I`VE BEEN WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU

TO MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE

YEAAAA

WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU TO COME INTO MY LIFE.

As Akane dances with her fiancé, scenes where Ranma rescued Akane from many evil demons, weird crazy Princes, and everything in-between play back in her mind. She remembers the times when Ranma was fighting against all enemies to protect her. The many times she saw Ranma put his life on the line for her safety.

YOU`RE SOO GOOD

WHEN WE MAKE LOVE, IT'S UNDERSTOOD

IT'S MORE THEN A TOUCH, OR A WORD WE SAID

ONLY IN DREAMS, COULD THIS BE THIS WAY

As she remembered every flashback with Ranma, she was thanking Kami-sama for being with a loyal, caring, strong person like him.

Then…in the light of the music…they share a big kiss. It was their first REAL kiss. To Ranma, it feels like electricity was running all throughout his body the moment his lips touched hers. Akane feels like she was diving in warm water.

WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE, REALLY LOVE SOMEONE

I KNOW ITS RIGHT, FROM THE MOMENT I WAKE UP

TILL BEAT IN THE NIGHT.

CAUSE NOWHERE IN EARTH I WOULD RATHER BE

THEN HOLDING YOU, TENDERLY

-"REPEAT CHORUS"-

When they break from the kiss, they look at each other, and blush.

Surprisingly, the same thing happens to R, when he kisses Kodachi. Of course…Kodachi takes things to the next level…as the Black Rose French Kisses her invincible, gallant, and handsome White Rose hard (with tongue, I might add! Yikes!).

When the music ends…

The DJ announces, "HEEEEEEEEEEEEY FURINKAN DUDES AND DUDETTES! ARE YOU HAVING A GREAT TIME!?"

-"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" everybody in the place cheers.

"BEFORE WE BEGIN, YOUR LOVELY PRINCIPAL WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS …SO HERE HE IS…PRINCIPAL KUNOOOO!!"

Principal Kuno jumps out in the middle of the dance floor. "HEY HEEEEEY MY LITLE KEKIS. THE BIG KAHUNA'S HERE TO INFORM YOU OF DE NEW RULES FOR DE SCHOOL DANCE. GIRLS MUST WEAR HULLA SKIRTS AND BOYS WEAR SHORT, HAWAIIAN PANTS…HAHAHAHA…!!"

-"WHAAAMMMMM!"-

Oh, yeah, the students of Furinkan High just LOOOVE that idea (yeah, right!) They love it so much, that the Principal gets struck with many softballs, basketballs, footballs, and a few bowling balls by the students…

Thirty minutes later, the DJ says, "HEY HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY STUDENTS…HOPE THAT YOU LIKE TO DANCE! CAUSE WE'LL BE HAVING…A DANCE COMPETITION!!"

One Student wonders, "A Dance Competition?"

A female Student's asking the same thing, "Dance Competition?"

The DJ continues, "THAT'S RIGHT. TWO STUDENTS WILL DANCE IN THAT MACHINE…" He points at an Arcade Platform. "…AND THE ONE WHO SCORES MEGA POINTS….WILL BE THE WINNER!"

The students see an Arcade Machine…a well known one world wide:

Akane's excited. "Hey guys, it's Dance Dance Revolution!"

Ranma's like, "What?"

Ran tells him, "It's a special kind of Arcade Game, whose unique action…is dancing."

"Dancing? How's that?"

Akane and Ran explain to Ranma all about how the Game is played; Ranma's digesting all the info. At the end, he's interested. "Hey, that's sounds cool. Kinda like training."

The DJ issues the challenge, "SO WHO WANTS TO ENTER…? THE WINNER SHALL RECEIVE A PRIZE FROM YOUR PRINCIPAL!"

R steps forward. "I will enter it."

Kodachi gasps, "You will?"

R nods, flashing her a confident smile. "Oh yeah."

Seeing that R's entering, Ranma decides, "You know Akane. I think I'll enter. I like the sound of that."

With the challengers in place, the DJ says, "ALRIIIIIIGHT DUDES. WE HAVE TWO PARTICIPANTS WHO'LL DUKE IT OUT IN THE DANCE MACHINE. LET'S HEAR IT FOR 'EM! NOOOOOW…WILL THE TWO GUYS STEP INTO THE MACHINE…AND GET READY TO DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!!"

R and Ranma are now in the machine:

R smirks, "HA! Get ready to lose big time Saotome!"

Ranma teases back, "In your dreams Carl! Let's do it!" He quietly chuckles as R almost face-faults from being called "Carl"

The DJ starts the "Dance Battle". "READY…SET…DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!!"

The dance floor battle between Ranma and R is on! The Song that the machine plays is – "I'M THE SCATMAN" – By Scatman John.

(Scatting by Scatman John)

I'm the Scatman

(Scatting by Scatman John)

I'm the Scatman

(Scatting by Scatman John)

The Arrows began to appear very fast. It was set on the level of Heavy Crazy, the most difficult level in Dance Dance Revolution.

Ranma and R are stepping on the Marks that the Machine orders…they're both doing great. Ranma begins to love this game…for it's just like he thought…training. Same with R. Ranma then applies his Katchu-Tenshi-Amaguriken, but instead of using his Arms…he uses his Legs, rapidly hitting the arrows at the right time to the beat of the music, and is doing great.

"Everybody stutters one way or the other/

So check out my message to you./

As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back./

If the Scatman can do it so can you./

Everybody's sayin' that the Scatman stutters/

But doesn't ever stutter when he sings./

But what you don't know I'm gonna tell you right now./

That the stutter and the scat is the same thing./

Yo I'm the Scatman./

Where's the Scatman?/

I'm the Scatman."

The in-game announcer yells, "ALL RIGHT! YOU GOT THE MOVES! YOU`RE GETTING HOTTER! YOU`RE THE BEST DANCER EVER! KEEP IT UP!"

Akane's in awe, "WOW, LOOK AT RANMA GO! I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS GOOD AT THIS!"

Ran observes, "It's like he said before. This is like training."

Kodachi cheers R on, "YEAH, GO FOR IT R-DARLING! BEAT THAT NASTY RANMA!"

Hiroshi's cheering for Ranma, "GO RANMA! GO RANMA! GO RANMA!"

In the middle of the Dance, both Ranma and R taunt each other:

Ranma's taunting, "Hey R, you dance like my grandma!"

R taunts back, "HA! You LOOK like my grandma!"

"Then let's finish this!"

"Got it!"

"Why should we be pleasin' all the politician heathens/

Who would try to change the seasons if they could?/

The state of the condition insults my intuition/

And it only makes me crazy and my heart like wood./

Everybody stutters one way or the other/

So check out my message to you./

As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back./

If the Scatman can do it brother so can you./

I'm the Scatman."

(Scatting by Scatman John)

They were on fire…all the students were cheering them on wildly…

"Everybody stutters one way or the other/

So check out my message to you./

As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back./

If the Scatman can do it brother so can you./

I hear you all ask 'bout the meaning of scat./

Well I'm the professor and all I can tell you is/

While you're still sleepin' the saints are still

weepin' cause/

Things you call dead haven't yet had the chance

to be born./

I'm the Scatman."

(Scatting by Scatman John)

"I'm the Scatman…repeat after me

It's a scoobie oobie doobie scoobie doobie melody

I'm the Scatman…sign along with me

It's a scoobie oobie doobie scoobie doobie melody"

(Scatting by Scatman John)

-End of Song-

In the end…it was a tie…

Seeing the results of the "Anything-Goes Dance War" (for that's what one would call this match between Ranma and R), the DJ says, "IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE…A TIE. SO THAT MEANS THAT THE PRIZE WILL HAVE TO BE SHARED. SO HERE HE IS FOLKS, YOUR BELOVED PRINCIPAL TO DELIVER THE PRIZE TO THE WINNERS… PRINCIPAL KUNO!"

Once again…Principal Kuno appears before Ranma and R. "HEY…CONGRATULATIONS MY LITTLE KEKIS! NOW I GIVE YOU DE GOOD REWARD! DE REWARD IS…"

Ranma and R are both happily thinking, _I hope it's money!_

"… EXTRA HOMEWORK SO THAT YOU KEKIS CAN LEARN MORE! YOU LIKE YOUR REWARD, YES?"

**KAPOW!!**

Both R and Ranma punch the Principal hard in his face at the same time. The poor Principal is lying on the ground with his face deformed and teeth out. Then they return to their dates:

Ranma's irritated, "Man that really blows. What kind of prize was that?"

Akane calms him down, "Relax Ranma. Why don't you come with me to the table, I'm kinda tired."

"All right."

R's angry about the Principal's latest stunt. "Stupid Principal. Homework as a Prize! That really burns me up, big time."

Kodachi comforts her beloved R, "Don't be mad R darling and let's go out and have a great time…what do you say?"

As they're having a good time:

Akane asks, "Ranma, can you go and get me a steamed pork bun please? I'm kinda hungry."

Ran pipes up, "Yeah, can you get me one too Ranma, please?"

"Alright, I'll be right back." Ranma tells the girls.

When Ranma approached the table where the Buns were, he sees that there was only one left. He reaches out his hand to grab it…when someone else's hand grabs it the same time he did. He then sees R. "R. What are you doing?"

"I was gonna grab that Pork Bun. Gotta problem?"

"Yeah, I do. That's the last one, and I want it"

"Well too bad, cause its mine. So get your hand off it!"

"No way! YOU let go of it!"

"NO, ITS MINE!"

"NO! MINE!"

"MINE!"

"MINE!

"MINE!"

In the middle of the argument, since they both grabbed the bun…they squash it:

Ranma cries, "Noooo…the Bun!"

R shrugs, smiling at Ranma. "You know what Ranma. You're right, it's yours; I don't want it anymore. Hahahaha!"

Oooh, Ranma's mad. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE R!"

R's like, "Oh? You wanna take this outside?"

In a cold voice, Ranma says, "You bet!"

Hiroshi comes unglued, getting excited. He rallies the other students. "HEY GUYS. RANMA AND R ARE GONNA FIGHT!"

Daisuke goes, "REALLY!? THIS I CAN'T MISS!"

* * *

**_LOCATION: OUTSIDE THE GYM._**

R and Ranma are in the middle of the field…glaring at one other with fierce looks. All the students have left the dance and now they're gonna watch the fight between those two. Akane, Ran and Kodachi were among the students:

Akane's worried for her fiancé. "Oh Ranma. Why did you have to fight R?"

Ran tries to put Akane's mind at ease. "Don't worry Akane. I'm very sure that it's just gonna be a short and harmless fight."

That's what she thinks.

Kodachi's playing her role of R's personal cheerleader VERY well. "GO R. SHOW RANMA WHO`S THE MAN! WOOO-HOOOO!!"

* * *

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE – MAIN CHAMBER:**_

The Statue of the Cat Ghost King, Dr. Wily and company are there, when Erick enters. "Gentlemen, I believe there's something that all of you must watch."

"What is it?" Dr. Wily asks.

"This…"

Erick then presses a button…next, a giant plasma HDTV appears. Then…Ranma and R appear on the TV screen. Due to the Zero-Spawn (currently disguised as Furinkan's new janitor!) that is recording the action live, they were about to see those two fight:

Dr. Wily gasps! "HUH! That's R…and Ranma. What's going on?"

Erick tells him. "Ranma and R are about to have a fight."

"WHAT!?"

"And, I must say…it's gonna be one interesting match to see."

"And why is that meow?" the Cat Ghost King asks his High Priest.

And Erick explains, "Easy. We're about to see many things in this fight…To see R's fighting capabilities against Ranma's fighting capabilities."

The Cat Statue glows, purring approvingly, "Meow… That will be something I would like to see meow."

* * *

_**BACK TO THE FIGHT…**_

R asks, "Are you ready Ranma?"

Ranma says, "You bet. Let's do it."

And so it begins:

Ranma and R both yell, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Both of them come out fighting. They're trading punches and kicks at a fast rate. The students are going wild.

Ranma kicks R with a fast, roundhouse kick, then R punch him back with a hard hook in his stomach.

5 minutes into the fight…they decids to bring out the special moves:

R flahes a cocky smile, saying, "Hey Ranma! I'm about to show you a Special Move I've been working on!"

Ranma's like, "Oh yeah? Well bring it on!"

"Fine…PURE SILVER METALLIC! KYAAAAA!"

Next thing Ranma sees is R launching lots of punches at him, similar to his Katchu-Tenshi-Amaguriken. Each creates a silver blade of razor sharp-Ki. When he blocks them…some of them strike him…Ranma feels those punches…but also, they're covered in a razor-ki, cutting his clothes:

A shocked Ranma thinks, _What the…!? That move looks like my Katchu-Tenshi-Amaguriken. But, his punches are like daggers… how?_

R's eager to hear what Ranma thinks of his skill. "How did you like that move Ranma, eh!"

"So I see that you manage to create some neat moves. But it's gonna take more than that to stop me…now it's MY turn!"

Hiroshi's ecstatic. "WOW OH WOW…LOOK AT THEM GO! THIS IS SOOO COOOOOL!!"

Sayurii worries, "I hope that they don't hurt each other seriously."

Yuka groans, "Can't they stop this silly fight?"

* * *

**_MEANWHILE, AT THE CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE…_**

Dr. Wily roots for R. "YEAH, THAT'S MY BOY! SHOW THAT RANMA WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!!"

Erick sweatdrops. "Wily…calm down. You look pathetic."

Bubbleman reluctantly cheers, "Um…go R!"

Watching R and Ranma, Bass smirks, thinking, _This is very interesting to say at least. Let's see what Dog-Boy is really capable of against Ranma. Hope he loses though._

* * *

Ranma prepares to launch his Ki-blast at R. "EAT THIS…MOUKO TAKABISHAAAAAA!!"

But R counters back with, "OH YEAH…ACTIVE RED PEAAAAAAAARL!!"

Both of them launch their Ki balls…exploding on contact…

KABLOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

When the smoke is clear…R and Ranma are a little tired…but that didn't stop them for the fight:

Ranma's panting, "You really have improved since the last time."

R, likewise, says, " I could say the same for you."

Akane, worried for Ranma, is by his side. "Ranma, please, just stop this and let's enjoy the dance."

Kodachi, now concerned for her beloved R, intervenes. "R-Darling. Don't waste your time with Ranma and let's return to the dance."

R won't hear of it. He stops Kodachi from going further. "Sorry Kodachi-Chan. But this fight isn't over."

Ranma appreciates Akane's concern, but now's not the time. "Akane. This will only end when R apologizes for taking away that bun. If not…it's still on!"

Just when they were to re-start their fight… A stray cat walks by…

Ranma sees it and… getting scared, he freaks out!

"What the…a…ca…ca…A CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Akane notices it, too, "Oh no…not a cat!"

Ranma's now screaming in fear at the sight of the cat, and backs away from the feline…

R laughs at the sight. "What's this! Ranma's afraid of a cat? HAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S SO FUNNY!"

Kodachi's laughing, "HAHAHAHA…RANMA IS AFRAID OF A STRAY CAT!"

Un-aware to them…when Ranma gets scared of cats…something REALLY BAD happens:

* * *

_**BACK AT THE RED CATS'…**_

Dr. Wily's laughing his butt off at the sight of poor Ranma. "HAHAHAHA…I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT I`M SEEING HERE! THE MIGHTY RANMA IS AFRAID OF CATS! HAHAHA!"

Erick explains, "It's because of the Neko-Ken training he went through as a child. However Wily, it is nothing to laugh about. Because now the REAL fight shall began between those two. Heh heh heh…"

Wily, still laughing, asks, "WHAT… heh heh… DO YOU MEAN? HAHAHA!"

Brightman thinks, worried, _Oh no…does that mean he's going to do... what I'm deadly afraid he's gonna do?_

Then Erick takes out a remote control…and clicks it. A giant antenna rises up from the shrine, and emits a signal.

* * *

_**ON THE BATTLEFIELD:**_

R is laughing his butt off…when suddenly…a noise rings in his head:

"What the…!? What's that noise…!" In pain, he yells out, "HYAAAAAAAAA…!! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!"

Next…R has his hands on his head, as if he has a terrible head-ache, and screaming like Ranma:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Ranma's still screaming in fear, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Kodachi, seeing R's strange behavior, is worried now. "R-DARLING, WHAT`S WRONG!?"

Akane wonders, "What's happening to R? He's acting like Ranma…why?"

* * *

Hearing R's cry of pain and anguish, Dr. Wily stops laughing… and witnesses the sight before him. He panics, "R! MY BOY! WHAT`S WRONG WITH HIM!?" He glares at Erick angrily. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

Erick innocently says, "Oh nothing. It's just a high-pitched frequency transmission that the Antenna is emitting."

Bass, knowing how Erick's device works, asks, "But why activate it now?"

"Simple…because I want a fair match…Ranm's about to become as wild as a cat…and R…well, you get the idea."

Everyone's then in shock over what's gonna happen next:

Dr. Wily, remembering his own experience dealing with THIS, cowers in fear! "DON'T…DON'T TELL ME THAT…!!"

Erick nods, confirming, "That's right."

Brightman panics to the max! "OH NOOOO! HE DID IT! HE`S GONNA…GONNA…"

"Gentlemen…soon you will all see a match from heaven." An evil smile spreads across Erick's face. "A fight…between two mighty and dangerous beings."

* * *

**_SHADOWLOO H.Q. – M. BISON'S THRONE ROOM:_**

Bison is in his chair. Tron Bonne's reviewing some projects and B.'s feeding her pet dog Harry…when…

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

Tron informs, "Sir, incoming message."

"Put it on," Bison orders.

Erick then appears on Screen; Bison seems pleased to see his ally. "Erick, what a surprise. What is the reason for your social call?"

On screen Erick tells him, "Bison…watch this live video of a fight in progress. A fight…which you'll be delighted to see."

* * *

_**MAKAI REALM – CASTLE MAXIMOV:**_

Dimitri is in his own throne room, recuperating from the injuries he has from his last match with Bison. His Darkstalkers (minus Morrigan) are with him. Hannya-Bishamon stands to the right of Demitri. When suddenly…a hologram of Erick materializes in front of them:

An evil snarl appears on Dimitri's face, as he growls, "YOU…WHAT IN HELL DO YOU WANT?"

Erick just smiles at the irate vampire nobleman. "Easy there Dimitri. I just want you to watch this fight. See it…you're gonna be pleased…I guarantee it. Heh heh heh…!"

* * *

Both fighters yell in fear for a couple of minutes….when…

They both stop and are as still as statues. The students are confused by this. Akane, filled with fear, knows what's gonna happen:

Akane yells, urging, "EVERYONE. YOU MUST GET OUT OF HERE! QUICKLY, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!"

Ran, not understanding what's going on, asks, "But why Akane?"

"IT'S BECAUSE OF RANMA! HE`S GONNA GO INTO NEKO-KEN!!"

Ran blinks. "Neko-Ken? The Cat-Fist? What is that?"

Akane's getting desperate here! "PLEASE RAN. TAKE EVERYONE AND LEAVE, BEFORE RANMA SNAPS OUT OF THE TRANCE!"

Kodachi risks asking her beloved White Rose, "R-Darling. Are you okay?"

Then…

Ranma MEOWS. "MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOO"

Horrified, Akane cries, "OH NO!! It's too late!"

Neko-Ranma stands on the ground on all fours and yowls like a cat.

But…

Suddenly R gets on all fours too, like Ranma:

Akane blinks. "Huh! What's got into R? Why is he acting like Ranma?"

Then…the un-expected happens…R HOWLS.

"GROUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

Confuse and scared, Akane wonders, "HUH! R JUST ACTED LIKE NEKO-RANMA! BUT…IT SOUNDED LIKE A…WOLF!"

Kodachi's REALLY worried now. "R! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU!"

Then…

Both R and Ranma stand before each other, hissing and growling angrily…like a cat and a dog.

* * *

Watching things unfold, Dr. Wily panics, worried for his son R. "OH NOOOO!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ERICK!?"

Erick silences him, "Quiet, Doc. Now, we're about to see which technique is supreme. R's or Ranma's…" To everyone assembled, he dramatically declares, "Gentlemen…THIS IS THE FIGHT WE WILL ENJOY! BEHOLD…!"

**NEKO-RANMA VS. WILD-R!**

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!"

* * *

On the battlefield…a massive battle will soon be unleashed…

As the two warriors face off…

The images of a wolf and a cat can be seen in the background.

How will this fight end?

Stay tuned!

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	51. Howling Blood! Neko Ranma VS Wild R!

CHAPTER 51

**_-"HOWLING BLOOD! NEKO-RANMA VS. WILD-R!"-_**

Last time:

* * *

A horrified Akane yells out, "EVERYONE. YOU MUST GET OUT OF HERE! QUICKLY, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!"

Ran, not understanding what's going on, asks her "But why Akane?"

"IT'S BECAUSE OF RANMA! HE`S GONNA GO INTO NEKO-KEN!!"

Ran blinks. "Neko-Ken? The Cat-Fist? What is that?"

Akane has a desperate look in her eyes; she urges, "PLEASE RAN. TAKE EVERYONE AND LEAVE, BEFORE RANMA SNAPS OUT OF THE TRANCE!"

Kodachi, worried for her beloved R, asks, "R-Darling. Are you okay?"

Both Ranma and R are out cold…then IT happens:

Ranma meows, "MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

R howls, "GROUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

The two of them were now in the state of crazy animals… and now facing each other…like a wolf and a tiger…

Dr. Wily panics; he's now worried for his son R. "OH NOOOO!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ERICK!?"

Erick silences him, "Quiet, Doc. Now, we're about to see which technique is supreme. R's or Ranma's…" To everyone assembled, he dramatically declares, "Gentlemen…THIS IS THE FIGHT WE WILL ENJOY! BEHOLD…!"

**_NEKO-RANMA VS. WILD-R!_**

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!"

* * *

And now…

Back to the Story!

* * *

The students are now confused at the sight of Ranma and R. One minute they're both fighting each other…the next…they're howling like a cat and a wolf…

Hiroshi blinks. "Man…I know when Ranma goes into Neko-Ken, he acts like that. But why did R mimic him?"

Yuka admits, "Don't know."

Akane calls to her fiancé. "Ranma…can you hear me?…If you can, please, stop this and come to me."

Sayuri can't believe this. "What are you doing Akane?"

"When Ranma goes into Neko-Ken, only I can get him out of there, cause of the trust he has in me!"

Then… IT BEGINS!!

Both Animal Warriors dash toward each other like lighting…and collide.

- (Special Note: BGM: Insert Music – "RHYTHMIC HALLUCINATION" -, Orochi New Face Team Theme Song from King Of Fighters 1997.) –

Both of them are trading punches, kicks, claws, at rapid speeds…almost as if their hands and feet were blurs.

Everyone's enjoying the fight; however…not for long.

"Man, look at them go now…I can't see anything"-

"WOW, TALK ABOUT FIGHTING LIKE ANIMALS…BUT THIS IS INSANE!!"

"I LOVE IT!"-

Akane worries, whispering, "No…please Ranma, stop!"

A scared Ran thinks, _R, why are you doing this? What happened to you?_

Wild-R dashes toward Neko-Ranma… punches him in the face, grabs and then smashes him into the ground – think Orochi Iori's SDM Maiden Masher from KOF '97.

Neko-Ranma quickly gets up …then kicks Wild-R with a series of fast kicks, and ends it up with a Ryusei-Kyaku (Shooting Star Kick)…sending Wild-R into the sky and landing hard on the ground.

Wild-R gets up…screams in anger, - (as a wolf) – then unleashes his Silver Metallic - which, in his feral state, is MUCH faster (!!), the razor sharp blows striking wildly in random directions!

Neko-Ranma tries to evade them…but fails, because there were thousands of them…he blocks them….but as he's blocking them, the attack is shredding his clothes up, leaving him bare-naked on the way up.

The attacks that pass him are destroying anything in their path…trash cans, rocks, trees…

Principal Kuno steps out and sees the fight. "HEY, THERE BE NO FIGHTIN' IN ME SCHOOL! YOU LISTENIN' KEIKIS?! STOP NOW OR DA BIG KAHUNA WILL HAVE TO PUNISH YOU!"

They did not listen to him, as they continue to fight.

Neko-Ranma unleashes an attack…he jumps toward Wild-R, and then swings his arms. Ki-Claws are formed in his arms, and started to slash him. Wild-R yipes in pain as one of the Claws cut him.

Wild-R moves away and one of Neko-Ranma's claws slice up the Principal's Statue:

With tears in his eyes, Principal Kuno wails, "OH NOOOO!! NOT ME STATUE! TEACHER HINAKO, STOP DESE DELINQUENTS NOW, BEFORE DEY CAUSE MORE DAMAGE!!"

Of course…Hinako might be a child…but not stupid or naïve. Judging by the way the fight was going…it would be dangerous for her to try and stop them:

Hinako-Chan gets scared. "ME!? UH UH, NO WAY!! THEY`LL HURT ME!!"

Back in the field:

Wild-R, angrily dashes toward Neko-Ranma and unleashes a deadly attack, as he grabs and starts slashing him a lot, then chokes him and explode him in purple flames (Maiden Masher Style from Iori Yagami).

Ran can't take this anymore – the sight of Ranma and R fighting each other like this disturbs her greatly. "AKANE, WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING! THOSE TWO WILL FIGHT UNTIL THEY KILL EACH OTHER!"

Akane feels the same way. "I know. But if we could only get close to them, without them attacking us."

In the fight…as Wild-R and Neko-Ranma are duking it out…the power was outstanding. Every time their punches hit, they create a small earthquake. Many students decide to run away.

Then…

Wild-R and Neko-Ranma began to dash away from Furinkan…while fighting each other at the same time.

Without hesitation, Ran says, "Akane, they're getting away. We must go after them!"

Akane nods, "Yeah, let's go!"

* * *

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:**_

All the people who are watching the fight are very fascinated by the results, especially Erick. "My oh my. They sure know how to fight, as wild animals, eh folks?"

The Cat Statue agrees, "Meow…that Neko-Ranma, he could be a worthy guardian of mine. Wish I could have him…if I didn't hate him so much."

Dr. Wily's beaming with pride for R. "OH, MY BOY! I NEVER THOUGHT HE COULD FIGHT SO GREAT! HE`S GIVING THAT CURSED RANMA A TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE! I..I'M SO PROUD!!" Then he bursts into tears of joy, crying Soun Tendo Style, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Bass frowns, a worried look on his face. Watching R's berserker rage in action, he thinks, _Man, R sure knows how to fight like a beast. I better know how to counter it if I have to fight him again._

Bubbleman acts all overdramatic as he wails, "IT'S LIKE…WATCHING A HORROR MOVIE! Reminds me of Godzilla vs. King Kong!"

Onekomaru whistles, "Damn! That Ranma, he's like…really a wild cat, not faking it. I should know, since I'm a cat."

Delia confirms, "You are correct my little fur ball. Ranma's mind is like that of a cat at that moment…and therefore, he's fighting like a cat.

Erick chuckles, "Quite right Delia. Likewise with R. His mind is as the mind of a wild wolf. This fight, is like the old saying, -"Fighting like Cats and Dogs"- "

* * *

_**MAKAI REALM –CASTLE MAXIMOV:**_

Dimitri himself could not believe the fight he was seeing. Neither did the rest of the evil Dark Stalkers. In awe, he comments, "I don't believe what I'm seeing. Those two fight like demons, as if they were possessed."

Hannya-Bishamon confirms, "Yes, the power and speed they're showing is unlike anything I have ever seen."

"But…how did those two manage to fight like that? Are they some powerful Darkstalkers?"

"No. But they have the power to be one…or even more."

* * *

**_SHADOWLOO H.Q.:_**

M. Bison's watching the battle between Neko-Ranma and Wild-R, too. He likes what he's seeing on screen. "Amazing. Never have I seen that kind of battle. Truly, they are powerful."

Tron Bonne's shaking a little bit in fear of the two Insane Beasts. "But, they're kinda scary. It's like they're animals, with no human soul inside them."

B. B. Hood remarks, "Almost like they're Darkstalkers…but more powerful. That Wild-R sure reminds me of that werewolf John Talban…except this one could teach HIM a few things!"

Balrog whistles in awe, "The hell…? Are those two human? Cause they sure don't look it."

Sagat confirms, "Correct. They fight with the Spirits of the Animals within them. Those moves, those skills…. Makes me want to test my skills against either of them."

On screen, Erick warns the Emperor of Muay Thai, "Think wisely Sagat. If you go up against them in this state…you'd be slaughtered like a lamb."

Bison snorts, "But I don't care. Either of them would be fine for me…they could even be important to my troops. I must know the training methods!"

Erick sweatdrops at Bison's comment. "Bison, I wouldn't recommend it."

* * *

**_BACK IN TOKYO:_**

Akane, Ran and Kodachi are running through the street of Tokyo, trying to find their dates. As they are running, they witness the destruction the Ranma and R left in the wake of their fight…slashed cars, trees, wrecked walls, etc.

"I think we'd better hurry. Judging by the looks of this mess, I'd say we're close."

Hoping and praying for her fiancé safety (and the return of his sanity), Akane says, "I just hope they're alright. I don't wanna lose Ranma!"

Kodachi with tears in her eyes, leaps from rooftop to rooftop. "R DARLING, WHERE ARE YOU? I`M COMING!!"

* * *

**_JUUBAN DISTRICT – A PARK:_**

We see Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts going up against three powerful Youma, led by Malachite and Zoycite.

With an evil smirk, Malachite declares, "Ha! You're finished Sailor Moon. You won't be able to defeat these new and powerful Youma!"

Malachite's "partner" Zoycite laughs, "So give up Sailor Brats, you're done for!"

Sailor Moon goes into one of her speeches. "We will never give up to you or anyone. We will triumph over evil and that…"- She hears some approaching noises. "…huh!? What's that noise coming from?"

**-"CRASH!!"-**

The wall near them explodes, as two beings charge through it.

Malachite, Zoycite and the Sailor Scouts see two people fighting like crazy…even more so…as if they were animals:

Sailor Moon points at Wild-R and Neko-Ranma. "Um…who the heck are those two?"

Sailor Mars replies, "I don't know."

But it's Sailor Jupiter who recognizes R! "Hey, wait a minute! I remember him! Isn't that the guy we met the other day, with that crazy girl?"

Sailor Mercury confirms, "Yes, you're right Lita. It's that R guy who beat that Youma and hurt Tuxedo Mask."

NOW Sailor Moon remembers him. Hopping mad, she recalls, "He IS? My dear Darien is still hurt cause of him! I'll show him!"

Malachite demands to know, "Who are these two who dare to ruin our moment of glory?"

Zoycite shrugs, "Beats me."

In the heat of the battle…Wild-R punches Neko-Ranma with a hard hook, stunning him a little, and then he delivers a fast clothesline and runs and slams him into a wall, destroying it in the process. Neko-Ranma strikes him with a rising kick, sending him to the air. Then he jumps and delivers a deadly air combo, finishing it up with a spinning slide slam, making a crater in the floor.

Even though they were hurt, they couldn't stop fighting…

Neko-Ranma tries to slash Wild-R but misses…and ends up slicing a car in half, like a hot knife passing through butter, then a poster, and a tree…the Sailor Scouts are now scared of these warriors…likewise, so are Malachite and Zoycite:

Sailor Moon gets scared off by the display of raw animal fury. "ARE…ARE THOSE TWO DEMONS OR SOMETHING? HE JUST SLICED A CAR IN TWO!"

Sailor Mercury uses the optics built into her tiara to analyze the two combatants – but she can't give Sailor Moon a sure answer. "I…I don't know!"

Sailor Venus trembles. "Guys, I'm scared now."

Malachite snorts, "I don't care what they are…!" He then commands the Nega-monsters, "YOU THREE YOUMA, GET RID OF THOSE TWO!"

Youma 1 obediently replies, "Yes sir!"

But before anyone could react…one of Neko-Ranma's slashes slices up the three Youma, destroying them in a blink of an eye. Malachite and Zoycite both put up Force Fields…but even with that…their clothes are torn apart and cuts appears all over their bodies.

Zoycite's scared and in awe of these two. "NO…! They're destroyed!? But…they were our strongest Youma in Queen Beryl's army. How can that be!?"

Malachite gnashes his teeth, not believing what he's seen. "I…I…I don't know. But such power…! Ugh…even with our force fields, they hurt us…Zoycite, we must retreat and inform Queen Beryl."

With that, both of them disappear…

Sailor Mars gasps, "NO WAY! WE COULDN'T EVEN TOUCH THOSE YOUMA! BUT HE…" she points at Neko-Ranma, "…GOT RID OF THEM LIKE THEY WERE NOTHING!"

Sailor Jupiter's not going down without a fight. She's determined to put a stop to R and Ranma's fight. If those two are some kind of human-Youma hyrbrid, then at least she can hold them off until Sailor Moon can cure the wild men with her Moon Healing Activation. She says to rst of the Scouts, "WE GOTTA STOP THEM BEFORE THEY HURT US OR SOME INNOCENT PEOPLE!"

Mars agrees, "SHE`S RIGHT…!!" Then, she unleashes one of her signature attacks! "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"

Summoning an aura of electricity around her, Jupiter's about to bring down the thunder and lightning! "JUPITER THUNDER STRIKE!"

They launch their attacks at Wild-R and Neko-Ranma …but unfortunately…

The attacks hit them…but they didn't even feel it. It's as if their nerve endings are shut down, rendering them unable to feel pain. It's like nothing hit them at all.

Sailor Mars gasps, "NO…IMPOSSIBLE! MY ATTACK DIDNT EVEN HURT HIM!?"

Sailor Jupiter's scared now. "WHAT…WHAT KIND OF DEMONS ARE THESE GUYS? THEY DIDN'T EVEN FEEL OUR ATTACKS!"

Wild-R kicks the ground and create a spiraling blade of air in front of him, hitting Neko-Ranma and pushing him back. He does the same move again, but Neko-Ranma evades it and the attack destroys some trees and posters in the process…the Sailor Scouts had to dodge them in the nick of time.

Sailor Venus cries in fear. "GUYS, I WANNA GO HOME!"

Sailor Mercury's eye twitches in disbelief over what's happening. Even worse, her scanners are unable to properly analyze these fierce newcomers. She observes, wondering, "How is it possible? That insane guy created a spiral of air and destroyed those trees…it's inhuman!"

Sailor Moon wails, frightened, "I WANT MY MOMMY!"

Then, Neko-Ranma launches his Mouko-Takabisha, while Wild-R launches his Active Red Pearl. Both attacks collide and a huge explosion of fire took place, illuminated the place like the sun. They throw like five balls of Ki energy straight…causing massive damage. And continue their assault…

* * *

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:**_

Watching the fight, Erick been paying close attention to R, ever since he'd used the EG-K9 Trancemitter to force R into a violent animal rage. He's thinking, It seems that R's animal instincts are growing more and more powerful by the second.

Dr. Wily cheers R on, laughing, "YEAH, THAT'S MY BOY! HAHAHA! HE`S GETTING MORE POWERFUL THAN RANMA! HE MAY EVEN BECOME MORE OF AN ANIMAL THAN HE IS! HOHOHOHO!!"

The Cat Statue is impressed with R's performance. "He IS very powerful meow."

Having thought over what Wily's just said, Erick warns in a serious voice, "We'd better pray that he doesn't Dr. Wily."

Dr. Wily blinks, "Huh! Why not?"

"If R should exceed the limitations of the Neko Ken…he might end up losing all his humanity…becoming nothing more then a crazy animal. Which in that case, we would be forced to eliminate him."

Dr. Wily's wide-eyed in shock. "WHAAT!? Noooo…!! No, we can't destroy him!! We NEED him! Besides…that cursed Ranma has it under control, so I'm pretty sure that R will do it too!"

Erick shakes his head no. "Unlike Ranma, Doc, R doesn't have much experience dealing with it. But, we'll talk about that later. Right now…the fight is still on."

* * *

Akane, Ran and Kodachi arrive at Juuban Park, to see many damage property created by Ranma and R.

They see that they're still fighting, without stopping, and see the Sailor Scouts, cowering in a corner, unable to move, due to the fight between the wild animals.

Akane spots them. "There they are."

Ran confirms, "I see them…man…look at this place! It's like a total war zone."

Aching for R, Kodachi cries, "R-Darling…!"

It's almost the end of the fight…Wild-R is gaining the upper hand over Neko-Ranma, as he unleashes a more powerful Active Red Pearl and nails him hard. Then he rushes toward him and sinks his teeth in his left shoulder, making Neko-Ranma scream in pain. Next, Neko-Ranma punches Wild-R back, forcing him to let go.

The girls see that both fighters are cover with many bruises and cuts, covered in blood, both panting hard. They have to stop them now!

Akane risks going to Ranma. "Ran, I've gotta go and stop them"

Ran exclaims, "WHAT! Akane, you can't! You'll be hurt by Ranma and R!"

Akane assures Ran, "Ranma won't hurt me! I trust him, and I know he won't attack me."

"Ranma maybe…but what about R?"

"I don't care! I've gotta help Ranma!"

Ran, though unsure, reluctantly says, "Um…yeah…maybe you're right." _Oh R…what's gotten into you?_

Just as the two wild animal warriors are about to launch their final assault…three girls step in front of them. The Wild Warriors see the girls and stop and growl at them. Even though they are scared…they gulp, but regain their courage:

Akane calls, "Ranma, please, it's me, Akane! Stop what you're doing and come here with me."

Kodachii tries to reach R. "R-Darling. Don't you know me? It's me, your sweet Kodachi-Chan. Can you hear me?"

Next thing you know, it happens… both warriors begin to summon all of their Ki, and with mean glares toward each other…

Akane wonders, "What…what are they doing?"

Ran gasps, "Oh no! Akane, Kodachi, we better move fast…they're about to launch one final attack."

The three girls get out of the way FAST…

Wild-R and Neko-Ranma are charging up lots of Ki energy for one last attack…the final one. As they're charging up…a small earthquake is created from all that Ki being gathered. Then… It happens:

Wild-R howls, "GRAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

Neko-Ranma yowls, "MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOO!!"

As if they're bullets, they dash toward each other…and when they get close…they throw both fists at each other…hitting at the same time in the face. An explosion of Ki reacts…

KABOOOOOOOOOOM!!

Everything happens in slow motion, as their fists make contact with each other's faces…then, they fall to the ground. A double KO?

The girls rush to them…Ran and Akane go to check on Ranma, while Kodachi goes to R.

Both R and Ranma are severely injured, as their bodies were all a mess…shredded clothes, serious wounds, blood coming from their cuts.

Akane lifts Ranma's head on her lap. " Ranma, Ranma, can you hear me. Speak to me please!"

Kodachi does the same for R. Worried for him, she sobs, "R-DARLING, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? COME ON! SPEAK TO KODACHI-CHAN!"

"Ran…call an ambulance, HURRY!"

Ran nods, "Um…right, I'm on my way!"

Suddenly…Wild-R slowly gets up, and stares at Ranma, growling a little. Akane's now worried, for Ranma's down…and who's gonna save them from Wild-R's fury?

Then Ran steps in front of Wild-R!

Akane can't believe it – what's Ran thinking? Trying to stop her, she yells, "RAN, DON'T DO IT!!"

"I have to Akane," Ran quietly says to her. Facing Wild-R, she calmly says to him, "Please R…just stop this. You need to go to the hospital. You're hurt."

Wild-R growls, "GRRRRRRRR…!!" then quickly advances toward Ran as if to strike her down!

"R…!! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!"

**SLAP!**

Ran just slaps Wild-R in the face. Wild-R gasps on the occurrence, and then he sees Ran's face. He just stares at her eyes, sees tears of fear, sadness, and anger pouring from them. He sees that she's crying:

"Why are you doing this R!? What happened to you? Tell me, please!"

Wild-R can't stand the sight and he lets out an inhuman scream. Then he jumps to the nearest building and vanishes. Kodachi goes after him…leaving them alone. Twenty minutes later, the ambulance arrives, picks up Ranma and goes to the hospital. Akane is by his side, as well as Ran. But Ran's now worried and confused at the same time…

Why didn't R attack her?

How come he ran away from her when he saw her cry?

_R... What happened to you? Why did you do this? How can you do this? Was it because of what I said?_

Ran begins to cry harder at that thought. Many questions were on her mind but she'd have to find out later…for right now, Ranma needs help.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE:**_

Dr. Wily can't believe what just happened!

"NO! IMPOSSIBLE!! R was clearly winning the battle! He would have won too, if Ran hadn't interfered! I'm really beginning to HATE that girl…" Wily then grabs Brightman, jerking him by his lab coat. "All right you! YOU said that Neko-Ken is the ultimate fighting style! YOU said that R would be invincible! So WHY, with just one slap in the face from a mere slip of a girl, did R just run away with his tail between his legs!?

Bass flatly says, "Because that's what scared dogs do, Doc." He then laughs, "Makes sense, too, since this IS "Dog-Boy" we're talking about here."

Dr. Wily gives Bass a mean look. "You are SO NOT helping right now, Bass!" He starts shaking Brightman. "ANSWER ME, BRIGHTMAN! WHY DIDN'T IT WORK!?"

Brightman gives his answer. "Umm… Did I fail to mention that a person the user trusts unconditionally can get him out of the feline, or in this case, wolf state, calm him down? That usually makes the technique useless overall in battle. That, and it's been banned for well over a hundred years."

Dr. Wily looks like he's about to explode, his face purple with rage. "WHY YOU…! Are you trying to make me look like an idiot by telling me this NOW?

"Oh? It must have slipped my mind. Silly me. Well, if you need me, I'll be in the lab conducting experiments." And with that, Brightman leaves the shrine and a VERY unhappy Dr. Wily.

Angry, Dr. Wily growls, "Grrrr…!

With a commanding voice, Erick says, "ENOUGH! Now…all was not lost. After all…we managed to see the power of R's –"Kyoujuu-Urufuken"*-, and I must say, it was very intriguing, if I do say so myself."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: * Kyoujuu-Urufuken = Insane Beast Wolf-Fist]

The Statue of the Cat Ghost King agrees with Erick, "Yes, I loved it meow! That fight was simply purrrrrrrrrrfect.

Erick suggests, "For future plans…we must train R in order to control his animal instincts; that way, he'll have total control of the Wolf Fist."

Bass's thinking, _Man, I better train and learn a lot…for if I want to get rid of Dog-Boy and claim my Kingdom, I'd better become great, and to stand against R. Should he go berserk again, I will be ready._

"So be it. Well gentlemen, I must be going…I'll be right back."

Dr. Wily wants to know, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, just to…fix something." Erick then vanishes from sight.

* * *

**_SHADOWLOO H.Q.:_**

M. Bison stands up from his throne, applauding. "Marvelous…! Truly a marvelous fight of two gladiators. I was very impressed. Hahaha…!"

Tron gives her post-battle commentary. "Geez…I've never seen that kind of a battle in all my life. The damage they caused… total chaos."

B. nods in agreement. "Tell me about it. That R fellow would sure give an annoying certain werewolf Darkstalker a fight for his life, and beat the crap outta him. But R, that's one fellow I wouldn't dare to hunt…" She then burst into tears, crying, "HE'D TEAR ME APART! WAAAAH!!"

Sagat comments, "Now THOSE are two worthy opponents that I would like to fight against."

Bison just glares at Sagat. "Didn't you listen to what Erick said Sagat…those two would tear you apart. I must know the secret of the Wolf Fist. My army would be invincible! Hahahaha!"

* * *

_**MAKAI REALM – MAXIMOV CASTLE:**_

Dimitri's in awe. "I…I don't believe it. What kind of powers do those two have? No Darkstalker I've ever seen has those powerful moves…not even…not even that cursed Werewolf Jon Talban has those skills. What are they?"

Hannya-Bishamon responds, "I don't know Dimitri. But clearly it seems that those two have the Spirits of the Animals within them. I'm afraid that they may even hurt YOU severely Dimitri…or worse… destroy you."

Dimitri normally would have scolded Bishamon for that comment…but…he too was thinking along that same line.

* * *

**_SOUTH POLE – NEGAVERSE CASTLE – QUEEN BERYL'S THRONE ROOM:_**

After Malachite and Zoycite report to Queen Beryl about the incident of the fight of Wild-R and Neko-Ranma, Queen Beryl is watching the video of the fight in her floating crystal. She saw it all…

In the end, Beryl's intrigued. "Yes, such a fight they showed. What powers, even more…those Sailor Brats hit them with their powers, and they didn't even feel them! Hahaha. But most of all…the power they have within them, look at all the damage…Oh yes, I must have them under my power…can you imagine those two under my control…SAILOR MOON WOULD BE NO THREAT TO ME! NO ONE WOULD DARE OPPOSE ME! I WOULD RULE THE UNIVERSE!! Malachite, Zoycite, I want you two to go and capture them for me!"

Having seen firsthand what Wild-R and Neko-Ranma can do, Malachite's thinking THAT's a bad idea. Is he going to tell HER that? Nope. So he obediently says, "Um…very well, my Queen."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." A voice from out of nowhere says.

Queen Beryl quickly scans her chamber for intruders. "Huh! Who's there?"

Erick then appears in front of them. His hands are behind his back and with a cool expression on his face he walks toward them:

Queen Beryl's mad now; she demands of Erick, "Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"

Erick bows, introducing himself. "My name is High Priest Erick Genryusai. As for how I got in here, heh heh…that is a secret."

"You've invaded my private chamber…what do you want?"

"It's very simple…you cannot have R, so forget about him. He is an important element for OUR mission."

Infuriated by this man's arrogance, Beryl roars, "HOW DARE YOU!? HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE, AND ORDER ME AROUND! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM YOU INSOLENT MORTAL!?"

Erick casually says, "But of course I do…Queen Beryl of the Negaverse, sworn enemy of Sailor Moon."

"I could kill you right now. How is it that you know me?"

"Oh I know many, many things. But enough chit chat…"

"Enough indeed…MALACHITE, ZOYCITE, GET THIS PUNY MORTAL OUT OF MY SIGHT!!"

With an evil smile, Malachite says, "It will be our pleasure!"

Just as Malachite and Zoycite are about to attack Erick…ten of Erick's Zero-Spawn teleport into the chamber and stand behind him. They draw their Plasma Swords and assume battle poses. Malachite and Zoycite gasp in fear and step back.

"What are those soldiers?" Queen Beryl asks, pointing at Erick's mecha-minions.

With a wave of his hands, Erick indicates, "These are my creations." He warns Malachite and Zoycite, "If you move, they'll cut you into pieces. Now stand down."

Next thing…Queen Beryl launches from her hands some dark lightning at Erick. But Erick just catches the blast with his hand and it dissipates. She gasps at this:

Beryl is shocked at this stranger's ability. "NO! How…how can that be? I AM SUPREME! HOW COULD YOU STAND AGAINST MY DIVINE POWERS!?"

Erick chuckles, "Divine powers? Lady…you know nothing of divine powers. I COULD show you, but unfortunately I don't have the time. Now to do what I've come here to do."

Erick takes out a little device from his coat…puts on a pair of dark glasses …then shows the device to Queen Beryl, Malachite and Zoycite:

Queen Beryl is confused. "Wha…what is that? What are you going to do with that?"

Erick smiles at her. "Wait, you'll see…okay…now smile!"

_**"FLASH!"**_

A big flash of light comes from the device and illuminates the whole chamber…after that…Erick takes off the glasses and addresses them. Queen Beryl now has a far-away look in her eyes, a zombie-like look on her face… both she and her two henchmen are in a deep trance. Erick then continues:

"Okay…you did not see two powerful warriors. What you saw was nothing more then a fight between a stray dog and a stray cat. The damage you saw was done by a leaking gas pipe that went off and destroyed the place…okay?"

They just nod.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Have a nice day… Okay boys, let's go home."

Then, they all vanish.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

**_

* * *

_**

AND NOW, A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY:

Before we begin, I'd like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to EVERYBODY who's sent us reviews both before AND after the story got taken down.

Honestly, I WASN'T looking forward to re-writing this puppy all over again. But after seeing how it's turned out, I can say that I like THIS version of the story better.

Now, I'd like to thank these readers in particular....

To **DS**: No, I don't hate Dan at all. And I agree, he does kick ass in the games. But keep in mind that Capcom themselves made him a "joke" character. So, for the purposes of THIS story, we used him (and will CONTINUE to use him!) as comedy relief. Plus he's FUNNY!

To **Cybertoy00**, who's obviously a BIG fan of the Megaman series (And one of the reasons we included Tron Bonne and later, Lan and MegamanEXE to our growing cast of characters!!)

To **spatulawielder**, for his "honest critique" of the story so far and his encouragement. We're glad you enjoyed it and please keep reading. The story's not over yet!

I CERTAINLY don't want to forget **PEJP Bengtzone**, who'd started reading this story, somewhere between chapters 50 - 65(?), BEFORE FanFictionNet took my story down. Hmmm...

Anyway, he was the one who'd mentioned that Icchan (from Angelic Layer) was Chii's father / creator to me, and I've since incorprated THAT detail into the chapter where Lan finally meets Dr. Light. I REALLY tried to make Lan not a "braindead moron, like they made him in the anime." as you mentioned in one of your old reviews. This time around, I like how's he turned out. And now that Lan's met Dr. Light, you can except to see a little more of him and MegamanEXE in future chapters; I hope to get him in action with Megaman, Ranma, Ryu and co. Cross Fusion, anyone?

Since then, through his reviews, he's given me a few good ideas - SOME of them which I might be able to use (particularly for the Megaman Battle Network characters) in later chapters.

Unfortunately, I can't answer some of your questions about the story without revealing the plot! So please accept my humble apologies for not sending you a reply.

Bottom line, I want to thank you for your reviews and suggestions. And please, keep on reading. Even though you might not see everything YOU want to see included in this story, I think you'll like what we've got planned for future chapters.

And finally, what can I say...?

I've got to send a shout-out AND a SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU to my co-author **Erick-Genryusai** (who's written a few fanfics of his own on this site as well!) for his input and support as well as being a good friend. Read his fanfics and send him some reviews! He'd really appreciate it!

Okay, I'll shut up now.

**Keep your browsers pointed to FanFiction(dot)Net folks****! Because, THIS year, as promised, NEW CHAPTERS wil be coming soon! You won't want to miss what's in store for Ranma, Ran, and our cast of characters! **

=====WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED STORY.=====


	52. The Longest Night, Part I

CHAPTER 52

_**-"THE LONGEST NIGHT"-  
**__**(PART I – THE AFTERMATH)**_

It's nighttime, and we can see a full moon out in the sky. We see Wild-R as he leaps from rooftop to rooftop with total abandon and a sense of fun he previously thought had been denied him. At the peak of one of his highest jumps, just for amusement, he holds his arms outstretched as if he's a surfer riding a major wave. The silhouette of "The Howling Blood, Filled with Murderous Intent" (for that's what one would nickname Wild-R) can be seen against the light of the moon. The rational part of R's mind was screaming _this is impossible, you can't be doing this, and you're flying through the air like a trapeze artist without a net, holding on to nothing at all! _

But in his current state of mind, did he care? Nope. There was nothing but the heady sensation of flight, of the city speeding below him. He'd never felt this alive before, as if every part of him, body, mind, and soul was wide-open and receptive to everything it could possibly experience. He felt bigger, stronger than his body, as if it couldn't contain the amazing sensations that were raging through it now.

It wasn't all fun and games though, because just hours ago Wild-R had fled the scene where an awesome battle took place. What had started out as a fight between Ranma Saotome and R over a steamed pork bun had taken an unexpected turn when a stray cat walking by sets off Ranma's fear of cats, causing him to go into the Neko-Ken (Cat-Fist)! R gets a good laugh at poor Ranma's expense, but not for long. With a little prodding from High Priest Erick Genryusai and his latest creation, the EG-K9 Trancemitter, R is forced into unleashing the terrible power of the Kyoujuu-Urufuken (Insane Beast Wolf Fist)! Neko-Ranma and Wild-R fight, leaving a trail of chaos and destruction throughout Nerima, into Juuban, all the way into Tokyo. The battle rages on until both fighters take each other out with their final ki-charged blows.

Now at this point you'd think "Double K.O", right? WRONG!

When Ran, Akane, and Kodachi finally catch up to them, they find Ranma and R unconscious, battered, bloodied, and bruised. It looks as if they'd literally beaten each other to death. But to everyone's shock, Wild-R slowly gets up and prepares to finish Ranma off, oh, and while he's at it, kill Akane too! And he might have done it, had Ran not bravely stepped in front of him, to reason with him, to get him to come to his senses. When that doesn't work, she slaps him in the face. This stops Wild-R cold in his tracks and when he sees Ran crying he howls in shame and runs away, taking to the rooftops of the city. He wanted to get as far away as possible from the sight of that girl's tears. Something about them upsets him.

But all that was behind him now as he leaps his way through Tokyo. That was when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him from far, far away thanks to his keen animal-like hearing (yet another one of the ability-enhancing side-effects of the Wolf-Fist state).

"COME BACK, R-DARLING!! ALLOW MY CHARMS TO SOOTH THE SAVAGE BEAST WITHIN YOU!"

Wild-R glances behind him to see Kodachi still trying to keep up with him and doesn't care in the slightest. He has other things on his mind at the moment. Kodachi's not one to be left behind, and follows him on a wild chase across town, bouncing along from roof to roof as only she could. So with his heightened agility, Wild-R increases the distance between him and his persistent date, clearing two (sometimes even three!) rooftops with each jump, moving faster and farther until he's left her way behind. Wild-R leads her around the city, up one street and down another, until she was finally left gasping for breath at the edge of town after chasing him for nearly an hour.

Wild-R lets out a soft growl of relief as he balances on a tree branch, watching and waiting for Kodachi to give up and go home. She had been the most determined pursuer so far, and he wasn't sure he would be able to lose her. Unfortunately, he can smell her from far away, and she's getting close to his current location.

Wild-R's heightened danger senses flare up; he leaps straight up as several gymnasts' clubs hit the ground under him, exploding on contact. Landing, he turns around and sees the last person he'd expected to face out here, Kodachi.

"R darling!" she cries as she runs toward him. "At last I've found you! You have no idea how my heart cried when you left so suddenly! Please don't ever leave me again!"

"Grrh….?" was all R could say. He keeps his eye on Kodachi, shifting his weight back and forth, alert, waiting for his prey to make a move.

"Yes, my love. It is I," Kodachi says, as if answering R's question. "Kodachi the Black Rose of the esteemed Kuno clan... Your one true love and future bride-to-be..."

When he doesn't move, Kodachi then takes a few tentative steps forward. R does NOT appreciate the intrusion. His eyes narrow and he growls a soft warning. "Grrrgh….!!"

Kodachi turned pale as he gives her a cold, wary stare. Whatever lay between her and R -- love, fear, whatever -- she knew that she meant nothing to the creature now staring out of her beloved's eyes.

Still, she has to try! Somehow, she has to reach him, get through to him!

She gazes worriedly at R. His rage has cooled down somewhat but he's not calm. Not caring that her words mean nothing to him while he's like this, Kodachi comes closer, trying to ignore the sight of blood and the smell of bloodlust on R. She quietly says her voice both firm and soothing, "There's no need to fight any more. You've won against Ranma, R. Please stop this and come back to me."

Thinking she means to harm him, R roars, "GYAAOOOOOOHHHHH….!!" and charges.

"Very well, my darling," the Black Rose sadly admits. "If I must battle this beast you've become in order to restore you to the man I adore… then, so be it." She throws off her designer evening gown to reveal her fighting costume, a black gymnast's leotard emblazoned with roses. Though she's ready to battle her beloved to save him, the look of sadness on her face clearly shows.

Then Kodachi attacks! She lashes out with her gymnast's ribbon.

"Gyaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" R screams, and then counters by swinging his clawed hand, sending out a wave of scorching purple flames, setting the ribbon ablaze!

With a cry of pain, Kodachi drops the handle and leaps at R. R jumps to meet her in mid-air. Kodachi throws a punch, but it's in vain. R's ready for the blow; tightening his abdominal muscles, he absorbes the punch, and strikes Kodachi back with a headbutt. Kodachi cries out and falls to the ground. R lands on all fours, crouched like a jungle predator, waiting for Kodachi's next attack.

It was slow in coming, for Kodachi had difficulty regaining her feet. Their eyes met, and they shared a complete understanding of what this fight meant to each other. For different reasons, they staked their lives on the outcome of this match – R, for his own survival; Kodachi, for her love for him - and no holds would be barred.

Kodachi takes out some clubs and stalks towards R. Wild-R eagerly met her advance, his answer is a quick claw slash towards Kodachi, who manages to avoid it then counters, taking a quick kick at him. R doesn't feel a thing. Kodachi then swings her arms downward, throwing out two clubs at R, who blasts an Active Red Pearl at them, and cancels out her attack. Kodachi is grimly impressed by the skill R possesses now.

R leaps into the air again to avoid another strike from a mallet Kodachi just pulled out that was aimed at his head, then lashes out with a kick to the body that would knock a normal person down. Unfortunately, Kodachi was far from normal, and the kick only left her dazed for a moment before she shook it off. With a cry of "For you my love, I fight on!" she resumes her fierce attack.

R lets out a growl of frustration as he continues to dodge and counter Kodachi's attacks. But it's the Black Rose who makes a rather surprising move. She whips out her gymnastics ribbon again, snapping it forward like a whip, intending to either strike or bind him with it.

Big mistake. R rushes towards Kodachi, grabs her incoming ribbon, and whirls it (and her!) rapidly around and around until he lets go of the ribbon sending Kodachi flying away!

"R-DARLING! WHYyyyyyyyyy………………!?" a defeated Kodachi wails as she is sent hurtling away into the night sky. Later on, she'd realize how lucky she was to be alive that night, for in his current savage, feral state of mind R COULD have killed her.

After a moment, Wild-R sniffs the air for her scent, using his animal-like sense of smell…

The Author decides to interrupt the narration. "OK, the readers get it already! Wild-R's five senses (or six, if you prefer) have all been juiced up by the Wolf-Fist! GET ON WITH IT!! GEEZ!"

ANYWAY, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by the author, Wild-R is using his heightened sense of smell to make sure that Kodachi's no longer following him. Not picking up her scent and now satisfied that he's no longer being pursued, Wild-R surprisingly lets out a sound that's somewhere between a bark and a laugh of mad joy.

Of course, in his present state, he would have no idea how he had gotten from Furinkan High School all the way into the heart of Tokyo. Right now, he felt as if his mind were splitting in two. On one level, he was fully aware that he somehow hurt Ran's feelings, and ditched Kodachi, his date, and the aspect of R that realized it recoiled in shock. But there was another part of him that not only didn't care, it reveled in it. That he'd beaten Ranma Saotome was an added bonus.

_((Yeah! Now THAT's what I'm talking about! You finally went wild! Look at the all the mayhem, chaos and destruction you caused! And, you gave Ranma a good thrashing too! Feh... It'll do for now. But next time, we KILL his pig-tailed ass, and his little fiancée too! And when the hell do you let little girls slap YOU around!))_

A eerily familiar voice makes itself known in Wild-R's head. Before, it was a MAJOR annoyance; now, it seemed perfectly natural to hear that inner voice. In fact, it seemed like it was always there, somewhere back in R's mind. He'd never thought about it before, never paid it any heed, up until recently (About what, six chapters ago in fact? Y'know, for those of you who've been reading this story since the beginning?)

But of course, THAT was back when he was in his right mind.

Now, while R's still in the ferocious grip of the Wolf-Fist, his darker side is now calling the shots! Or so it seems, until…

A brief flash of memory, of a beautiful pig-tailed girl and her tears…

And that jolts the part of R's brain that's been out to lunch the last couple of episodes. Blurry memories of tonight's events were starting to come back to him in quick, confusing flashes. Caught in that twilight area between sleep and wakefulness, he fights his way back to consciousness.

Wild-R thinks, _Huh? Wha…? What's happened to me? Where's… my date? What… did I do... to make Ran cry?_

_((Hoo boy, looks like the little puppy's waking up.))_

_That… that voice… I remember…_

_((Oh, this is great. NOW, he remembers me! Look, don't think about Ran right now. That'll just make you all depressed and stuff. Nor do you need that psycho chick with the black roses and freaky laugh. She's kinda hot, though…Anyway, you got ME now! You're weak, R. You're weak and you need my help. So shaddup and lemme help ya already!))_

_Y-yeah… I'd appreciate that… HEY! Wait a minute…! When did I…_

It took Wild-R long moments to realize that he was having an entire conversation in his head. He wonders if this is how psychotics start out, hearing voices that no one else can hear.

_((HEY! You idiot!! Don't you DARE turn against me now!))_

_Who..._

_((No, no, NO! No thinking! Bad dog! Thinking bad! Instinct good!))_

_...are you... what are...what did you do to me...?_

_((R, you KNOW me!))_

_Oh, God...What have you..._

_((SHADDUP!! Don't talk like that!))_

_...done...to me...to..._

_((I did what you wanted! I made you what you are right now, you ungrateful whelp! Take a good look around you, and see for yourself!))_

R looks around at an area of the city that had been completely destroyed. And somehow, he knew he was the one who did it. _Did I… do this?_

_((Not you. US. WE are responsible. Yeah, I did it for you, to show off our real power. With it you can cut loose and fight to your heart's desire! You're finally free! You can do whatever you want now! Nothing can… ))_

It was at that point, that R's mind recoiled against itself, bewildered and uncertain of what was happening. He was talking to himself, as if his mind had somehow split right down the middle. Even while in the Wolf-Fist, he wonders if he's somehow losing control of himself. Ranma's gone, the battle site's gone, his date Kodachi's gone, and Ran… Ran is…

_((Hey! I told you! No thinking about Ran now!))_

And instead the city spins dizzily beneath him, skyscrapers whipping past, the chill air permeating him, and he felt giddy reveling in his power, enjoying it in a way not before experienced since this all began. It was all new and liberating and he couldn't understand why. He heard the distant sounds of car horns honking, and sirens yowling. In his haze, he didn't associate them with himself anymore. They were just noise, something he could join if he so chose. And he does, screaming louder, matching them in pitch and taking an insane delight in doing so….

Later, he would have no idea how he had gotten down from the rooftops to the streets. Perhaps he had leaped down gradually from the bigger rooftops to the smaller ones, maybe with a few acrobatic flips in the process. He had no idea that while in the Wolf-Fist he was moving and acting on raw animal instinct.

Wild-R lands safely, squatting on the sidewalk, on all fours no less. Then he sits upright (well, like a wolf would anyway). The battered and bloodied young fighter immediately felt as if he were being assaulted with the sights and sounds of Tokyo. It was more than he could take. Wild-R makes a desperate attempt to center himself and avoid being overwhelmed by the immensity of what he's now seeing and hearing and smelling.

Lightning was flashing overhead. Rain clouds were moving in. They barely registered upon him.

Illumination enveloped him. His mind was too addled to realize that he was standing in the middle of the street, a car bearing down on him. He heard the brakes squealing, realized on a primal level that he was about to die, because the car was practically on top of him. And that core fear for his survival triggered his basic fight-or-flight instinct. No time to flee, so what else could he do but fight back? Thought became deed; he draws back, gathers his ki, and cuts loose with a blast of his Active Red Pearl. The huge flash of red-and-purple-tinted energy screams forward and slams into the car. It flips over onto its side and lay still, save for its spinning wheels. The driver inside cries out for help. Wild-R just ignores him. Instead, he just stands there, taking it all in.

_((You know, I protected you, just now. You'd have been dead if not for me.))_

Wild-R thinks, _Yeah. Not bad ...not bad at all._

The thoughts came from him, but he was disconnected from them, as if different parts of his brain were talking to one another, and he was simply an interested bystander. Lightning cracked once more across the heavens, and rain began to cascade down upon him in torrents. Within seconds what was left of the clothes he was wearing was soaked through.

Certainly what he'd just done (not to mention all the destruction he and Neko-Ranma caused earlier) had to draw the attention of the authorities. Surely they'd be on the lookout for a wild man-beast, perhaps?

_((Oh yeah, let 'em come. We can take 'em. Compared to Ranma, these chumps will be easy kills!))_

Wild-R thinks back in reply, _No. You've caused enough trouble tonight. Enough, okay!? Let's just get the hell out of here._

_((Feh. Yeah, maybe you're right. THIS time.))_

Wild-R leaves the area quickly. By the time sirens were converging on the scene, he was already several blocks away from the city.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT THE HOSPTIAL:**_

Having to hold back her true feelings for the one she really loved was the toughest thing for Ran Hayami, now more than ever, but she had to. She had never known tonight would come to this, she just never saw things going this far. She never meant anything like this to happen. She hadn't planned on this at all.

The hospital had naturally called the police when the girls had informed them that Ranma was the target of a violent attack.

As she sat in the waiting room with Akane, wondering if Ranma would make it through, wondering if she'd ever get to see him again, it finally dawned on her just how tough it was going to be. She was still so shaken after the night's events that it had come across to the policeman as genuine shock. The cop had sat opposite the girls, notepad in hand, and asked them to recall everything they could.

His expression had appeared neutral, but Ran could tell that the cop, an older uniformed officer with a lined face who had seen far too many innocent people hurt in his career, was eyeing her closely, looking for some indication of drug or alcohol influence. Was this really a case of assault and battery, or a bunch of doped-up young kids who got themselves in big trouble?

In R's case, of course, it really was closer to the latter. All the psychologists in Japan would have had a field day figuring out what was going through R's head. The doctors could run all the drug/alcohol tests on R's blood they wanted, and they still weren't going to detect whatever the hell it was that he'd put into his system that had transformed him into the wild beast that attacked Ranma. As for Ran, clearly articulate and earnest as the day was long, she was so obviously not under the influence of anything that the cop relaxed in short order and simply listened.

What the officer heard was pretty much everything that'd happened that evening with one major detail left out. Earlier, while Ran and Akane rode with Ranma to the hospital, the two girls had made a silent agreement: If anyone asked for details they'd leave out the part about Ranma going into Neko-Ken as well as R's bizarre beastly behavior during the battle. Ran was looking down at her hands in her lap, as she had been much of the time. When she finishes telling the policeman her story, she finally looks up at the officer and says with absolute sincerity, "I… I just hope and pray that he's all right."

Hmm… now who could she be talking about – Ranma or R?

The cop allowed a gentle, almost paternal smile and said, "Don't worry, young lady. You've got the best doctors in the world right here at this hospital. If anyone can help your friend, they can."

Ran suspected that they said that at every hospital, but she accepted the reassurance for what it was worth.

The cop was now long gone, after giving them his card and asking them to contact him if they remembered any more details. Ran continues to pace nervously. She glances at the clock on the wall to see how much time had passed and realizes it's getting really late. Akane had gone to the nearest phone and called home. Kasumi had picked up the phone and Akane in turn told her a condensed version of what had happened tonight.

Akane says on the phone, "No, we haven't heard yet… So that's what's going on…. Please tell Dad and Mr. Saotome not to worry. We'll be home as soon as we can… Yeah, we'll let you know how he's doing. Okay. Bye, Kasumi." She then hangs up.

Akane lets out a sigh and goes back to check on Ran. On her way back she runs into Dr. Tofu(!), who's exiting the intensive care unit.. "Oh! Dr. Tofu! I didn't know you were working here."

Dr. Tofu replies, "Actually, Akane, I was here to check on one my other patients. Then I heard that Ranma had been brought in. So, I've been assisting the doctors who've been working on him in the emergency room. Just what happened to him?

"Ranma and R got into a fight, and then a cat showed up. So…" And Akane tells Dr. Tofu the whole story from the beginning. When she's finished…

Dr. Tofu says, "Well, that would explain the cuts and slash marks all over Ranma's body. The bruises and burns were obviously from the punches, kicks, and ki-blasts he took during the battle. Sigh… you know, I still wonder what Mr. Saotome was drinking that day he'd decided to teach Ranma that technique."

Then it was back to waiting, until finally Ran sees Dr. Tofu and Akane coming towards her. She rushes over to them, moving so quickly that they were startled and stepped back in surprise. "How… How is he?"

Dr. Tofu chuckles, "Ranma's Ranma, of course." Then, serious, he says, "I was telling Akane earlier that while he did sustain several injuries, he'll be all right. But he'll have to stay here for a while until we can be sure that he will make a full recovery. He's been moved out of the ICU; you can see him now if you like."

" understand. Thank you, Doctor."

"If you'll excuse me, I've got to see my other patient. Tell everyone I said hi, especially…*gulp*….Kasumi." Tofu's cheeks turn a deep shade of red, blushing at the thought of Kasumi Tendo.

Akane and Ran notice him blush and they giggle; they both know how Dr. Tofu feels about Kasumi. He leaves to go check on the patient he originally came to see. As an afterthought he calls them over his shoulder, "Keep it short. I want Ranma to rest, OK?"

They watch him go and ask an orderly to point them in the direction of Ranma's room. Once they get there, Ran pauses for a moment, expecting the worst. She doesn't want to see this, but she blames herself for him being here. _Maybe I'm just overreacting. He might be okay, and that's why I have to see him._

She reaches for the handle and opens the door. Peering inside, Akane and Ran see Ranma, lying in bed, still unconscious. Tubes were running in and out of him, his chest rising and falling slowly, with a steady beep from the various monitors. Ran gasps, trying to keep her composure, to hold it all together. They'd seen him earlier that night, fighting with feline fury against R's berserker rage, seen him struggle, seen him bleed. But now laying there, with his eyes closed, his breathing shallow but constant, he looks so calm and peaceful. The fact that Ranma's alive brings warmth to Ran's aching heart. She's almost about to cry just looking at him. She kneels at the side of his bed.

Why, you ask? Simply because she cared about him, loved him. Loves him. Loves him just as much as Akane does if not more. And the bottom line was she wanted to be there for him.

* * *

Cold. That is all Ranma Saotome can feel at the moment. A pure, all engulfing, bone-chilling sensation. A feeling that he is not whole, that something important is missing. Ranma then realizes he is actually thinking again. So he wills himself to open his eyes. A blur of light is the first thing Ranma sees. A light that is too painful to look at. He tries to focus his vision, and the intensity of the light decreases; soon, he can make out shapes. He realizes that he's no longer in Furinkan High's gymnasium, or even at the dance, but in a room. Ranma tries to move around but a sharp sting of pain rushes through his entire body, a pain so great that he actually yelps out. Ranma stills himself, to ease the pain. His ears register a beeping sound. The beep was going at a very fast repetition and is now continuing at a steady pace. He lets his eyes gaze to the side where he heard the noise. He sees a heart monitor. He lets his eyes trail across the room. The room is white, and there is a lot of mechanical equipment strewn all about. Ranma sees he has an IV in his arm. He knows where he is automatically, thinking, _A hospital... I'm in a hospital...... Why am I in a hospital? ...... That's right... R and I were fighting, and then a cat showed up...Oh boy, that must mean I…_

It was at that moment he became aware that someone else was in the room with him. He turns his head to face this person… and it's Ran Hayami, the look of relief on her face so obvious. And beside her, his fiancée, Akane Tendo.

A moment of silence passes between everyone gathered here. Akane, having seen Ranma in Neko-Ken before, doesn't seem fazed at all – though Ranma can clearly see the care and concern for him in her eyes. He thinks to himself how very different THIS time around is compared to the first time she'd seen him after he used the Cat-Fist long ago – and what happened afterwards (see volume 4 of the Ranma 1/2 manga). Ran was about to turn away and leave when he saw Ranma's eyes open. At first they didn't seem to focus on her or Akane at all. Then his gaze latches onto them, and there is a moment of confusion. Ran is certain at that point that Ranma has no idea who his visitors are. But to their surprise, Ranma smiles back slightly, although in a pained manner, and he says softly, "Hey, guys." It makes Ran's heart break that he can smile at her after all that's happened.

Ran is obviously relieved. "Oh Ranma! You're okay!"

Ranma nods, "Yeah." He then notices his fiancée, and teases her. "Yo, tomboy."

Akane catches on, proof of the change that's taken place in their relationship lately, and smiles back at him. Then she counters with, "Hmph. You jerk. So tell me. Just how long you plan on playing dead?"

"Playing isn't the right word, Akane," Ranma says. "For a moment there, I almost thought I was." The verbal sparring over, Akane sighs, then reaches out for his hand and takes it gently.

It was all Ran could do not to open her mouth at this point. Seeing Ranma and Akane together again makes her happy. But it also makes her a little sad, because of her own growing feelings toward Ranma. And so her personal struggle goes on. Reining in her true emotions, Ran remains cautious, not wanting to say too much, fearful of triggering some emotion or recollection that could shred the moment. She feels as if she's watching slowly hardening concrete. If she does nothing to disturb it, then it would dry smooth and flat. The last thing she wants to do is make things worse.

Which they already were, since R now knows how she feels about Ranma.

Anyway, Akane says, "But seriously, Ranma, how are you doing?"

Ranma shrughs, admitting, "Feh. Oh, you know - the same old song and dance. You, me, and Ran are having a good time at the dance. Then R and I get into a fight and a cat shows up. Next thing I know, I'm here with you guys in a hospital room. Which means I was acting like a cat again." Realizing that makes him rather upset. "Grr… Stupid Neko-Ken training."

Feeling it's safe to do so, Ran chooses to speak up at this point. "Ranma, if you don't mind me asking... This "Neko-Ken"… How did you learn such a terrible technique?"

Ranma gets defensive here. "Hey, it's not my fault. I didn't want to train in it. First off, it was my pop's "brilliant" idea."

Ran blinks. "Your father? I don't get it."

Ranma tries to recall, "I think was ten when it all happened. Pop had bought this so-called "Advanced Combat" book and read about this technique he'd seen. So he tries to teach it to me."

"Okay, go on."

"The training for Neko-Ken is rather simple. You take the trainee, wrap him or her in fish sausages, and throw the trainee into a pit of starving cats."

Ran gasps. "Wh-what!? That's insane!"

Ranma agrees, "Yeah, tell me about it."

Now upset, Ran groans, "Geez, Ranma! What was your father thinking!?" She calms down, sighing, "Oh well, at least he only did it to you once.

Without emotion, Ranma just says, "Who said anything about once?"

Ran's jaw drops. "You mean..."

Ranma answers, "Yup. When I didn't learn it the first time, Pops threw me in again, tied up with dry sardines. When that didn't work, then he did it to me with salted salmon, then mackerel jerky, then fish sticks, then crab cakes, then...

As Ranma continues on and on with his list of stuff Genma threw him into the pit with, Ran is stunned. Apparently this story Ranma tells, recapping his Neko-Ken training has dredged up some bad memories from her own clouded past. She is confronted by brief flashbacks of the physical and psychological abuse she suffered under Dr. Wily in his attempts to mold her into a living weapon.

Looking pale as a sheet, Ran shakes her head. "No. Please. Enough. What your father did, Ranma... just brought up some stuff I'd rather not remember again…"

Ranma looks at Ran, and knows what she means. He remembers what she told him about the strange old guy in her nightmares. So does Akane. She gives her fiancée a look that says that maybe he'd crossed a line just then; she sees how it's upsetting Ran. Akane warns, "Ranma…"

"Yeah, you're right. Remind me to smack that dumb old man around a few times when I get out of here, will ya? And if I ever find that "Advanced Combat" book again, I'm burning it." After a moment, Ranma then says, " …So, do ya mind filling me in on what I missed?"

And the girls tell Ranma how after he freaked out at the sight of that cat, that R began to do the same thing. Then Ranma goes into Neko-Ken while R begins howling like a wild dog or wolf and the terrible battle that took place. As they tell their story, he takes it in with the air of a tourist who just had some interesting sights pointed out to him. Afterwards, Ranma finally says:

"Now it all makes sense. The very last thing I remember before the moment I lost control and the Neko-Ken took over, was R acting just like you said. Man… So, that's what happened to R after I snapped, huh?"

Ran replies, "Yeah, that's what happened. We tried to stop you, but you wouldn't listen to us. And R wouldn't listen to Kodachi either. Then you both tried to take each other out with a killing blow. You were unconscious when we caught up to you and we thought we were too late. But R got back up and he would have killed you if…"

"If what, Ran?"

_If I hadn't slapped some sense into him, R would have killed you, and I would never get the chance to tell you how I feel about you, Ranma_ is what Ran wants to say but can't - especially not with Akane around. It tears her up inside that she can't be honest and share her true feelings with her friends. So once more, Ran has to bury them within her heart. Just how long can she continue to grin and bear it, to smile only to keep from crying? Something's got to give folks.

But before she can answer, Akane steps in. "If Ran hadn't stepped up to him, we might not even be here tonight. The last we saw of R, he turned tail and fled with Kodachi chasing after him. He's probably long gone by now."

_Thank you, Akane_, Ran thinks. She remembers what Akane said when they went after Neko-Ranma and Wild-R: "When Ranma goes into Neko-Ken, only I can get him out of there, cause of the trust he has in me!" _Maybe that's why R didn't attack us. Maybe he does trust me? DOES he trust me? Even after he'd found out that it's Ranma I'm in love with?_ Out loud, Ran says, "But it's over now, and we're here, together. And you're okay now, right Ranma? You're yourself again. And R… will do the same thing, too, right? Right?"

Ranma notices the hope in Ran eyes. He wants to tell her that R will be fine. But he can't. Problem is, as strong as R is, he's not Ranma Saotome. Not by a long shot. And Ran is his friend. He feels he should be honest with her. Sadly, he sighs, "I… I'm sorry, Ran."

"What? Why?" Ran wanted to know.

"See, when I snap, and turn into a cat, I usually have no idea what's going on. And if R's "wolf-state" is anything like the Neko-Ken, then chances are if you saw him again and asked him about it, he probably wouldn't remember anything at all about what he did."

Ran considers what Ranma's said. _Well, that might not be too bad… he might forget about trying to kill Ranma for a while._

But then Ran remembers the last time she and R talked…when R told her he was going to fight Ranma… and before R discovered how she really feels about him.

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Ran apologizes, "Sorry I'm late! I was talking with Ranma and Akane."

"Geez…." R says under his breath.

Sensing his emotional state, Ran says, "Um…. I got your message, and I came as soon as I could. What's so important?"

"………………………."

Now worried, Ran asks her friend, "R? What's wrong? Please, tell me."

R finally speaks. "Look, kid, I thought you should know this… I'm going to fight Ranma soon."

Ran gasps, "…………….!!"

R notices this, but keeps on going. "Don't tell me you're surprised? We've already discussed this before. You KNOW why I'm doing this."

A hurt Ran says, "Yes… yes, I know. But…"

Ran can't describe it, but she feels what R's feeling right now. He's saying it, but in his heart he feels otherwise. He wants to fight Ranma, but something's making him hold back. But what? Or who? Could it be…?

"Yeah. But that's not the only reason I wanted you to come…"

That gets Ran's attention. "Oh? Then….what?"

Then, and only then, does R turn around from behind the tree and face Ran.

"Ran…. You're a sweet kid. Really. I wasn't going to tell you my plans… but I felt…that I had to. And you're right. There is something bothering me. I remembered you said it helps to talk things out, so …And I feel like I can trust you…

-( END FLASHBACK)-

Now sad, Ran thinks, _But does that mean you won't remember… Oh, R…_

A nurse stepped in, mastering an expression that allowed her to look both compassionate and yet firm. "I'm sorry, ladies, but I have to scoot you out. He needs to rest."

She certainly had good timing. Ran had ascertained everything she needed to know, at least for the time being.

"We'll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep." Akane gives her fiancée a gentle peck on the cheek. Ranma nods slightly, sinking toward sleep, and half-raises his hand in farewell. As Akane and Ran step out through the door, Ran could hear the nurse say to Ranma, "You have such good friends."

A tired Ranma says, "Yeah. My best friends. I'd...give my. ..life for them."

Ran refrained from breaking down and sobbing right then and there, but it was difficult. It wasn't really the fear of losing her best friend that frightened her; it was the reminder of her failure and shame only a few days ago. She closes her eyes tightly against the sting of tears she can feel welling up in them. For the life of her, she doesn't know whether she wants to cry out of sympathy or relief and decides that this had to be the longest night of her life. She briefly wonders if anyone else was having a worse night than she was.

* * *

_**AROUND THE SAME TIME, AT THE REAL BOUT:**_

THE MCD (a.k.a. Michael Angelus) had a feeling that something bad was going to happen today.

It had all started this morning. He woke up earlier than usual. Normally, he would do so if he either 1) wanted to get to the REAL BOUT and do a little work in his office before opening the restaurant or 2) wanted to stretch his wings and go for a morning flight throughout the city before going to work. After all, why walk or jog when you can fly, right?

Seeing that he was already up, he opted for the latter. Taking to the skies, he could enjoy the early morning air, the gentle motion of flight. Sometimes he could see the rays of sunlight through the clouds. And when the sun rose up, wooo-whee! What a beautiful sight. At first, so many, many, many years ago, being up here like this would have made him a little homesick. Nowadays, he appreciated moments like this – it was about as close as he could get to being home without actually being there. And the rest of the day just seemed to go so well afterwards, too, even on days when it could get real busy at the REAL BOUT.

But what was up with this bad feeling he had today? His "Angel Sense" hadn't kicked in warning him of any danger, so he'd chalked it up to his cursed form feeling some unnamed concern. That's why he'd changed to his true form, thinking he'd go for a flight and maybe take his (and maybe THE MCD's) mind off whatever it was that was nagging at him. Even while flying, it wouldn't go away. Angelus began to wonder if it had something to do with the two souls who needed his help.

He had no idea how right he was, and more.

So, he went and flew on to work, landing on the rooftop of the REAL BOUT, changed into his alter-ego THE MCD, leapt down from the rooftop, and entered through the back door. After that, it was just another busy day at the office. One thing you notice that's true about work, no matter where you work at, when you're busy on the job time tends to go by quickly. Especially if you happen to like what you're doing. For the staff of the REAL BOUT, it's business as usual.

The place is packed tonight, more so than usual. There were lots of hungry customers, good food, and live music - THE MCD had turned the indoor arena into a stage and invited a local jazz band to play for the guests. He's working with his staff of waiters, waitresses, and cooks, giving and taking orders in both Japanese and English, and even running the bar, serving drinks – It's like the saying goes "More hands make for less work". It was hard work, but he knew that, especially tonight, it would pay off big time.

We can see THE MCD carrying an empty serving tray. He's just finished delivering a big order to one of the tables and is on his way to check in with Yukime and the other employees. As he makes his way there, he overhears a conversation between some customers…

One customer's saying, "…and the traffic was really bad, worse than usual. The police had a couple of major streets blocked off, where there was a lot of damage. It was like a war zone, man."

His companion nods, agreeing, "Tell me about it, bro. Me and my girl were doing some shopping up in Juuban, when…"

Customer 1 stops him. "Yo. Hold up. Waitaminute. YOU shop with your girlfriend?"

Customer 2 says, "Nope. More like SHE did all the shopping and left ME to hold all HER stuff. Mostly girly-type things, y'know? We were in Victoria's Secret for cryin' out loud man! Made me feel kinda uncomfortable being up in there. Then I saw Dan Hibiki…."

Customer 1 blinks. "Dan? You mean that guy who got whomped by THE MCD the first day this place opened? I heard he'd came out of the closet. Y'know, I always thought that guy was gay. NO fighter in his right mind would world THAT shade of pink in battle!"

* * *

Somewhere in Japan, Dan lets out a pained cry of "D'OH!" and facefaults.

* * *

Back at the restaurant, Customer 1 realizes something. "Hey, did somebody somewhere yell "D'OH!"?"

Customer 2 shrugs. "Naw, bro. You must be hearing things.

Listening to the two guys talking, THE MCD starts to feels bad for Dan. Maybe he shouldn't have defeated Dan that day he opened the REAL BOUT. Since then, it seemed like that self-proclaimed master of Saikyo-ryu just couldn't catch a break. It was like Dan's life was one big downward spiral of defeat after defeat. One day, THE MCD read an article in BLACK BELT Magazine that Dan had gone bankrupt and was forced to close down some of his Saikyo-ryu dojos. The members of his fan club had publicly turned their backs on him. People were making jokes (some of them really, REALLY bad – a few even got posted online!) about his supposed perverted (or sexual, depending on who you talked to) encounter with Mai Shiranui. THE MCD starts to think that people were taking things and blowing (No, no, no! Not THAT kind of blowing!) them totally out of proportion. And now folks these days were saying that Dan was gay, or at least that he might have possible homosexual tendencies. (And THOSE were the nicer comments!)

* * *

Meanwhile, while still flat on the ground from the previous facefault, Dan yells "D'OH!" again.

* * *

Customer 1's hearing things again. "Man, there it is again! Somebody somewhere's yelling "D'OH!"!"

THE MCD wonders what all this trash talking and joking is doing to Dan. Sure, the poor guy's reputation's already been crushed to pieces but all this has got to be ruining his warrior's spirit.

With some regret, he thinks, _And in some way, I helped by defeating him in front of all my customers, including R. I did it to show R that you can defeat an opponent without killing him. Looks like my lesson backfired and cost Dan his chance for redemption. Maybe… I should offer him a rematch. Give him a chance to fight me fair and square. If he were to win, it might give him back his confidence and maybe the public might stop picking on him so much…_

But just then…

Customer 2 corrects his buddy. "But look, bro, I can tell you right now. Dan Hibiki ain't gay. That's for sure. So, as I was saying, Dan was in the store hitting on every girl in the place."

Customer 1 laughs, "Probably trying to prove he's NOT gay."

"And then, he had the nerve to flirt with MY girl. So I confronted him."

Customer 1's in awe. "Really? Whoa, man. Gay or not, Dan Hibiki – supposedly – is a martial artist. What if he had some sort of super-secret technique that could kill you with one hit?"

"Man, please! This is DAN we're talking about here! He's more likely to hurt himself than hurt anybody with his skills. Now, true, I ain't no martial artist or no street fighter by any means. But then he's trying to glomp her. In front of me. I don't know what came over me at that point, but that's when I cracked a bottle of scented bath oil over his head."

At that point, THE MCD changes his mind about Dan. _On second thought, maybe not… Dan's brought this mess on himself._

Customer 1's reaction is a mix of disbelief and surprise. He chuckles, "Ouch! I bet THAT knocked some sense into him."

Customer 2 admits, "Well… not really. But it did make him smell clean and springtime fresh."

Customer 1's like, "Ooookay… then what?"

"Since that didn't work, I…" Customer 2 seems embarrassed at this point. "I shoved him into a wall of lingerie then clocked him with a roundhouse kick to the spleen. Went down like a sack of potatoes. My girl and all the ladies in the place think I'm a hero now 'cause I saved them from "that awful pervert"."

Customer 1 can't believe it. "Wow… I mean, wow. You took on Dan and WON? I didn't think he was THAT easy to whup."

"Me neither. And THAT was when we saw the real fight that broke out..."

And wouldn't you know it, THAT's when THE MCD's "Angel Sense" decides to kick in. Without a second thought, he hurries to meet with Yukime and Satoro.

Satoro spots his boss. "Whoa, D! Where's the fire?"

_Hopefully, not in the city, if I can get there in time._ Out loud, THE MCD says to his two employees, "Listen, I need you guys to hold down the fort a little while. Something just came up, and I need to make sure everything's OK. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Satoro complies, "Uh… okay, boss. Will do."

Unaware to Satoro, Yukime also senses something evil headed toward the city. What she feels is not unlike the time she shook hands with Erick after his match with THE MCD about, oh, ten episodes ago (see chapter 42). She suspects that her boss is going out to confront it. And it bothers her a little. She'd only been working at the REAL BOUT for about a couple of months now, and she'd gotten to know most everyone who worked there since then. Except for one person, THE MCD himself.

Aside from what Satoro and her coworkers told her about THE MCD, and the little bit he would share about himself once in a while, there seemed to be an aura of mystery and secrecy around him. Outside of the workplace, who was THE MCD really? Was he using his skills as a martial artist to fight crime, like some costumed vigilante? She jokingly wondered if she were to enter his office one day and find a cape and a pointed cowl in his closet. Or an all white jumpsuit with full helmet and a black and gold chestplate, like something out of one of those sentai shows. But she's seen THE MCD fight before, watched him take on all those fighters that day, and that reassures her. After all, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself, right? Still, she can't help but worry about him, for his safety. She calls out to him, "D, wait!"

THE MCD stops briefly to turn and face Yukime.

"Be careful, okay?"

THE MCD winks at her, then calmly, but quickly, rushes to his office and goes over to a nearby closet. Rummaging through the clothes and other miscellaneous stuff inside, he slides them to his left and right, out of his way to reveal a second concealed cabinet inside. Inside this cabinet is a small arsenal of weapons – rows of kunai (razor sharp throwing daggers favored and used by ninja), smoke grenades, and a katana wrapped in a blue cloth made out of fine silk.

THE MCD sighs and stretches, drawing back blood into his body.

This was his time. What he was born to do.

Centuries of study and training and meditation, all now focused, and refined, and resolved into this single moment; the sole purpose of his existence had been to prepare him for battles like this, to go forth and shine his light against the darkness.

With one quick motion, the blue cloth his sword was wrapped in is folded neatly into a sash and around his waist like a belt.

He takes a dozen kunai, mounts them in a holster strap, and slings them across his torso.

He takes two of his smoke grenades and stuffs them into his pockets.

He adjusts the angle of his blade against his sash.

With reverence, with gratitude, without fear, and without anger, THE MCD, Michael Angelus, goes forth to do battle.

Taking a running start, he rushes forward; then with a leap, he takes to the rooftops. At this hour of night, there were still people out and about – it'd be too risky for THE MCD to transform into Michael Angelus. Although, he'd think, flying would have been a LOT faster. And if the threat was real enough, he needed to take the fight someplace away from civilians, so innocents wouldn't get hurt.

And all the while his angelic intuition kept buzzing. It seems to get stronger as THE MCD makes his way into the heart of the city. Using the momentum he's generated from his last series of jumps, he makes one final leap upward toward one of the highest rooftops in the immediate area. From this strategic perch, he can see miles worth of hotels, streets, shops, apartments, and parks that made up one of the busiest districts of Tokyo. With a keen eye, he surveys his domain, watching, waiting.

"Oh, don't worry," he hears someone laughing evilly. "You won't have long to wait for me!"

THE MCD closes his eyes and assumes a meditative stance, remaining totally aware and alert. While he's doing this, he's gathering his power, focusing it in preparation to attack, bringing himself in tune with his surroundings. His "Angel Sense", amplified by his intense concentration and focus, now acts as a sort of radar, picking up his enemy's presence. A moment or two passes, and then he finally says to no one in particular, "You might as well come out."

A figure leaps into sight and THE MCD initially makes no move. A flash of steel whips out toward him. With split-second timing that only an individual with THE MCD's superhuman / supernatural skill could have, the incoming sword slash is blocked by his own quickly-drawn blade. The figure emerges from the shadows into the moonlight and faces THE MCD with his sword drawn out ready to attack.

Gogandantess greets his enemy, "Well, well, if it isn't the great heavenly warrior Michael Angelus…it's been a long time."

THE MCD instantly recognizes his attacker. "Gogandantess! I THOUGHT I'd smelled something evil. Who let you loose!?"

"A long story, I'm afraid. These days the greatest demon swordsman in the world…" Gogandantess says, pointing to himself, "…serves a new lord! But suppose I tell you he's an "old friend" of yours? I wonder what would you do about it, hm?"

THE MCD doesn't need to figure out who Gogandantess is talking about. Who else could it be but his former friend Erick who'd have someone like THAT working for him? "Grrr....!! Y'know, you and Nobunaga should have been utterly exterminated by that Yagyu Jubei fellow back in the day. But you're here now, so I'll get right to the point. What does Erick want?"

Gogandantess admits, "Fair enough. My lord has asked me to deliver you a message… and, I want to see for myself if what he says about your skills is true... if living among these mortals has slowed you down."

THE MCD sarcastically replies, "Oh gee, and THAT would be….? Heh, heh… oh, that's funny. Here you are, talking smack about how I'VE gotten slow and yet, YOU, on the other hand, are the one's who sunk low, reduced to being Erick's messenger boy. Don't bother giving the message – I have a pretty good idea of what he wants. And I'm telling you both right here and now that whatever scheme Erick's got planned he will never, EVER get his way with R OR his sister! So you can tell him that for me on your way back to hell, which, coincidentally, is where I'm going to send you. How's THAT for a reply?"

"Well, in that case, draw your sword, and prepare to defend yourself!"

"Get ready for a REALLY close shave. Here I come!"

Then both warriors leap into the air, weapons drawn, flashes of steel as their blades clash against each other. The battle is on!

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT THE RED CATS' HIDEOUT …**_

Having "fixed" things in the South Pole (see the previous chapter!), Erick returns home. Once he's back, he enters his dark chamber, and sits on his throne. His beloved Delia pours him a glass of wine. He takes the glass from her, and sips from it. Holding that one sip in his mouth he allows it to roll around, teasing every one of his taste buds with the wine's fruity flavor, rich warmth, and sharp bite before he swallows it.

Satisfied, Erick sighs, "Ahhh… delicious. I can't imagine a better way to end my day than with a tall glass of fine wine, especially when one of my plans succeeds."

Delia smiles, "So how did it go with Beryl?"

"Quite well, if I do say so myself. There'll be no future interference from the so-called "Queen of the Negaverse". Besides, she has enough on her plate dealing with those Sailor Scouts. So, anything interesting happen while I was out?"

"We've been tracking R since his fight with Ranma ended. He's more or less taken a roundabout path through Tokyo and the surrounding area, heading nowhere in particular."

Erick hmphs at this. "Not surprising at all. In his current mental state, R's operating somewhere between total instinct and irrational thought. Clearly he's on the run, wanting to be anywhere but where he's been and what he's done for us tonight." He thinks about Wild-R's reaction when Ran slapped him. _And away from those who are close to him who he's hurt while in his Wolf-fist trance._ Erick grins evilly, remembering the pleasure he felt from hearing Wild-R's howl of shame and seeing Ran's tears of sadness and pain over R's violent behavior as he watched tonight's events unfold.

"So it would seem, darling. Coincidentally, R's route through the city passed through the general area where Michael Angelus' restaurant is located. I've sent Gogandantess to keep Angelus from interfering."

This bit of news delights Erick. "Wonderful! I needed him to deliver a message to my "old friend" for me, anyway. I'm sure he's having a great time as we speak."

"There's something else. Just before you returned, those two Maverick Hunters X and Zero were recently spotted not far from the Hinata Inn."

Ah yes, THOSE two. Aside from sending Bass and several squads of RED CAT Soldiers against them, Erick left X and Zero alone for the most part. Although his interest in Zero bore fruit – he was intrigued by Zero's power, which was not unlike those of Erick's DVL Cells. Plus, the DNA data extracted from Zero's blood allowed him to create his mechanized minions, the Zero Spawn. But they'd let slip certain things pertaining to their reason for being here – in particular, their intent to destroy the Cells and eliminate the one who created them. Up until now, he'd allowed them to conduct their little investigation.

But now they were in the town where the Hinata Inn is located, within the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan….

Right below Tokyo itself.

Uh oh. At this prime location, the Maverick Hunters could enter Tokyo, and from there travel to Nerima…

And should they enter Nerima, if X and Zero make contact with anyone on the RED CATS' hit list – a list on which Ranma Saotome, his friends, and family were on the very top followed by the traitor Ran Hayami, and Michael Angelus - and reveal what they know, the lid would be blown on Erick's plans. Furthermore, Nerima was the very center of his plans, because that's where the Phoenix Stone was located. All of his plots and schemes up to this point were just to buy time. When the moment was right, he would swoop into Nerima, kill the one who took the stone, and claim its power. The RED CAT GANG and its allies would finally achieve their goals. _As well as my own_, he mentally added.

"So what are we going to do, Erick-darling?" Delia asks.

"This," is all Erick says. Using his powers, he sends a telepathic summons to the Zero-Spawn units he's placed there. Several video screens materialize out of thin air in response to his mental command.

"YES SIR," every drone in the Kanagawa area responds at once.

Erick then orders, "Hear me, my drones, you are to keep a VERY close eye on the Maverick Hunters Megaman X and Zero. Inform me the moment they attempt to leave your area. They are NOT to enter Tokyo, so use force if necessary. Is that clear?"

"Message received and understood, Lord Erick," they respond back.

"Good."

* * *

_**GREATER TOKYO AREA – SOMEWHERE IN THE KANAGAWA PREFECTURE:**_

Since their first battle with Bass and those Red Cat soldiers, Megaman X and Zero have spent their time finding out as much as they could about their enemy while exploring 21st-century Japan.. Using the Internet, they've run searches (Google has since become X and Zero's best friend), looked up all forms of electronic media, but other than what they've been able to pull up on the Red Cat Gang, the little bit of knowledge that 21st-century Earth has on nanotechnology, and (to better familiarize themselves with the time period they're in) present-day Earth culture, popular, historical, and / or otherwise… so far they haven't found out any more about the mystery of the "Cell Virus" and the identity of this "Deimos".

Remembering that the leader of the RED CATS, the Cat Ghost King, was beaten by martial artists from Nerima, X and Zero decide to check out of the hotel they've been staying in and move close as possible to Tokyo, perhaps in one of the neighboring cities, and once in town set up a new base of operations there. From there, they would continue their investigation and maybe even make a side-trip to Nerima, see if they can get some more info on those Nerima fighters.

Now, the Maverick Hunters are out and about walking in the crowd, in their civilian disguises:

Zero sighs, "Boy X. Never knew this mission would turn out to be hard. So far, we haven't found out anything."

X agrees, "Tell me about Zero. But we can't give up, we mustn't. This mission is very important; our whole future depends on completing it."

"Easier said then done. But you're right X, everybody is counting on us. Hate to say it, but this has to be one of our most difficult missions."

"Yeah. We better find a hotel. I don't know about you, but I could really use a little time off to cool down. How about you?"

"My thoughts exactly X. Now, where to find one…"

"Hey Zero, look at this..."

As if drawn by fate or by accident...they were standing in front of an inn. Not just any Inn, but...

"Well, what does it say X???" Zero asks.

X looks closer at the wooden sign that says... "Um...it says...Hinata Inn."

Zero comments, "Funny name for an Inn if you ask me. But, right now, I'm so tired that I don't care what they call it. Let's just go and rent a room."

"I agree. Let's go."

Grabbing their luggage, they head for the entrance. Once they reach the door, Zero rings the bell. A half-hour later, the manager of the Inn, namely Keitaro, opens up and greets them. "Um...hello. What can I do for you?"

Zero replies, "Yes, hello. Listen, my friend and I want to rent a room here. Are there any available?"

Keitaro gasps, a startled look on his face. "WHA...Rent a room here!? Buddy, trust me; you don't want to stay in this Inn."

X questions, "And why not? Listen, if it's about the rent, we have more then enough money to pay for it."

Keitaro's frantic now, waving his arms like crazy. "No no noooo! It's not that. It's just that...well...this is actually...um...a girls dormitory."

Zero blinks. "A GIRLS dormitory!!?"

Keitaro nods. "Yeah. And some of them are not very friendly towards male roommates." He's thinking about Naru and Motoko...especially Motoko, with her Male-Complex.

X assures Keitaro, "Dont worry. Listen, we won't bother any of the girls here. You can trust us."

"I know that." But Keitaro shudders. "It's the GIRLS I'm more worried about. If I let you in, they'll bake my butt and you'll BOTH be in trouble!"

Zero chuckles, "I'm sure we can handle those girls. So don't make such a fuss over us. We'll be fine. Look, we'll talk to them. But...in the meantime...how's about a room? After all...we ARE customers, and as the manager, you cannot refuse customers, right?"

With a defeated sigh, Keitaro says finally, "Oh very well. It's your funeral." _As well as mine!_

X bows respectfully. "We thank you. Let's go Zero. Don't know about you, but a rest is what I'm waiting for."

So they enter the Inn...

Once they're inside, Keitaro's still outside. Worried about the situation at hand right now, he whines pitifully, "Why do I have the BIG feeling that BIG TROUBLE is gonna appear soon? Why meeeeee…..!?"

* * *

Above the usual hustle and bustle of an evening on the streets of Tokyo, an awesome battle between two master swordmen was currently in progress.

One, Michael Angelus (currently in his Jusenkyo-cursed form as THE MCD) was one of the most able swordsmen in Heaven, a dedicated soldier, loyal to his Lord. He's fought in conflicts all across the universe in the span of his life and against odds so great that many others would not have stood a chance. He's survived battles that have tested his skill and resolve in every conceivable way.

The other, Angelus' opponent, is Gogandantess, formerly a minion of the evil warlord Nobunaga in Japan's past – and now one of Erick Genryusai's henchmen in the present day. Due in part to his massive ego, he's a warrior in his prime, never to be any better, his powers at their apex. He's worked and trained all his life for this moment, for a chance to meet a warrior as skilled as himself in combat. It was an added bonus that he was able to engage Angelus. He has no fear for himself, no doubt that he would win. He would use his mastery of the sword and his speed and this fight would be over and done…

But apparently his master hadn't given him all the details.

On this day, he thought had met his match. His opponent was more than his equal in weapons training. Though he had the advantage of being MUCH faster than his foe, Michael Angelus met his speed with strength. It begins to dawn on Gogandantess that his foe is strong – freakishly strong – for a half-mortal. His efforts at attacking Angelus, at assuming the offensive against this formidable foe, while in no way inadequate, were middle of the road – average - at best. He was focused in a way that Gogandatess recognizes at once - a true warrior's focus, mindful of the present, locked in on what was needed in the here and now. He can see it in the look on Angelus' face.

_Hmm… I might be in over my head here_, Gogandatess thinks after the fact. _But no matter – I will defeat Angelus and prevent his further interference in my lord's plans!_

Angelus, on the other hand, is spending most of the battle blocking the demon swordsman's fast strikes. When he does attack, his powerful slashes and thrusts go through the hailstorm of his enemy's assault, delivering serious damage. His edge in a battle now, as it was even back then, came from his long battle experience and intuitive grasp of how an adversary might employ a weapon or technique against him. As soon as that goon attacked him Angelus immediately sized his opponent up as someone who goes straight on the offensive, furiously attacking so that whoever facing him has no chance to retaliate. _Fool_, Angelus thinks of his foe, _that strategy only works IF you have the defensive capabilities to back it up! And you've got holes in your defense so big a truck could drive through them._ By exploiting those holes, Angelus is able to hold his own in combat against this fast-moving lackey of Erick's.

If anyone were watching the action right now, they could tell from the angry clashes of their blades that the duel was fast and furious.

Gogandantess is a skilled duelist, and so he attempts to alter his style, but Angelus has an answer for every lunge, parry, and slash. His style borrows elements from all techniques of swordsmanship, and his moves are crisp and unpredictable. In addition, his "Angel's Sense" allows him to anticipate Gogandantess's strategies and maneuvers, his blade always one step ahead of his.

But Gogandantess manages to get in a cheap shot! Toying with his foe, he grazes Angelus on his left shoulder, then on the right thigh; dashing in close, he then strikes with a hard elbow into Angelus's chest, which knocks him away and puts some distance between the two combatants.

Seeing Angelus stagger to his feet, briefly wincing in pain, Gogandantess seizes the opportunity and moves in for the kill!

But Angelus is ready for him. As soon as his enemy gets in range, he sidesteps at the last second, then whirls on Gogandantess and lashes out with a tremendous slash of his sword. Gogandantess snaps aside in the nick of time, but his opponent presses his attack, answering the demonic swordsman's increasingly frantic strikes with harsher, direct ones and driving him inexorably toward the edge of the rooftop. He flicks his blade, precisely, economically, forcing him back and back...

But Gogandantess, grinning evilly, scarcely reacts to the finishing strike, and instead of seeing his foe cleaved in two, THE MCD heard the sound of his blade making contact with the fiend's ace-in-the-hole - a magic shield he uses to become invulnerable to attacks. THIS is why (except for that one time he went up against Yagyu Jubei) he's been almost impossible to defeat.

THE MCD snorts "Feh!" in disgust – umipressed, and not at all surprised by his oppenent's underhanded manuerver.

"And now, it's MY turn!" Gogandantess says, as he charges (literally dashing) at THE MCD. He falls on him in a fury, striking wildly and repeatedly, and now it's THE MCD being driven back. As he's defending himself, THE MCD thinks, _Hmm… I see it now… by pushing me back with these rushing attacks of his, Gogandantess intends to get me against the edge, then force me off this rooftop with one final strike. Pathetic. Elementary. Futile! Won't HE be surprised when he thinks he's finished me off!_

And, lo did THE MCD smile. Of course, his opponent's too busy trying to slice him up.

Closer and closer to the edge the two combatants reach until…

With a loud cry, Gogandantess yells "IT'S OVER!!" and with a flick of his blade, he delivers the slash that will either decapitate THE MCD or send him falling to his death…

And ends up slicing at nothing… perhaps his foe has already been killed?

"HA HA! I've done great Angelus is no more! With him out of the way, my lord's plans will be unhindered!" Gogandantess laughs triumphantly.

"Heh, heh, heh… not quite." A voice that seemed to come from everywhere laughs.

He freezes in place as he feels an incredible presence around him. "Grrr… Where are you, Angelus!? How dare you mock ME, the greatest swordsman of all demons!" Gogandantess demands.

"I dare because of the simple undeniable, unchangeable, and totally OBVIOUS FACT that good ALWAYS triumphs over evil."

Behind Gogandantess, something swooped overhead as if flying above him. He jerks around, his sword drawn, ready to attack. His gaze goes past his surroundings and over to the next rooftop, which is a couple of stories higher than the one he's on. And standing there is a figure dressed in the THE MCD's black dress shirt and white pants. But only for a moment, for as soon as Gogandantess gets his bearings on him, the figure vanishes out of sight.

"Hm, hm, hm… Heh, heh, heh…"

"When I find you, Angelus, you shall laugh no more! Come out and FIGHT ME!" Gogandantess growls.

No answer, then something or something whistled (rather loudly) off in the distance. With all the noise and bustle and activity down on the streets below, its pure sound can be heard loud and clear. Gogandantess, however, recognizes THAT sound – and is shocked! Only one object could nullfy his protective aura, and it's…. "A Sacred Flute? HERE, in this modern age!? Impossible!!"

"You got it. THAT was for that lousy shield of yours."

Before he can even make a move, something dives toward Gogandantess at near-supersonic speed. In a blink of an eye it drops to the ground, passes through him, and appears on the other side, with its sword outstretched. Gogandantess is shocked and doesn't move, then, he looks down at himself and sees his blood (or whatever it is demons bleed) pouring onto the floor. He drops to his knees, a thin line of blood trickling down his chin. He turns to face his attacker.

And now we get a good look at the figure dressed in the THE MCD's clothes. But he's different from before. His sun-tanned, golden brown skin is now a sort of a light olive color. His hair's changed from dark and curly to white and loose bangs, worn in a short-cut hairstyle. His outstretched wings relax and fold behind his back. He takes the long katana he wields, flicks away the blood on it, and then slowly draws it back into its sheath.

"And THAT was for underestimating me. Living among human beings hasn't slowed me down at all. It's made me a LOT stronger. Go and tell Erick that on your way back to hell." And with that, Michael Angelus, now in his true form, turns to face his slain foe.

Gogandantess, despite the fact that he's evil, does have a sense of honor. He knows he's been beaten, this time. So, maintaining his honor, he doesn't just fall over and drop dead. Rather, he admits, "Heh, heh… the victory indeed goes to you, Angelus. But you're too late…! Already, one of my lord's plans has succeeded!"

"Wh-what!?"

"That's right." Gogandantess confirms. "During our impromptu duel, my lord was testing a new weapon. My task was to prevent you from interfering as its path of destruction has already passed through this area."

For some reason, that bad feeling THE MCD had this morning comes back as Angelus listens to Gogandantess let slip some info about Erick's latest scheme.

"Oh come now, Angelus. We shall lock swords again another time. Until then, be fortunate that my lord has not chosen to send the weapon after YOU. Ha ha ha….!" And with this, Gogandantess falls to the ground then explodes in a violent burst of dark-bluish flames, vanishing from sight.

After the flames die down, Michael Angelus thinks about what he'd just heard. A _new weapon, eh? Just what are you up to now, my EX-friend?_ Then, a thought occurred to him. _And why do I get the feeling R's somehow mixed up in this?_

First, he thinks about the time Erick visted him at the REAL BOUT and basically told him R was being groomed to lead the RED CAT GANG in their evil ambition to rule the world. He remembers Erick telling him (rather vaguely, without revealing the plot of this epic tale) – _More like intentionally_, Angelus thinks – how R would become the RED CAT GANG's new leader through becoming one with the Cat Ghost King. Now THAT did NOT sit too well with Angelus. He'd fought a few secret organizations that dealt in the occult over the years; groups like that usually had some fiendish plan in place to achieve that kind of unholy goal, and more often than not it usually spelled a tragic end for the person the group believed was their "chosen one". _So Erick, with the Cat Ghost King's approval, no less, has led the RED CATS to believe that R is some kind of soon-to-be cat-messiah, an embodiement of the Cat Ghost King's power. Oh yeah, THIS TIME they've gone too far!_

Then, he remembers the conversation THE MCD overhead between those two guys at the REAL BOUT – skipping over the part where Dan Hibiki gets beat up (by a non-martial artist, no less!) for his perverted antics, since it has no relevance to Angelus' current train of thought – and from what he is able to piece together something, probably Erick's new weapon, had recently came out of the Juuban district and passed through the area leaving a trail of destruction. It had to have been that bad for the authorities to be out and about. _And if my guess is correct, prior to all this, it probably was unleashed in Nerima Ward, where R lives._

His thoughts return to that bad feeling THE MCD had this morning. _And my "Angel Sense" didn't warn me of any danger until recently, before I fought with Gogandantess. And if he wasn't the threat, then that means…_

Angelus says something that would have surprised himself a long time ago, apparently stemming from his human side's fustration upon realizing that tonight he'd been duped. "Aw, CRAP!!"

This whole thing's got Erick Genryusai's fingerpints ALL over it. Angelus' fight with Gogandantess was just a cheap diversion tactic. It had all the features:

First, an irresistible enemy to defeat. A formidable swordsman formerly in the service of an evil warlord, now working for the target's arch-rival, personally responsible for many deaths in his own time, is ideal.

The second is an out of the way location away from the real action currently happening.

Third, since it is always a good idea to remain well out of reach when plotting against the target of the diversionary tactic - somewhere within Japan, no doubt, but definently not where one could be easily found, of course - one should have a reliable proxy to carry out the actual attack. Such a reliable proxy would be, for example, the aforementioned self-proclaimed greatest demon swordsman working for said archnemesis. This ensures that the target will place himself in contact with the enemy out of devotion to duty and a burning sense of justice to defeat the enemy AND ensures that the target in question is sufficiently occupied.

After all, in a scheme like this one, the best way to arrange matters is to create a win-win situation.

For example, one might use as one's proxy a creature that, though loyal, is expendable. Thus, if one's proxy fails and is defeated, it's no loss— in fact, the target has actually done one a favor, by taking care of a bit of dirty work one would otherwise have to do oneself.

And the final stroke of perfection is to organize the diversion so that by walking into it at all, even if he wins, the target has already lost.

That is to say, an Erick Genryusai-engineered diversion works best when one's true goal is merely to make sure that the target is busy somewhere else. So that he won't be around to interfere with one's real plans.

So that by the time he can return, it will be already too late.

A classic textbook example of one of Erick's dirty tricks. It worked perfectly.

And Angelus walked right into it.

With a hint of righteous anger in his voice, Michael Angelus quietly says, "That's TWICE you've beaten me. Whatever your twisted mind has come up with now, you won't get away with it. I WILL stop you and save those two souls!!"

And when he can hold his peace no more, he screams, outraged, "AAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!! ERICK…YOU'LL PAY!!"

* * *

_**AN ABANDONED TEMPLE IN THE WOODS – SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TOKYO AND OSAKA:**_

It's early in the morning. At some time in Japan's distant past this particular temple had been a center of peace and spirituality. But as time marched on, it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. It had been great and proud, and now it was just a stinking shell of itself, partly sunk into the ground. Some people said that spirits, lost souls, hung around it. The clouds of fog that always seemed to linger had earned it the nickname of the "ghost temple".

And Wild-R, walking along the crumbling stone path that led to a decaying structure, couldn't help but feel a kinship to the place. Once great, now fallen on hard times, with no hope of returning to the life he once knew, and little care of what happened to him. Oh, yes, a great deal alike. In the rolling mist that hovered over and around the temple grounds, he thought saw Ran's sad face coalescing, and then drifting apart.

He entered the run-down building. Rats eyed him from the darkness and advanced tentatively, eagerly, their lips drawn back. Wild-R was briefly repelled. Then he lashed out with one clawed hand, striking the creatures with unerring ease and stomping on them under his merciless heels. The remaining vermin scurried away.

Slumping into a corner, Wild-R tried to sleep. He had no success. Images kept flashing at him, and the events of the previous hours began to blur. He lost track of what had happened and hadn't happened, what he'd dreamed and what had haunted his waking moments, turning them into a living nightmare. He thought he'd heard voices, but that had to have been from the dream state. Fears and uncertainties taking root, manifesting themselves, whispering and confusing him. And over all of it, the haunting face of Ran coming at him again and again. Disappointed, sad…

R's eyes slowly open. His clothes are torn and wet and he's in a strange place that was unfamiliar to him.

R looks confused. Well, okay, maybe not THAT confused. Sure, he could remember his name and his fighting skills seemed to be intact. As for what had happened earlier tonight, well…. He tries to conjure up an image of some sort of memory but his recollection of events is downright spotty right now. "Okay. The last thing I recall was fighting with Ranma over a steamed bun. Then, Ranma suddenly acts like a cat, and then Ran's looking upset for some reason."

But between then and now, R can't remember anything at all. This, however, terrifies him and he shivers. He doesn't know know why or how he remembered Ran was crying but it concerns him even more than waking up here in this unfamiliar place had.

"Other than that, I can't remember a damn thing. What…what happened to me? What have I been doing?"

But something was missing... some element of danger, uncertainty, and yes, a hint of terror. Maybe, truly, he was mad - mentally unbalanced in some way.

It was something R had secretly always considered.

Too much time alone, driven by rage and anger.

Dreaming of what he knew, or even hoped, he could never have.

Too much time spent being more an animal than a man.

Up until now, R's managed to hide his bestial side within, behind a curtain of cool aloofness, controlled aggression, and indifference. Or so he thought. The more he thinks about it, the more likely it seems that, sooner or later, the beast will break out, and cause more damage than he liked to think about.

Tonight, a man was nearly killed.

By his hand.

Whether he deserved it or not, R didn't care, not from a moral point of view. He had almost killed someone, and at the time, not only had he not cared that he was extinguishing a human life; he had enjoyed it... he had reveled in the revenge, and the passion of the moment. The time he'd tried to kill Ranma sprung to mind immediately, and passed through his thoughts like a series of photographs. Had he been beast or man when he'd done that? He wasn't sure.

Only seventeen years old, and already a killer.

A killer... how deserving of happiness, of a girlfriend, was an animal like himself? Really, who could ever want to be around him? He was dangerous, brooding, vengeful, angry, and had no close family. A normal life? Who was he kidding? And yet... he wasn't always angry, or seeking vengeance or brooding – there were precious moments of happiness, of closeness and warmth. An alien feeling of caring, actual mutual caring, every time unexpected, and every time a small miracle in and of itself.

R had focused all his efforts into mastering Saotome-ryu Anything-Goes Martial Arts, a discipline at which he excelled. He was the best there was at it (Next to Ranma Saotome, that is), and worked hard to maintain his position. No one ever thought to ask what he had to do to be the best; they all seemed to assume that it came naturally to him, which it did. No one ever saw him practicing long hours every evening in his private gym to hold to the edge that made him as good as he was. He was simply a man driven by his need to eliminate a strong opponent. With his exceptional fighting skills, he easily won against every opponent he'd faced (Up until Ranma that is).

The one thing that R lacked was affection. His family life had no trace of it. His affection for Ran was genuine; aside from Kodachi, she was the only person ever to show him any kindness at all, so it was only to be expected (in spite of the fact he currently has a girlfriend) that he might fixate on her as the object of his repressed emotions. He had grown up without anyone or anything that he could love wholeheartedly, but Ran in a very real sense represented his chance at redemption. If he could get her to love him, then maybe his life would be worthwhile after all.

"I need time to think," he whispers to himself.

Just then, from the dense fog, five men in black suits (no, not THOSE men in black!) wearing red cat ears and dark red-tinted sunglasses appear. They besiege the temple. R exits through the huge double doors and faces one of them.

One of the men in black speaks up. "Lord R?"

"Uh… Yeah, that's me," R replies.

"We are from the Red Cat Gang's Intelligence Division. By orders of our exalted leader, the Cat Ghost King, and his High Priest Erick Genryusai, we will now take you back to headquarters. Understand?"

"Yeah, I guess."

The others stand aside as R is escorted by one of the RED CAT Intelligence Agents to a waiting black luxury sedan [AUTHOR's NOTE: Or VIP Car, as luxury sedans and coupes are so called in Japan]. The car, a Nissan Cima 450VIP, is decked out with a full Junction Produce body kit and 19-inch Scara wheels (also from Junction Produce). The remaining four agents get into a second car, a Nissan Gloria Gran Turismo Ultima, also outfitted with the same brand of body kit and wheels. Both cars' windows are heavily tinted. One could not see inside, nor even peek through such dark glass. And if someone did peek without permission into either of these particular vehicles, BAD things would happen to that person big time.

Once everybody's inside, the two cars pull out from the grounds, maneuvering carefully, as if to remain unseen. The black Cima moves at a steady pace – basically crusing down the highway. It was night, around midnight and the full moon was shining in its entire splendor, its bright glow illuminating the sedan as it smoothly speeds towards its destination.

Inside the luxuriously decked vehicle, R leans back in his seat, trying to make sense of everything that's happening tonight.

The sound of the engine almost lulls him into a state of some peacefulness, but the nagging feeling was still there. _Something is very wrong..._, he thinks. _But what? What have I been doing tonight? And why do I ache? Did they do something to me?_ A flash of pain thrummed in his head. _Why can't I remember anything!? It's so difficult to think... _

R concentrates and tries to pull up something, anything, but his memories of tonight are mostly a blur. Images here and there but nothing concrete. _Damn! I... I can't remember anything! Why can't I remember! What's going on!?_

And yet in the back of his mind, R recalls the heat of rage that flowed through his blood tonight. Now that it's gone, his whole body seems to be attacked by an indescribable feeling of lassitude. For a few minutes he sits there waiting for further symptoms. After a while the feeling loses its initial severity and becomes refined, diffusing itself into all the nooks and crannies of his body. Somehow his forehead's heavy and he feels cool and clammy, rather nauseous. But it's hard to tell.

Already worn out by the events of this evening, he reaches into a mini–fridge custom-mounted in the backseat's center console and pulls out a small bottle of champagne. After popping the little cork on the bottle, instead of pouring it into one of the provided crystal glasses, R decides to drink it straight out the bottle. But no amount of alcohol could wash away what's happened tonight.

The steady hum of the car's engine is penetrated from time to time by the trucks and souped-up sports cars that rumble by, making the car shake slightly. As R sits deep in his seat, the shining black flow of asphalt sliding silently backwards under him, he tries closing his eyes…

And a single rememberance, a memory, of that beautiful pig-tailed girl and her tears appears…

_Why are you doing this R!? What happened to you? Tell me, please!_ He can remember her saying.

And the world slowly starts to haze out around him, and then Ran is there, her presence filling the entirety of his mind's eye. He remembers seeing the fear, sadness, and anger in her eyes. But he does not recall why she's crying.

Shrugging it off momentarily, he then glances over at his reflection in the window…. and notices the bruise on his cheek. It's swollen as if someone slapped him REALLY hard. _Ah ha! Now we're getting somewhere_, he thinks. _But who did it?_

For some reason, R somehow manages to connect the slap with Ran. But the very idea of such a girly-girl like her doing such a thing to him is unheard of.

And there's something else too…

He remembers the last time they talked. How he told her of his intent to fight Ranma Saotome. Yes! He remembers something now! How he confided in her, how he trusted her…. He'd hoped to gain some information from her on Ranma's weakness. And how betrayed he felt on finding out that it was RANMA of all people that she'd had a secret crush on. On recalling this, he feels the beginning of a purple haze settle upon him. He can see it, floating there, bringing with it fury and release and the ability to avenge this wrong, to strike back at Ranma and take his revenge on him right then and there. And maybe allow him to forget the hurt Ran's caused him.

And yet, R's strangely satisfied for some reason. It's as if he unconsciously remembers having taken care of it already. But how? In any case, the purple haze that clouds his thoughts earlier begins to dissipate. Once it fades, he calms down.

But now he's back to square one. Just what was he doing tonight? What did he do to make Ran cry? Why did he ditch his date Kodachi? And why's Ranma's mixed up in all this?

_Ah well, I guess it was just one of those nights_, is R's last conscious thought as sleep finally claims him.

But somewhere in the darkest recesses of his mind, within that purple haze, a pair of eyes is staring right back at him. Were they his own, or another's?

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:**_

Two of the RED CAT Intelligence Agents are standing before Erick, Delia, Dr. Wily, and the statue of the Cat Ghost King. They bow and give their report to the group.

Dr. Wily wants to know, "Well, how is my boy?"

The first Agent reports, "Lord R appears to be physically fine, Dr. Wily, but his memory is somewhat confused."

"Really meow?" the Cat Statue asks. "Be more specific meow."

The second Agent proceeds to explain, "Yes, my lord. When we questioned him, he appeared to have no memory of his actions while using the Wolf-Fist."

"It can't be... Was it a possible side effect perhaps?" Dr. Wily wonders aloud.

Erick snorts, "Hmph. There's no need to worry about it, Doctor. After all, R is no longer in the Wolf-Fist state."

Dr. Wily nods, frowing in disappointment. "I see... It's like that. Because it happened so suddenly... It's no wonder. A severe burden was imposed on his mind."

Satistied with their report, the Cat Statue says, "Good. I am pleased. Now be gone. We will handle things from here meow."

"Your will be done, oh great Cat Ghost King," the RED CAT Intelligence Agents respond in unison.

The two agents leave the room. Erick is watching the footage of the fight between Ranma and R again; he is soon joined by the others. As he's watching the replay, at the part where R seems to be losing his mind, transforming into Wild-R; then, after his transformation and subsequent display of violent rage unleashed on Neko-Ranma, he's paying close attention to R during the fight.

And so is the Cat Ghost King. Of course, he greatly enjoys the part where Ranma then gets thrashed by R. But as he's watching it, he notices something and brings it to his High Priest's attention. "Meow! What is going on here Erick? R's mind, his psyche… it's completely different now…"

Realizing that they've noticed the exact same thing, Erick turns to face his boss and confirms, "You sensed it, didn't you? That one moment during that battle… In spite of R's rage, there was no sadness, fear, or uncertainty. There was only joy. Pure unadulterated joy. Joy at being able to kill his prey."

Now that he has everyone's attention, Erick dramatically reveals, "Everyone, do you realize the implications of the weapon that has been placed at our disposal?... Behold! A normally conditioned fighter, who has been trained to kill and then to have no memory of having killed. Without memory of his deeds, he cannot possibly feel guilt. Nobody, of course, has any reason to fear being caught. Having been relieved of those uniquely human symptoms, guilt and fear, he cannot possibly give himself away or expose our plans. And once the Wolf-Fist state passes, R will remain an outwardly normal, intelligent, sober, and productive high-school student with exceptional martial arts skills. And I should say, if properly used, entirely police-proof.

The Cat Ghost King's statue frowns at the idea – it continues to amaze this narrator that he can do that, y'know, being that he's a STATUE and all. "Phooey, meow. A weapon without control is insane. It's like a hysterical woman – nobody can deal with one."

Erick assures him, "Our technology is more than adequate to handle this."

The Cat Ghost King's still not convinced. "Do you really think that your science and the human mind are able to control that monster meow? Are you serious?

Erick confidently says, "Yes, I am absolutely serious. As for the Wolf-Fist, it's only a matter of time. We WILL control R. And besides, this is just one step in the fulfillment of your master plan, your Excellency." _And your so-called "master plan" is only the climax - the grand finale - of all MY centuries of work!_

Unaware to the others, SOMEONE else has been watching the fight. Within the shadows, his red eyes glow with anticipation. Erick briefly glances over his shoulder, recognizing the figure in the darkness; it seems he's the ONLY one who's aware of its presence. He gives a silent nod in its direction, and in response, the mystery person vanishes, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him.

"If this results in the end of Ranma Saotome, then I will allow it meow. Very well, meow, you and Dr. Wily may continue to perfect R's control of the Wolf-Fist, Erick. And once Ranma and the traitor Ran are no more and the Phoenix Stone is in our possession, the world will be ours," the Cat Ghost King says, oblivious to the shadow's presence.

Erick dramatically bows to the Cat Statue. "Of course, oh great one. Your will be done."

But unknown to Dr. Wily and the Cat Statue, a sinister smile appears on Erick's lips as his powerful mind secretly devises yet another diabolical plan. With things as they are now, he's in prime position to make his next move.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	53. The Longest Night, Part II

CHAPTER 53

_**-"THE LONGEST NIGHT"-  
**__**(PART II – BRUTAL TRAINING! BASS VS. AKUMA!**__**)**_

_**RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE – WITHIN ERICK'S "BATTLE CONSTRUCT"…**_

Bass is currently engaged in his latest training session, this time against Akuma. The setting of Erick's "pocket dimension" this time, oddly enough is a forest in present-day Japan. It's the middle of the night, and the only light Bass has is that of the full moon in the sky above. So Bass makes his way through the forest.

As before, like the first time he'd been in this self-contained space, the goals are the same: Survive, find the exit to this whacked-out place, make use of your current surroundings to get the jump on your opponent, battle with him as if your life depended on it, and all while learning how to fight in the process.

Bass gets an idea. Instead of stumbling around through the forest, he'd take to the treetops. And since his pet wolf Treble's not with him, he can't use "Treble Boost" to fly over all this. _It'd sure make things a hell of a lot easier_, he thinks. _Ah well, better get crackin' and find that exit. And if ol' __Devil Boy (Akuma) shows up along the way, I'll give him what for! Still, I'd better be careful not to underestimate him – he's got a few tricks of his own. Maybe I can incorporate some of 'em into my arsenal._

As if in response to Bass' thoughts, the diamond cross-shaped jewel in the center of his helmet begins to glow. Little does he know that he's just activated the new power Erick's given him since his training began. And it's NOT the first time he's used it. Last time, it had kicked in automatically during his sparring session with Gogandantess. Now swordplay wasn't Bass specialty to begin with; but give him a sword and he'd do alright with it. His first encounter with those guys X and Zero was proof of this. Against Gogandantess, however, he was clumsy, unskilled, more clown than combatant. Indeed, had it not been for his newly-endowed ability to self-recover from any damage he'd take, the demon swordsman clearly would have killed him on the first try.

At first.

But just on his first day of training, he'd learned. And he never made the same mistake twice after that. And every time he'd faced Gogandantess that day, it got easier and easier. It was as if Bass could analyse his foe's technique, apply it, and then use it against him. All in seconds. And on top of that, he'd figure out ways to counter those techniques and even create his own signature moves on the spot.

In his last two fights with Gogandantess before escaping from that simulated desert, Bass pulled out a trick he'd used against X and Zero. His trick of powering-up his Buster and focusing the energy into the blade had come in rather handy then; he'd made use of it again against Gogandantess. Since then Bass now calls this new technique his "Buster Sword".

"Well, what IS this new power Bass's got?", one might ask.

THAT, as Erick is fond of saying, is a secret.

Now, getting back on track.....

So Bass is here in the dark forest, leaping from branch to branch Nerima-style, searching for Akuma when he comes to a huge clearing in the woods. From the last branch, he jumps off and lands stylishly on the ground, striking a cool pose as he does this.

"Okay, Bass," he quietly tells himself, "All you gotta do is hang tight till ol' Devil Boy shows up. He might have beaten you before, but this time'll be different. You might not have the use of your weapons anymore, but you still got THESE!" He throws a few quick punches and kicks to get himself psyched up. Aloud, he says to no one in particular, "All right, c'mon! Let's do this! I ain't got all day, y'know?"

Suddenly, the wind begins to pick up. A rumbling like thunder can be heard in the clearing. But there was one little problem – nobody mentioned anything about a storm this evening at all!

Bass has a feeling that something – or someone – is coming his way. "Hmph!" Then, he grins, cleanching his fists in anticipation. "Oh yeah, it's "him" all right. Here he comes…."

An ominous voice booms out of nowhere, "Good. You sense my presence. Perhaps you DO possess some skill."

The ground begins to shake. A large tree is smashed into two.

"Are you ready to walk the same path as I?"

"Yeah, yeah," Bass says impatiently. "Y'know, I owe you for last time. You ready to get hurt?"

"Fool. You think your untried fists will make me flinch from you?"

_Touche_, Bass thinks. _The man goes straight to the point._ "Man, I like your attitude! I think I'll start by pounding your sorry hide into the ground!

"Machine or not, you shall bow before me."

"Bow to you? That's not even funny. Ah, screw this! Training session or not, I'm gonna kick your ass!!"

"...I sense your murderous intent! Very well, show me your power. Show me all you have."

(BGM – _**Killing Moon, Mix 2 (Akuma's Stage) – Street Fighter III 3rd Strike**_)

"All right, you asked for it!" Bass charges up Buster energy in his hands. Then, he tries to mimic the attack Akuma used against him during their first confrontation, but with his own little touch.

"HADOU BUSTER SHOT!! (Surging Buster Shot)" he yells, a huge purple-white energy blast shooting forth from his hands and into another tree. The blast burns it to a crisp.

But stiil no sign of the Master of the Fist. "Where the hell is he?" Bass silently curses.

"A true warrior enters the arena with ALL his powers at the ready."

Now the earth begins shaking furiously. The night sky turns to a deep red.

_Oh boy, ask a stupid question..._, Bass thinks, grimacing. His danger senses on full alert, he scans the area for any sign of Akuma. Then something dawns on him. Bass realizes that the whole atmosphere, everything around him, has changed. He draws in all his power, gathering it to himself and wrapping himself within it. He breathes it in and holds it whirling inside his heart, clenching down upon it until it's as if he can almost FEEL the very earth move.

_Whoa, didn't think I could do that_, he thinks.

With the intense focus and concentration that only a martial artist whose skill level is MUCH higher than Bass' would have, Bass continues to draw in power into his innermost being until the power itself exists only to serve his will. As he does this, he is surrounded by an aura of purple energy.

And then he opens his eyes. Now the scenery around him is subtly altered, though to the physical eye there's no change. With his heightened perception, Bass takes in the measure of everything around him with supernatural precision. _Man! He's not only here, but it's like the immediate area's full of his power!_

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots motion.

**FWOOOOSH!**

Akuma has just passed by Bass, using his Ashura Senkuu. Gliding through the forest, it's as if he appears in one location then another trying to throw Bass off his trail. Truth be told, Akuma is moving AROUND Bass the whole time, circling him, watching for his victim… oops, err… pupil to make a move.

Bass groans. _Ah geez, he's using that warping move of his again._ "Enough of this! SHOW YOURELF!"

"As you would put it, "you asked for it"!"

Suddenly Bass senses something descending toward him FAST! Without thinking twice, he jumps clear out of its path!

**BOOOOMMM!!**

As the smoke clears, Bass can make out a figure somewhere in the midst. With his back turned to him, Akuma stands before him motionless as a statue, the kanji for "Ten" (heaven) on the back of his gi glowing bright red in the darkness.

Akuma then turns to face Bass. He bends down and spreads his legs; tucking his right arm at his side he brings his left arm down bent at the elbow, forearm pointing at Bass while he stands on the front of his feet. While in his "horse stance" Akuma releases some of his murderous energy, the excess Satsui No Hadou (Surge of Murderous Intent) power flowing out of him through his upper body. "HMMM….!!!"

To Akuma's surprise (though he's REALLY doing a great job at not showing it!), Bass copies his movements exactly, move for move, until he assumes the same stance as he does. "Haaaaaahh….!!" Bass breathes, his aura blazing.

Both men stand there, each generating ungodly amounts of power through their respective red and purple battle auras.

It's Bass who speaks up first. "I guess anything I say now won't matter now, huh?"

Akuma nods. "...Speech will convey nothing. What we need exchange this night are not words, but polished fists and perfected techniques."

"So in other words, we should let our fists do the talking instead?"

"…………….."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Know this, machine. Unless you master your fist, you will not defeat me."

"Feh. Well said. Let's do this!!"

"Messatsu!! (Destroy)!!"

And so the battle between the strongest of Dr. Wily's robots and the Master of the Fist is about to begin!

* * *

"GYAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Bass yelled out a battle scream as he charges at Akuma.

Akuma uses his Ashura Senkuu, teleporting towards Bass, meeting his opponent's charge.

Bass throws a punch, then follows it up with a straight kick to the head. Akuma blocks the punch easily, and then grabs Bass's foot before it makes contact with his face. Having caught the kick, he flips and tosses Bass to the ground.

**THUMP!**

"URGH!" Bass grunts on impact with the ground. As he gets up, he spots Akuma, who has jumped to the air, and is about to strike from above with his Tenma Kuujinkyaku (Heavenly Demon Air Blade Kick)! But Bass won't be outdone, though. At the right moment, he squats to give himself momentum, then shoots upward with one leg glowing with bluish-green flame in an arc, leaping up to meet Akuma in mid-air with an attack of his own!!

"HISHOU BUSTER KICK (Flying Buster Kick)!!"

Bass's kicking uppercut attack meets Akuma's diving kick. The force of each warrior's respective attacks knocks them out of the air and pushes them away from each other.

"Was THAT your best?" Akuma taunts.

"Grr…..! Buddy, you ain't seen NOTHING yet! GRAAAAHHHHH!!" Bass dashes toward Akuma. At the same time, Akuma does likewise. Upon reaching each other, they both begin to throw a volley of punches and kicks at each other. They block and dodge each other's attacks, but neither of the two is actually hitting the other - yet. Their attacks soon become so fast, that to some casual observer's eye, all that would have been seen would be short flashes of movement.

At length they jump away from each other. While airborne, Akuma comes in with…

"TENMA! GOU ZANKUU!! (Heavenly Demon Great Air Slash)"

A storm of fireballs come hurtling down on Bass. "ACK!!" Bass blocks the first few, and then once he's on the ground, he frantically runs around dodging the remaining ones. This is NOT how things were supposed to go down tonight. He'd expected to train with Akuma, and here he is being made to look like a fool before this so-called "Master of the Fist". _If he keeps this up, I'm gonna get mad_, Bass thinks. Then, he gets an idea. He may not have the use of his weapons anymore, but there's ONE attack he's hoping he can still use. He raises his arm, pointing a finger straight up into the air. The moment he does this, a loud spark of electricity forms on the tip of his finger. Bass grins, thinking the victory will soon be his! "YO! AKUMA!! Hope you get a real CHARGE outta this! LIGHTNING BOLT!!"

Once Dynamoman's signature special weapon, Bass has incorporated it into his own arsenal of attacks. He unleashes it now, raining bolts of lightining down on Akuma, hoping that one or more bolts will strike him down.

**FS-ZZZZAPPP!!**

And one does (!), lighting Akuma up like a neon sign and stopping his barrage of air fireballs. As he falls to earth, Bass seizs the moment, dashing in and leaps, flipping in mid-air, yelling "DOUBLE CRESCENT KICK!!" He strikes with two Flash Kick attacks, the second traveling higher and farther than the first. Both kicks connect and knock Akuma back into the air. Sort of like a juggling combo, one would think.

While Akuma falls again, Bass charges up energy preparing to deliver a final blow. He remembers the techniques he'd encountered during his last fight with him and combines that knowledge with some of his old tricks to create another new attack.

"THIS IS IT! MY FINAL ATTACK! FULL-FORCE HADOU BUSTER!!!"

Using BOTH hands (!) Bass unleashes his interpretation of the Messatsu Gou Hadou, a huge orb of purple energy flying out to hit Akuma before he lands. But just before he kisses the ground, Akuma flips in mid-air, lands, and quickly counters with…

"MESSATSU GOU HADOU!! (Murderous Magnificent Surging Destruction)"

The projectiles clash causing an immense explosion!

**KA-BOOOOMMM!!**

The resulting flash of light is so bright that one cannot see what's happening. When it starts to fade away, we can finally see what's left of the forest. It's now set ablaze by the blast, all except for the clearing in which Bass and Akuma stand.

Bass' chest heaves as he breathes heavily. This fight's taking a toll on him. Meanwhile, the top half of Akuma's gi is gone, scorched to ashes by the impact of the blast. And the Master of the Fist himself is unfazed, not even tired at all. Smoke rises up off their bodies, telling of the immense power of the Hadoken blasts they'd delivered on each other.

"Impressive, machine," Akuma compliments. "You are almost entertaining."

"Hmph", Bass snorts, grudgingly showing his respect. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Are you ready to continue?"

"Bah! When does death wait for anyone to be ready?"

Akuma nods approvingly at Bass reply. "So, you understand then. Very well. Let us proceed. Only the strongest one will leave this battlefield tonight."

"Yeah. That would be ME." Bass says confidently; his tiredness gone, he's now his cocky and sarcastic self again.

"Hmmmmm….!!"

And with this, Bass and Akuma continue their fight. What was SUPPOSED to be a late-night training session is almost becoming a duel to the death!

* * *

While Bass endures his training under Akuma, let's leave them to their battle for now and focus on a character in our epic tale who just can't seem to catch a break these days: Dan Hibiki, self-proclaimed master of Saikyo-ryu.

At the Saikyo-ryu Dojo (which Dan is currently living out of, if you folks remember)….

"But wait, WHY is Dan living out of his dojo, anyway?" a random reader asks, raising his hand.

This narrator WILL GET TO THAT shortly, OK! GOSH! Ah!... Ahem… anyway, for those readers who've started reading this epic tale from here, four episodes ago we learned that even since Dan got schooled by R and then later defeated again by THE MCD, things had gone downhill for him. That he'd gone bankrupt and was forced to close down some of his Saikyo-ryu dojos. That his beloved fan club (all five members of it) had turned their backs on him.

But let's go back even farther, to sometime between those two events and developments in recent espiodes. And it is here where we will find out what REALLY happened for Dan to have to move into the one and only Saikyo-ryu Dojo that he owned outright.

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

So Dan Hibki comes home to his house, which is in an upper-middle class neighborhood between Tokyo and Osaka (you couldn't miss it if you tried – it's the only house in all of Japan that was painted entirely in different shades of PINK!). Once he gets there, he sees a crowd of people gathered outside.

Dan's mood brightens. "Ahh…my fans. They've come to visit me! Surely they must have heard of my troubles and came to my aid! Well, I'd better prepare to sign some autographs." And he goes inside, not even noticing the big sign outside that says "FORECLOSURE SALE AUCTION".

Unfortunately, the people gathered outside his house were NOT members of Dan's fan club. These guys were from a collections agency and here to repossess Dan's house and MOST of his stuff!

"HEY!"

Dan can see boxes of stuff spread out over the front lawn. Some men and women Dan didn't recognize were moving them into a large truck parked on the grounds. He runs up to one of the men, a guy who looks like someone in charge. He grabs the person and jerks him around, bringing him face-to-face. "What's going on here!?" Dan demands.

"You the guy who lives here?" the man calmly asks.

"Yeah."

"Good." He hands over a HUGE stack of important-looking documents. Dan's jaw drops at the sight of them. The man explains, "Looks like several banks, here and abroad, got a little problem with you. Okay, a BIG problem. Seems over the years, you took out a LOT of loans to finance some martial arts schools you own – and you haven't bothered to pay 'em back since."

As the man goes on explaining, Dan blinks in confusion. _What loans?_ he wonders. Then it dawns on him, and he smacks himself on realizing what he'd done. "D'OH!!"

Opening and running one dojo was easy enough. Dan remembered how his father had done it; after he'd defeated Sagat, he followed his dad's example and set up his first one back in Hong Kong. He then applied the same approach when he'd erm… "acquired" what was left of Bison's old base of operations in Thailand and turned that into his second dojo. And so on and so on, until he'd opened dojos in France (to score hot, fresh, twisty French bread and check out pretty girls!), Germany (for the sausages, beer, and hot girls!), Mexico (for authentic Mexican food. Oh, and the women!), the US (he wanted to go to Hollywood in hopes of selling his autobiography to a movie studio, plus scope out some cute (and single) young actresses!), and Canada (Why Canada, you ask? Your guess is as good as mine, folks!).

OK, does anybody else besides this narrator see a common theme here? Ahem, getting back on track here…

Maintaning more than one dojo and the costs associated theorof, especially if they're overseas, was a horse of a diffferent color, though. Now that Dan owned several dojos, it would take some SERIOUS money to keep them open. Hence the long-term, low-interest loans he'd taken out from a few banks here and there around the globe. He got them believing that the low monthly payments would not be a burden. Plus with the money rolling in from the sales of his autobiography and instructional videos plus the people paying for lessons, he figured he could pay the loans back at his leisure. Then again, on returning home to Japan, he'd decided to take the bulk of the cash and open up a new dojo, one which would serve as the headquarters for all Saikyo-ryu Dojos around the world.

That WAS how the plan was supposed to go down. After that came the fateful day he'd met R during the eve of the grand opening. And everything since that night went horribly, horribly wrong…

"So, my clients, whom I represent, decided in light of certain, erm… things regarding YOU that drastic measures were called for unless you pay up NOW. Basically, we're collecting your stuff to make the payments and seizing your place. Oh yeah, and those dojos you own will be next," the man finishes. "Personally, if if were up to me, Mr. Dan Hibiki – HA! Didn't think I knew who you were, did ya? - I'd pull your place down brick by brick, panel by panel. Or just burn it to the ground 'cause GOOD GRIEF MAN!" He looks around at Dan's house and staggers in disbelief. "This joint's an EYESORE! WHO in their right mind uses that much PINK on his HOUSE, for crying out loud! GEEZ!!"

Dan just stands there in shock as the repo guys pack his stuff into the truck. A young employee walks up to the collections man and says, "OK, chief, that's everything. We're ready to roll."

The man blinks, no longer paying attention to Dan. "Really? Wow, you guys work quick. You SURE you got it all?"

"Yep, all of it, except some pink karate uniforms and some tacky wardrobe that REALLY needs to stay back in well…WHATEVER decade this came from" the young guy says, holding up one particular item, a flashy tiger-striped long overcoat.

"UGH!" the man groans is disgust. "That's straight-up WACK! And I mean that in the WORST way possible." He then looks over at Dan and just shrugs. "Feh. Why am I NOT surprised."

Another one of the man's coworkers drives up in a tricked-out Honda S2000. Aside from the obvious modifications (exhaust, suspension, a Paxton NOVI supercharger, a set of bronze RAYS TE-37 wheels, and a VERY NICE "Millenium" aero kit by Veilside!) the car itself it… oh, forget it. Dan owns it – or should I say USED to own it - so you KNOW he'd go and add his own aesthetic touch to it. Obviously, the car's been painted pink – bubblegum, to be exact – with wild tribal graphics. The stock seats have been reupholstered in pink and white leather and white fur; the doors got the same treatment, too. And there's underbody neon below the chassis, which Dan's set up to glow in sync when he's cranked up the music on the Pioneer CD / DVD / stereo / navigation system he had installed.

It was then that Dan snapped out of his stunned state. He sees his car being driven off - without him in it! "ACK! NO! NOT MY CAR! WWAAAAAAAAHHHH!!" With tears pouring out his eyes, Dan does a pretty good Soun Tendo impression don't you think, folks?

"Oh, quit the waterworks already! For your information, a customer of one of my clients represents a movie studio in America, and ACTUALLY wanted to buy this for a sizable fee. He wants it for some street racing movie they're shooting over there." The man gives Dan a manila envelope stuffed with money. "And in light of your current mess, you should be grateful to even get THAT at all, you twerp. Now, if you have no further business here, I suggest you leave. Oh, and you've got three days. Please have all of your err… things out of the house by then, or they'll be confiscated as well. Have a nice day." With that, the man hops into the truck and leaves Dan's estate. Quickly.

When it was all said and done, those guys had taken just about EVERYTHING, just to pay off most of Dan's expenses from his dojos.

Dan stands in front of what's left of his house, staring blankly at the surroundings. He wanted it all to go away, for all his problems to vanish. How fortunate it must be to be that strange panda he once saw while passing through Nerima, he would think that day. No worries except for a vague wondering of where the next meal was coming from. How nice that would be. He tries not to think about his dishonor. For that was what it was. He had put his dreams and the vision he'd had for the Saikyo-ryu Dojo in jeopardy for no reason other than to satisfy his blind ambition of worldwide fame and fortune. The realization of what he'd done left him, well... drained.

Nobody was around to bear the sight of a morally destroyed Dan, deprived of all hope. All he has left are his memories of his victories (such as they were), his dreams of one day scoring with the ladies (sh-yeah, right!), and of being recognized as the greatest Street Fighter in the world (THAT's about as likely as Dan scoring with the ladies!). Oh well….

"HEY!! Enough already! You've made your point! GOSH!" Dan objects.

And he missed his old fan club. Dan thought of them as his friends. It really hurt when they decided to disband after he'd been defeated by R. Then, when he suffered another embarrassing loss, this time to THE MCD, the club members publicly turned their backs on him and Dan hasn't heard from them since.

Not caring if anyone saw him, Dan drops to his knees and sobs bitterly for a while. Then, his heart with anger filled, he rises up, shakes his fist like he's taunting, and explodes (not literally, of couse), "R! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! Somehow, SOMEWAY, I'll get you back for all you've put me through!!"

From that day forth, Dan swore vegenance against R and was determined to use all the awesome (?) powers of his Saikyo-ryu to defeat him. But first, he's got to clean up the financial mess he's made.

Over those next three days, Dan makes some phone calls, boxes up the remainder of his possessions, and starts moving them into the new dojo he'd opened. He quietly closes down the other dojos, and sells them to pay off his debts. Then, with the money he'd been given for his car plus what little bit there's left after he paid the loans, he pays off the mortgage on the dojo, allowing him to own it plus the floor right above it. By the time it's all over, after all the long-distance phone calls have been made, Dan is reduced to owning one Saikyo-ryu dojo and would have gone completely broke, were it not for an unusual increase in sales of his autobiography "From ZERO to HERO: The Dan Hibiki Story". When he received his latest royalty check from his publisher, he noticed a couple of extra zeros in the amount. Dan was curious as to why, in light of all the things that'd been happening to him, his book was selling so well; perhaps he should look into it one day. _Ah well_, he thinks, _at least it's enough to keep the dojo afloat and get me some food_.

Since that time, Dan has turned the second floor of the building the dojo occupies into a loft. Overall, it's not much compared to the house he used to live in, but at least now he has a place to eat, sleep, bathe, and train in all under one roof.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

_**TOKYO - SAIKYO-RYU DOJO:**_

Which brings us back to where we are now.

We see Dan poking at a pot he's making on a hotplate. It's late at night, he's a "desperately" single guy, he's making ends meet food wise with a little macaroni, cheese, ramen, Baco Bits, Spam, salami, various spices, you name it. He dips a spoon in to taste it...

"Hmmm… not bad."

Pleased with his unusual culinary concoction, Dan spoons some of it into a bowl, and with chopsticks in hand, sits down at the table to eat it. The television's on, providing some background noise, and the evening news is on.

On screen, the newscaster reports, _"….emergency crews have been out and about throughout Tokyo and several neighboring districts in the wake of a battle that took place this evening…"_

This gets Dan's attention. "Huh!? A battle?" He takes the TV remote and turns up the volume. Watching the broadcast, he sees images of the destruction left behind by Neko-Ranma and Wild-R's fight. "Whoa! Is that guy kidding me? That looks like a war zone! Wonder what or who caused it?"

"…_earlier reports were unable to identify who or what exactly caused this amount of damage. Some sources say that tonight's events originated from the Nerima Ward, which is regarded by many people as a virtual hot spot of intense martial arts activity. However, we received this video footage from a local bystander in the Juuban district who witnessed part of the fight. Sensitive viewers be aware – it IS disturbing." _

The newscaster is gone and in his place we see the footage of the Sailor Scouts going up against Malachite, Zoycite, and their Youma. Dan is momentarily occupied by the sight of the beautiful warriors in sailor suits (we know where HIS mind's at this moment!) instead of the action on screen. But before he can drool over them further, two uninvited guests (who, judging by the cuts and bruises all over them, look like they've gone twenty rounds nonstop!) crash the party onscreen… and Dan recognizes one of them instantly. "HEY! THAT'S R! What's HE doing there!?" He then notices Ranma. "And who's the guy R's fighting?"

Dan watches the fight between Wild-R and Neko-Ranma. On the TV screen we see Wild-R punch Neko-Ranma with a hard hook, stunning him a little. Then he delivers a fast clothesline, running and slamming him into a wall, destroying it in the process. Neko-Ranma strikes Wild-R back with a rising kick, sending him into the air. Jumping after him, Neko-Ranma delivers a deadly air combo, finishing it off by grabbing Wild-R and piledriving him into the pavement with a spinning slide slam, making a crater in the ground.

Now Dan's never met or fought Ranma Saotome before, but already he likes what he seeing. OK, sure, HE's not the one out there doing the fighting, but as long as R's the one getting his ass kicked seven ways, Dan dosen't mind at all. In fact, he's cheering for Ranma. "YAHOO! That's what I'm talkin' about! Go, kid!! Beat that nasty R down! That'll teach him not to mess with ME!"

But then Dan sees R get up. "BOO!" he hisses at the TV. As the battle on-screen continues, Neko-Ranma tries to slash Wild-R but misses…and ends up slicing a car in half, like a hot knife passing through butter, then a poster, and a tree… Dan can't believe what just he saw. "ACK! Did that guy just cut up a car with his BARE hands!? What kind of technique is THAT!? He could give that Vega guy some pointers!"

OK, NOW, he starts to pay attention to what's happening. He watches as the two guys in grey military uniforms (a.k.a. Malachite and Zoycite) sic their monsters on Ranma and R. In response, Neko-Ranma proceeds to simultaneously destroy the monsters and thrash Malachite and Zoycite with ONE attack! Dan's eyes bug out in awe of the display of power and technique he's witnessed. This narrator should mention at this point that Dan doesn't know that both R and Ranma are fighting in a state brought on by their Insane Wolf Fist and Neko-Ken techniques respectively.

But his awe turns to horror as those incredibly beautiful Sailor girls try to break up the fight and their attacks have no effect on Neko-Ranma and Wild-R. Then Wild-R kicks the ground, creating a powerful slicing burst of air in front of him that hits Neko-Ranma and push him back. He does the same move again, but Neko-Ranma evades it and the attack destroys that destroys some trees, posters, and anything in its path. The Sailor Scouts just BARELY dodge them in the nick of time.

Dan gasps as they are nearly blown away by Wild-R's violent wind attack. He can see the fearful looks on the girls' faces and is just as frightened by the scene before them as they are. Then the whole fiasco turns into a fireball war as Neko-Ranma and Wild-R fling Ki blasts at each each other so fast that the battle is not taking place between two fighters duking it out but rather two armies firing a barrage of cannons at each other!

The screen goes blank for a moment, and then the newscaster resumes his report. Dan has sees enough. _OK, R and that kid have like, superhuman levels of endurance; even though they've been hurt, they just keep on fighting. Now that I think about it, what WERE those techniques those guys used? The Ki blasts I understand, but the slashing attacks and stuff? It's like they're fighting like wild animals! And probably stronger than Zangief to boot, too. And what's up with that slicing wind-blast of R's? Another new attack I gotta watch out for when I face him again? Great, just great. And what's worse, not even those cute girls in Salior suits could get those two to stop; their attacks couldn't even scratch them! Unbelievable! And THEY're superheroines! And if THEY couldn't beat R, then what chance does a guy like me have? I'm practically DOOMED!!_

Tears stream down Dan's eyes as he admits that his chances of surviving a fight with R acting all fierce and animal-like like he was tonight are next to none. That his Saikyo-ryu would be nothing compared to the level of savagery and violence R displayed. To fight this man-monster would basically result in Dan getting himself killed.

As he remembers the part of the news broadcast where the Sailor Scouts tried (and unfortunately failed) to stop the fight between Neko-Ranma and Wild-R, all he can imagine was what kind of terrible power that villain R must possess that could strike such fear on the faces of those brave girls. And that imagining ignites a sizzle in his blood that draws his face tight with anger. Outraged by R's actions, Dan stands up taunting, hot raging flames of JUSTICE burning in the background as he goes into full Kuno-style speech mode! "Grrr… damn that R! Beating me up was bad enough, but now… THIS! Using your dreadful powers as a martial artist to frighten beautiful young women…! Oooohhh…..THAT DOES IT! I've had it up to here with you, R! By the powers invested in me as master of Saikyo-ryu, I SHALL STAMP OUT THIS VILE FIEND, THIS ENEMY OF WOMEN!! YEA, THE VERY HEAVENS DOTH COMMAND IT!! PREPARE THYSELF, R, FOR BEHOLD, THE MOMENT OF YOUR RUIN WILL SOON BE AT HAND! GLORIOUS BE THE DAY WHEN I VANQUISH THEE FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH!! WAH-HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT R's MANSION / RED CAT GANG'S HIDEOUT….**_

"HA-CHOO!"

R rubs his nose after he sneezed. That last sneeze there had jolted him awake. Lying on his luxurious king-sized bed, he thinks this must have been the third time that he sneezed tonight, the past two instances during a debriefing / questioning session held earlier this evening by those RED CAT Intelligence Agents. They needed something, anything that R could remember to use in preparing the report they were to give to High Priest Erick Genryusai and the Cat Ghost King.

The total effort exhausted and frustrated the RED CAT Agents. In their attempts at questioning poor R, they were unable to dredge up one mote of new information. All R could do was tell them only what he knew; he was at the dance with Kodachi, he fights with Ranma over a steamed bun, a cat shows up, freaks out Ranma, and Ranma starts acting like a cat too. Next thing he knows, he's waking up inside some old temple miles away from Furinkan High. Between that and before, he can't remember squat diddly.

So based on R's responses, they reported R's mental and physical condition to Erick and Dr. Wily, concluding that R had no memory of his actions while using the Wolf-Fist, and (to Erick's private satisfaction on top of NOT knowing they did this) confirmed the successful field test of Erick's EG-K9 Trancemitter. When the session was over, they reluctantly allowed R to go home.

Leaving the base through the secret entrance, R had gingerly made his way across the grounds of his estate, passing though his private rose garden, eventually making it to the back door of his house. Once there, he then let himself in with his key. Slowly but surely R went straight to his bedroom. He took off what's left of his suit and dropped it on the floor; as he stood there in nothing but his unbuttoned shirt and underwear he looked once around his room. In his current state of mind, it was a strangely cold, unfamiliar open space to him. Perhaps it was the alcohol talking? In any case, lacking the strength to stay on his feet any longer, he plopped down on the bed like a man falling at the side of a road.

Now it was like, what, maybe less than a half-hour since he'd laid down that he sneezed?

_I wonder who's been talking about me?_ R thinks as he shakes his head, trying to fully wake up. _Maybe there's something to that old wives tale that someone is talking about you when you sneeze a lot._ R thinks about it. Then he thinks about it some more. "Naah!" he says, and then crawls under the silken covers of his bed and goes back to sleep.

* * *

_**BACK AT THE SAIKYO-RYU DOJO…**_

Dan is trying to sleep, but he can't. Whether it was his burning desire to defeat R once and for all (further inflamed by the sight of those pretty Sailor girls being intimidated by R's raw animal powers) or what he'd eaten for dinner not agreeing with him or a combination thereof, he gets up. Beside his bed is a two-drawer file cabinet, which doubles as a nightstand. We'll return to it later.

As Dan sits there, for no reason at all whatsoever (or least this narrator hopes the author's got a reason for this part!), he starts to think about certain events in his life. He remembers his first attempt at asking a girl out. It was back in high school….

….and cue the flashback!

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

One day at school, Dan walks up to a girl he likes. Being polite and gentlemanly-like, he says, "Hi. You're cute. Perhaps today we could go out on a date."

The girl is about to reply, "Oh, I'm going out with my friends later, and…"

Before she can even finish, poor Dan thinks she's already shot him down. He pathetically laments, "AARGH, the bitterness of defeat!" Feeling rejected, he sobs, "Boo hoo hoo!" as he runs away.

Surprised, the girl blinks. "The bitterness of...?" _That guy's a little weird…_

-(END FLASHBACK)-

"Huh?" Dan comes to his senses. _Oh yeah, I remember that one. She WAS cute._

Over his high-school years Dan tried on countless occasions (and with many different girls!) to express his feelings - he had even gone as far as writing one a poem! - but the words just couldn't make it past his lips. A few times he tried (unsuccessfully) to corner some into confessing

their affection for him. Oh sure, there had been a bit of hand holding and a few quick kisses but nothing that approximated the passion Dan wanted SO desperately to share with someone of the opposite sex. So, invariably, when any of their prospective boyfriends (or guys who looked like their boyfriends!) were around, Dan could be found retreating to his room, where he would sulk for an hour or two and wonder why he couldn't get anywhere with girls.

The first girl Dan tried to ask out eventually DID go out with him. But after a few dates, it was plain they were not meant to be lovers, that it was more important that their friendship survive than anything else. So she'd moved on to the guy of her dreams, and Dan would throw himself into martial arts with renewed fervor. But good lord, how his hormones had raged back then! And that was BEFORE he ever heard of or laid eyes (and possibly hands!) on Mai Shiranui!

Never once did it occur to Dan that he'd been trying too hard to impress the ladies, which is the reason why he has no luck with them. It had nothing to do with the fact that his fighting skills are not up to par with other Street Fighters (which, when you think about it, is just a nice way of saying he sucks).

"Hey!? What is this? "Everybody Hates Dan?" What'd I ever do to YOU anyway?" Dan complains to the narrator.

Good thing nobody's around to see him talking to thin air – else they'd think he's just a crazy person. And only crazy people talk to themselves. Ah, it's times like these when it's GOOD to be the narrator.

Back to the current scene, sitting on top of the aforementioned cabinet is a picture frame that holds an old photograph from back in the day. In the picture we see Dan in his early teens, a rather awkward-looking kid wearing a white karate gi; back then, he was FAR from the handsome, super-stud (but still desperately single!) martial artist he currently is (or THINKS he is, anyway). Behind him, to his left, is his mother, a beautiful woman of sexy proportions wearing her sorta reddish-pink hair in a cute style and an elegant kimono. By her side stands a man in an olive-green colored gi, his long brown hair tied back in a ponytail similar to Dan's, and his most prominent feature is the red, long-nosed tengu mask he wears. THIS, obviously, is Dan's father Go Hibiki.

Dan looks at his parents' image in the photo. "Would you believe me if I said I wish you were here? Because I could sure use some of your advice right now."

And funnily enough, memories of his parents somehow made their way in among Dan's ponderings on women...

-(BEGIN SERIES OF FLASHBACKS)-

We're inside the Hibiki residence. Anna Hibiki is setting the dinner table when a man wearing a green karate gi and a red tengu mask leaps into the room. It's Dan's dad, Go Hibiki! "HA HA!"

Anna sweatdrops, groaning, "Honestly, Go-chin, must you wear that mask around the house?"

With a haughty tone of voice, Go says, "Who're you talking to woman? There ain't no Go Hibiki here. I'm the Super Karate Tengu! Feel the awesome power of my secret technique!"

"Well, "Super Karate Tengu", if you don't cut out that nonsense right now, I won't use "my" secret technique after we have dinner. I'd like to spend a quiet romantic evening at home with my husband for once, not his loony masked alter-ego."

Go knows what she's talking about. "Aw phooey. You know just how to get to me." He then takes off his mask; without it he looks JUST LIKE Dan, except he has a rather scruffy-looking moustache and his face looks like he shaves maybe once or twice every other week. One would think based on his appearance that Go Hibiki rather resembles a dirty old bum. But there's a certain gleam, a charming twinkle in his eyes that combined with his looks makes him seem more like a handsome, rouge-ish, gentlemanly type than, well… a bum. That, along with his natural charisma and sex appeal, made him irresistible to women. Go could have had any girl in the world he wanted. But he'd met his match while traveling through Hong Kong; not long after that, he'd married Anna and she became his wife. And the two've been madly in love ever since. Unfazed, he continues, "Besides, you didn't think I was a loony when we…"

Anna blushes, "Well…yes, but back THEN you were sane."

"Hey, babe, I've ALWAYS been sane. It's the rest of the world that's crazy." Go decides to change the subject. "So… where's the boy?"

"Our son is on a date tonight, so we have the house to ourselves," Anna replies with a wink.

"Ah, yeahhhh…." But something occurs to Go. "Waitaminute… Dan's on an ACTUAL date?"

"Yes."

"With a REAL girl?"

"Yes."

Go breathes a sigh of relief. "*Whew*….Oh, good. I thought he'd made up another imaginary girlfriend like the last time. Poor kid was just desperate."

Anna assures him, "No, she's real this time, dear. In fact, I hear she's the most popular girl at his school."

Go frowns on hearing that; he doesn't like where this is going. "Hoo boy, sounds like a pity date."

"A pity date?"

"Yep. Classic setup. Popular girl sees hopeless, dateless, and downright pathetic loser get dumped one time too many, takes pity on him, and goes out with him. Only a total IDIOT would take her up on it!"

"Dear! That's your SON you're talking about you know."

"In all the years you've known me, babe, you know that I'll tell you the truth. I'd never say anything bad about our boy if it weren't true."

Personally, Anna feels that Go is harsh in his criticism of Dan. She hates to admit it, but this time her husband is right. Still, she sticks up for her son ('cause that's what moms do!). "Yes, but…"

Go shakes his head in disbelief. "I tell ya, I just don't get it. Dan's a good kid. A little WEIRD, but he's a good kid. Got a good head on his shoulders. He's definitely got my looks, but absolutely NONE of my charm. Matter of fact, he reminds me of me, except without the potential for greatness. Now martial arts is one thing; women are a whole different story."

Later that night, Mr. and Mrs. Hibiki hear the sound of a door opening and closing. Go looks at his wife, wondering who it could be at this hour. And then regrets it when he seen Dan walk into the room, a look of gloom and despair on his face.

Go knows what's happened just by the look on his boy's face, but he decides to humor him anyway. "Hey, hey, son! YOU're home early. So how was your big date?"

"Oh, it was… okay, I guess," Dan tells his father as he goes into the kitchen to get a late-night snack.

Go pauses for a moment before dropping the bomb on him. "She dumped you, didn't she? Go on, tell the truth."

Dan hated this part of the night; every time he'd been dumped by a girl, his father would never let him hear the end of it. He'd braced himself for his father's good-intentioned (but rather mean-spirited) teasing about his efforts with women. So he tells himself: _I will not spontaneously burst into tears. I will keep my cool. I will not give him a line to pick up and run with. I'll just tell him the truth, and that's all._ "Yeah."

Go snorts, "HA! I knew it. OK, what'd you do? Comment about her bust size? Did something WEIRD to creep her out?"

"No!" Dan says defensively. "It was nothing like that at all!"

Go considers that. "Hmm… if that's true, then maybe YOU're the reason you keep getting dumped all the time. Perhaps you're giving off some kinda aura that makes the girls not want to touch you with a twenty-foot pole."

Dan comments, "I thought it was a ten-foot pole."

"Trust me, son; in YOUR case, it's a twenty-foot pole."

Anna inwardly sighs; her husband's in rare form tonight. She goes to her son and comforts him, giving him a hug. "Oh, sweetie, you're going to be fine. Don't let your father get you down. There's someone for everyone, you know. You just have to find her, that's all. She's out there, just waiting for you."

Dan hugs his mother back. "Aw, thanks, Mom. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Go throws his two cents in. "Phff….Whatever. You know, I was telling your mother earlier this evening that you remind me of me when I was your age! Except without the potential for greatness, that is."

Dan sarcastically says, "Oh, gee, thanks Dad, for landing yet another blow to my already-wounded self-esteem."

Go laughs, "Don't mention it! Aaahh… just kidding ya, boy." Then, FINALLY getting serious, he asks, "Awww…what's the matter? So she dumped you? Big whoop. Your mother's right, boy; there's other fish in the sea! You'll find another girl. After all, you're a Hibiki! You've got qualities that some young ladies might find very sexy!

Dan takes the opportunity to stand up to his father. "Oh yeah? Name ONE."

Now that HE's the one put on the spot, Go tries to talk his way out. "Well…uh…you're, uh, you…. have the gift of humor. Yeah, that's it! You're funny! You make people laugh! Surely some girl out there would think so, too! So c'mon, cheer up!"

Dan looks at his father with sad puppy dog eyes, his lower lip trembling.

_Oh well, I tried, _Go thinks. Aloud, to his son, he says, "Ah, geez, you're not gonna CRY now, are ya?"

"No, no…. I'm all right," Dan replies, keeping his cool.

"Are you sure, dear?" Anna asks concernedly.

"Yeah, but I…. I think I have something in my eye…*sniff*! Boo hoo hoo!" With that, Dan runs upstairs to his room in tears.

Anna sighs, "Well, THAT went over well."

Go shrugs, "Hey, at least he didn't go into his usual speech about being such a pathetic loser, that no girl could ever fall in love with him, and how disgustingly lonely he thinks he is." He picks up a newspaper and reads it. "Hmph. Sex, sex, sex. That's all these kids think about these days! I might have known it would end up like this. To think of all the love and affection we've wasted on HIM!"

"Go-chin!"

"Whaaat?"

"Instead of berating your son's failures with the fairer sex, why don't you do something to, oh, I don't know, HELP him?"

Go puts down his paper. "Yeah, you're right. Well, since you and I aren't going to do some "husband-and-wife" things together tonight since our son the "Dateless Wonder" is home, I think I'll go out for a bit."

Anna doesn't believe it. "Oh, yeah right. You're going out so you can go drinking with your buddy Takuma."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: As in Takuma Sakazaki from King of Fighters!]

Go assures his wife, "No, no! I'm just going to see him for advice on how to handle our son's, er, "problem". I get some of my best ideas after I've tossed back a few cold ones!"

Fast forward to just a few days before Go Hibiki is killed by Sagat, and we're outside a neighborhood dojo. The sign reads:

HIBIKI SCHOOL OF MARTIAL ARTS:

"We Make Butt-Whooping an Art Form!"

Inside, we see Dan gazing out the window. His father stands beside him, also looking out. Go turns to his son and says, "One day, m'boy, all this will be yours..."

Dan eyes brighten up as he innocently asks his father, "Even your "secret scroll collection" you keep hidden from Mom all the time?"

"Wh-WHAT!? **NO!** Not THOSE scrolls, boy! And how'd YOU know where they were anyway? *Sigh*…. ANYWAY, take a good look around. All that you can see..." He indicates the entire dojo. "...from the window to the walls, to the ceiling to the floor, this'll be YOUR dojo, son."

"But, Dad, I don't want any of that…"

"Listen, boy, I built this dojo up from nothing. Everybody thought I was crazy to start a martial arts school here in the first place, but I built it all the same ... just to show 'em!"

At this point Dan risks asking, "You're not gonna say it sank into the mud, are you?"

"HEY! How'd you know? You weren't even born yet when that happened!"

"Call it a wild guess. Then you'll say that the second time you tried to open the dojo THAT one sank into the mud, right?"

"Errrgh…..!" Go sweatdrops.

"And then, you'll tell me you built a third one ... which burned down, fell over, and THEN sank into the mud! I've heard this story, y'know! GOSH!"

Go manages to finish his story, in spite of his son's interruptions, "Yeah, but THIS TIME it'll stay up! And that's what you're gonna get, lad: the strongest dojo in this country!"

Dan sighs, "But I don't want any of that. I'd rather..."

"You'd rather what?" Go asks him.

"I'd rather ... just ... sing ...!"

Out of nowhere, a musical introduction starts to play.

"ACK! HEY! Stop that! Stop that! You're not doing a song while I'm here! Good grief, boy! Whaddya think this is? An Andrew Lloyd Webber musical?"

The music stops, and then Go says, "Now listen, Dan, my good buddy Takuma Sakazaki and I got together [AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah…over some beers!] to arrange this marriage for you! Think of it, boy! You're getting married to a girl whose father is the master of one of the most powerful martial arts schools in Japan – the School of Kyokugen Karate!"

Dan blinks, confused. "But what would I do with Kyokugen-ryu Karate?"

Go smacks his own forehead in frustration; sometimes his boy can be so dense. "Grr…! Listen, Stan…!"

"It's Dan, Dad!"

"Oh, right, Dan ... Let's face it; nobody's even heard of our dojo! We need all the recognition we can get! And what better way to do that by uniting our schools through marriage!"

"But, but I don't like her."

Go can't believe it. "You don't like her? What's wrong with her!? She's beautiful, she's rich, she's got… well, y'know, "them", even if they're not as large…"

Dan blushes, embarrassed. At what point did the conversation suddenly turn from inherting the family dojo to the size of Yuri Sakazaki's breasts? "DAD!" Then, he says, "Yeah, I know ... but ... I want the girl that I marry to have ... a certain ... special ... something..."

Cue another musical intro for a song. Go stops the musicians from playing again. "Oh, cut that out! Cut that out!" The music cuts off abruptly again. "Now look, you're marrying Yuri Sakazaki, so you'd better get used to the idea!" He then slaps Dan silly!

**SMACK!**

Dan rubs his bruised cheek. "OW! But why do I have to marry Yuri?"

Go explains, "Bee-CAUSE I don't want that new rich-boy, fancy-pants pupil Takuma took in to marry her! Y'know, that…that Jerry Garcia kid!"

"Uh…I think his name's Robert, Dad…"

**SMACK!**

"OW!"

"Whatever! Look, the point is, if HE decides he wants to marry Yuri, he'll sweep her away with his fancy clothes, sports cars, money, and… and what'll WE end up with? NOTHING! So that's why YOU're gonna marry her. Got it?

Dan tries to object, "But, Dad...."

"No buts! You're marrying Yuri! End of discussion!"

He throws one last look at his son and turns, goes out and slams the door. Dan looks forlornly out of the window. As he does this, the unseen musicians in this episode play yet another musical intro to a song ...

The door flies open, the music cuts off and Go pokes his head in. "And NO singing!"

Go slams the door again, leaving Dan alone in the dojo to gaze out of the window again...

-(END SERIES OF FLASHBACKS)-

Dan looks up from his thoughts and over to a corner of the room. On a shelf there is the tengu mask Dan's father wore. He walks over to the shelf and picks up the mask. Looking back over his past, Dan realizes that day in the dojo was one of the last times he and his father spoke…. He can remember the events leading up to the fateful day that changed his life…

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

They had snuck out in the middle of the night. It wasn't until early in the morning, while they were aboard a ship heading for Thailand, that Go reaveled his plan to his son.

"Word has it that in Thailand there's this guy who's THE champion of Muay Thai. I'm gonna show up and challenge him. The way I see it boy, if I can whomp him on his own turf in front of his countrymen, it'll be the chance to put our dojo on the map!" Go goes on, "Hmph! Already I hear they're calling him the "Emperor of Muay Thai". To which I say, "Sh-yeah, right!" If anybody's gonna be the King of Fighting, it's ME, Go Hibiki! Mwahahahaha!"

That was how Go foolishly thought it would go down. As for what happened next, well…

So they arrive in Thailand. Once there, Go asks around and finds out there's a Muay Thai match going on in which Sagat is participating. Go's plan (such as it was) is to crash the party, publicly challenge Sagat, and as he'd eloquently put it, "give 'em a good whomping!"

Dan then remembers the first time he saw Sagat. Back then, the Muay Thai fighter did not have the eye patch (yet!) nor the scar on his chest (THAT would come years later). But his size alone gave a young Dan Hibiki the heebie-jeebies. This giant of a man was the guy his father was going to fight? Was he the only one who thought that his father's outrageously ambitious (but downright half-baked!) plan was a REALLY BAD idea? Dan remembers expressing his concern to his father. "Dad, no disprespect meant, but have you completely gone off your nut!? This guy's probably two, maybe three times your size! Plus, I dunno about you but he looks mean and SCARY!"

To which Go says, "Geez, boy, have a little faith in me will ya! Don't you know a true martial artist can use an opponent's size and strength against him? And you know what they say, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

"But, Dad…"

"Look, Dan…!" Go snarls through gritted teeth. "OK, you're right. Sagat's a LITTLE bit bigger than I'd heard. And I'd be lying if I said I'm not intimidated by this guy; in fact, I'm trembling all over!" He promptly does just that. "Kyeeeeeee…! My whole body's practically screaming, "RUN AWAY! You can't win this one! You'll get killed! Seriously, man, REALLY bad idea!" But in spite of all this, I'm gonna fight anyway!"

On hearing this, Dan now sees his father in a whole new light; it would be one of the lessons that would stay with him long after this fateful day.

As Go prepares to put his plan in action, he further explains, "The thing is to not be overwhelmed by fear! Fear's a part of your opponent's strategy. All YOU gotta do is stay cool, keep your eye on the guy you're fighting. And I mean REALLY keep an eye on him… his eyes, his posture, his stance, whatever. Don't let even the smallest sign of movement escape your attention. 'cause if you drop your guard for even a moment… well, that's all she wrote!" For the final touch, Go dons his Tengu mask. "Now listen up – this part's important. When this fight starts, you can't help me. This is test of my skills. I am going to pit my style against his Muay Thai. You can't be involved because it'd mean I'd be already admitting defeat! Do you understand, boy?"

Dan was stunned, because he did understand. He realized that despite how one-sided this match appeared to be, this was a matter of honor. The founder / sole practioner / master (sort of) of Hibiki-ryuu Martial Arts vs. the Emperor of Muay Thai. Dan simply bowed to his father and took a seat near the ring. All he could do now was watch and wait to see what happened next.

The match in progress was near-ending with Sagat's current opponent getting his arm broken before having his face kicked against the ring. As his arm snapped, the crowd roared in approval, and the fight was over. After the fighter was dragged away, the announcer entered the ring.

"The winner and still champ: Sagat! Now, who here has the guts to take on our champion!? Anybody!? Come on! He's just ONE guy, here! Don't be a wimp! Come on! Come-- what the!?"

The announcer and the crowd gasp as a newcomer steps into the ring from right out of the audience. The champ just calmly regards the scene before him. "...What?! Who are you?" the announcer demands.

Go cracks his knuckles, and casually replies, "Me? Just a no-name fighter, entering this little brawl to win fame. But unlike THOSE other guys, I'm setting my sights MUCH higher! Now would you mind moving aside?" He pushes the announcer out of the way. "Besides, YOU're not the one I'm here for anyway." With that, he marches up to Sagat. "HEY! Word has it they call you the "Emperor"! Well, being a martial artist myself, I can't just stand by and let somebody like YOU make that kind of declaration. You'll of course excuse me if I don't grovel and bow in awe, like I'm impressed - because I'm NOT. Your so-called reign ends today! Sagat, I challenge you!"

A wild-looking young Muay Thai fighter leapt into the ring and stands between Go and Sagat. Clearly furious, outraged by the disrespect this masked interloper has shown for his mentor, the youth growls, "HEY! Impudent punk! Worthless dog! Don't you know WHO you're addressing? How DARE you talk like that to HIM!?"

"Stand down, Adon," Sagat calmly says to his hot-headed pupil at the time. "I believe this man already knows who I am. A lesser fool would not have gone to all this trouble for an audience with me."

"HELLO? I'm STILL here, y'know?" Go says, thinking Sagat's ignored him. "And this FOOL's gonna be the one who cleans your clock!"

Only then does Sagat look down to face his opponent. "Hmph. Your efforts to rile me are up are futile. Only a fool would believe that ridiculous mask you wear would make you appear fearsome or even intimidating. A fool like YOU."

A less observant guy would have missed it, but Go caught the faintest of expressions that made it clear that was exactly what Sagat thought of him right now. Even so, he comes back with, "Yeah, just like a buffoon who's big believes that makes them tough. A buffoon like YOU!"

Sagat cocks an eyebrow. "Touche. Would you care to find out how tough I really am?"

Adon can't stand this; his fists balled, ready to fight, he shoots a look of pure venom in Go's direction. "Master, allow me to defeat him! His presence in this ring is an insult to our Muay Thai!"

"That will be enough, Adon." Sagat stops him.

"So, do you accept my challenge or what?" Go asks him, still looking right at him, not taking his eyes off him.

Sagat's response to that is, "You… have barged into this arena uninvited. You have violated the sanctity of this ring. For this, I should decline your foolish challenge." But he notices the look of determination in Go's eyes. "Hmm… You've got good eyes… the eyes of a warrior. I see you do not intend to back down. Very well, I accept. As the Emperor, I will vanquish ALL challengers." He then assumes his fighting stance.

Go does likewise, saying, "FINALLY! Let's do this, big guy!"

Thankful that the scene unfoldfing before him didn't turn ugly, the announcer picks up his mike again, and continues, "Well, everybody… it looks like we have a new challenger!!! And it's… some strange guy in a mask…! Ok, now! Our next fight: Sagat vs. the Masked Fool!"

"Hey, IDIOT!" Go yells at the announcer. "That's Super Karate Tengu to you! Soon to be the new King of Martial Arts!"

The announcer goes on saying, "So place your bets folks, 'cause this fight's about to start RIGHT NOW! Personally, my money's on the Emperor!"

As the crowd scrambled towards the betting booths, the fight was already under way.

With a battle cry, Go lunges at Sagat and attacks with a punch followed quickly by a kick. Sagat blocks both and retaliates with his own punch toward Go's face. Go dodges the blow and throws a punch towards Sagat, aiming below the belt. Offended that his opponent would resort to such a juvenile tactic Sagat grabs Go's fist with one hand (!) and flings him away with a throw. Finding himself flung into the air Go does a flip and lands back on his feet, quickly facing Sagat again, who's standing several feet away. Both combatants eye the other for a while before they both charge and exchanged kicks and punches that are blocked or dodged by the other.

Dan watches as his father fights with Sagat. Relieved, he sighs, thinking, _Dad seems to be doing OK so far – that mean Sagat guy hasn't creamed him, but Dad hasn't been able to score a hit on him either. Man, I REALLY hope this plan of his works!_

Sagat throws a kick towards Go. Go blocks the kick, than delivers a hard elbow into Sagat's gut, momentarily stunning the larger man, causing him to stagger back. It's just enough time for Go to whip out one of his special attacks! "Here I go! ZANRETSUKEN! (Momentary Violence Fist)"

Before Sagat can counterattack, he gets smacked around by a storm of flying fists! Down on one knee, Sagat doesn't like what's going on here. His opponent's making him look like a beginner. _Perhaps he DOES possess some skill. Nevertheless…_ "Not bad. But now the gloves come off." From his current grounded position, Sagat leaps up and strikes with "TIGER CRUSH!". His signature knee attack whacks Go right in the jaw as he's about to make another attack.

"URRGH!" Go wasn't expecting that knee attack of Sagat's; that blow nearly took his head off. Still, it knocked him down to the ground.

Sagat then attempts to stomp Go flat with a heel drop, but Go rolls out of the way and surprises the King of Muay Thai with another one of his suspiciously-familiar attacks…

"KOHOU! (Tiger Roar)"

The uppercut hits true, right into Sagat's jaw. Sagat staggers back, spitting out blood and a tooth, but was given no chance to recover and retaliate as Go comes in with a roundhouse to his face, then quickly turns around and elbows him in the chest, and then quickly brought his fist up and smashed him in the nose.

"Well, Sagat, it looks like victory will be mine! C'mon already! At least put up a fight!" Go taunts as he backsteps, putting distance between himself and Sagat. He charges, then leaps forward, yelling "HIEN SHIPPU KYAKU! (Flying Gale Kick)". Making contact with a flying kick. Go twists around while in mid-air and roundhouses Sagat with his other leg. The stunned kickboxer collapses, and Go folds his arms in disgust. "Hmph! King of Muay Thai, my butt! What a disappointment!"

The crowd starts really getting into what's happened in the ring. Go receives equal portions of cheers and boos from them; the boos, of course, are from those folks who've been rooting for Sagat the whole time.

"WOW!" Dan cheers enthusiastically, "Way to go, Dad! You totally mopped the floor with him! YAHOO!!"

Uh, don't speak too soon Dan. LOOK!

You know, Go REALLY should be paying attention to his opponent right now. While he drinks in the praise, adulation, and everything else, Sagat's staggering to his knees, trying to recover his bearings. Once he does so, he advances toward Go, and…

"DAD! LOOK OUT!" Dan cries out to his father, trying to warn him of the incoming danger.

Oops, too late. Go didn't expect to be jerked around and then have the taller man's foot to go flying right into his gut. The breath flows out of the martial artist with an audible *whoosh*, and he flies back, bouncing off of the ropes.

Sagat then meets Go's head with a straight punch, and he falls to the mat. Sagat wipes blood off of the corner of his mouth with one hand, and with his other hand grabs Go by his head, yanks him up, and rams his knee into Go's face over and over for starters. He then switches up, throwing punches into Go as if the man's just a punching bag. With one last blow, Sagat sends Go into the ropes. Upon landing, Go crumbles to the mat.

"Pathetic," Sagat says of his downed opponent.

_Crap… Got cocky..._ Go thinks. _Sh-should_ _have known... he'd try to attack while my guard's down…_ Go tries to shut out the pain and regain his focus.

"Dad! DAD!" Dan is by his father's side instantly.

Go groggily awakens. "I…. I ain't goin' down. Not yet…."

Dan hates to be the bearer of bad news, but, "Bad news, Dad. You ARE down. You gotta throw in the towel. Back out gracefully with honor."

Sagat overhears the conversation. "You should listen to your son. Leave this ring while you still can."

"HEY! Butt out, you!" Go growls. He reaches deep inside himself, and with the little bit of strength he finds, he uses that to rise to his feet. He then spits out blood, puts his mask back on, and though he stumbles a bit, gets back into his fighting stance.

"DAD! Don't do this!"

"SHUT UP, SON!" Go harshly rebukes Dan, then adds with his usual sarcasm, "And I mean that in the most loving way possible! The ONLY way I'm leaving this ring is when I knock this oversized clown DOWN!!" With that, Go makes another attempt at defeating Sagat.

Sagat poses a question to his opponent, "Your determination is admirable, but why do you insist on continuing to fight? Give up now and spare yourself an embarrassing defeat by my hand."

Go replies, "ME? Give up? Get serious! This battle's gonna settle once and for all my true potential! HERE I COME!"

And the fight resumes as Go and Sagat appear to trade punches and kicks. THIS time around, Go plays it smart; rather than press his attack, he spends part of the time evading Sagat's blows. When he DOES attack, he makes each strike count. And to Sagat's surprise, Go throws in a few Muay Thai style strikes, matching Sagat move for move. This strategy pays off for Go. Little by little he's wearing Sagat down. And all the while, he's summoning up his Ki reserves, waiting for the moment when he can use Sagat's weak point to his advantage…

Still Sagat keeps on coming, dishing out pain with his kicks. But one single kick that he misses gives Go a GREAT opportunity. He sidesteps the incoming kick, leaps up and toward Sagat, and plays his trump card…

"Gotcha! KO'OU KEN! (Tiger Gleam Fist)"

…unloading a Ki-blast right into Sagat's bad eye!

"ARRRRRRRGH!! MY EYE!" Sagat roars in pain, clutching at his now permanently-damaged eye. The eye itself is closed shut, swollen, and hemorrhaging in its fractured socket.

While Sagat's busy with his eye, Go seizes the moment and with renewed confidence, he proceeds to lay the smackdown on him unloading blow after blow on the Emperor of Muay Thai.

It looks like Sagat's in trouble now. Though he's on the brink of defeat, he is resolute, with only one single thought: _I cannot lose!_

As Go charges in to strike, Sagat deliveres a sweep kick that knocks him off his feet. But Go quickly gets up and throws a punch towards Sagat's midsection - again. Sagat grabs the fist, crushes it with his hand, and repays Go back by slamming a hard knee kick into his crotch! OUCH! Go's eyes bug out on impact; he can barely squeak out a grunt of pain as he falls to his knees, clutching his groin.

A collective gasp erupts from the crowd on seeing this. They rock back in their seats with sympathetic pain.

Dan winces at the sight. "Ugh! THAT's gotta hurt." _C'mon Dad, do something! Anything!_

Go crawls unsteadily and reaches for the ropes to try to regain his balance.

Meanwhile, Sagat, a look of pure rage burning in his one good eye, stalks across the ring in a direct path to his opponent. Go clumsily tries to defend himself, but the Muay Thai master drives home a Tiger Blow through his defense (such as it currently is) as if it weren't there. Go's head snaps back from the force of the punch, and he staggers.

Sagat's iron-hard fist slams into his ribs, driving the air from Go's lungs. "Come now," he says, then cracks him across the jaw with an elbow. "Well, I'm waiting…!" Sagat then thrusts his knee at Go's kidney. "This so-called potential you're supposed to have? Where is it now?"

_Oh man, Dad's getting thrashed out there!_ Dan thinks worriedly. He grits his teeth and flinches as Sagat lands another brutal combo on Go. "Come on Dad! You can do it!" he pleads to his reeling father. "OYAJII….!!"

But Sagat drives punch after merciless punch into Go's unprotected body, then punishing him with his kicks, refusing to let the suffering man just fall and let unconsciousness take him.

Go tries to gather his strength to counter Sagat's murderous assault, but agony flares through his nerves like a bonfire. He can't think... can't focus...

And yet somehow, in the midst of the noise from the audience, he can hear his son cheering him on. That did it. _Dan…? You're still in my corner, boy, even while I'm getting my ass kicked? Ah man, I've been such an IDIOT! All this time, I never realized how much my son really admires and respects me! Oh yeah, I gotta win this fight… now more than ever! _Dan's support from the sidelines cuts through the red haze of Go's pain, reaching some deep core of pride within. A desperate, enraged cry rumbled forth from his throat as he rears back his mighty fist…

"HYAAAAAAHHH!!!"

…And throws a Ki-charged punch with enough force to deflect Sagat's attack and push him away from Go, creating some distance between the fighters. It's all Go needs to end this. _It's my only hope now! I didn't wanna have to use this, but here goes…_ He decides to bring out the big guns, the piece de resistance… the mother of all final attacks! A mighty and powerful secret technique he'd developed that, if successful, will allow him to finish off Sagat with style! Though he's battered, bloodied, and brusied, Go confidently says, "I'd like to say it's been fun… NOT! We end this now, Sagat! BEHOLD! MY FINAL ATTACK! JUN KOKU SATSU!! (Weeping Martyr's Death)"

At that very moment Go tries to execute his finishing move, Sagat's back on his feet! YIKES! "All right," he says, as though taken in by a minor trick, "you've had your little fun, but now it is MY turn. I'll show you the power of my Muay Thai! TIGER RAID!"

Go doesn't even get the chance to use his Jun Koku Satsu (nor we do we even get to see what it ACTUALLY does), for Sagat comes out flying with a flurry of devasating kicks, each one hard enough to break every single bone in Go's body. And to finish it off, Sagat ends the violence with a multi-hitting flaming jump kick.

As Go's battered and barbecued body sails across the ring, he has one last conscious thought. _Unbelievable! This guy's as good as they say. Oh great, just great, the boy WAS right after all. Is my dream of fame and glory… just a dream after all…?_

But Sagat's not done yet. He rears back, gathering all his power, then yells "TIGER!!", launching a HUGE Tiger Shot at the unconscious form of Go Hibiki. Go receives the full force of Sagat's Ki blast. The body of Dan's father lands with a sickeningly final crunch on the mat.

And to add insult to injury, he walks over to Go, picks him up by his head for a moment, and then tosses him away like garbage!

**THUMP!**

…was the sound Go's body made as hit the mat one last time. The match is over. Sagat has won. Despite the loss of his eye, he got the victory and defended his title as the "Emperor of Muay Thai".

Two VERY different things happened in the Muay Thai arena that day.

On one side is Sagat, who raises his fists in triumph as he is surrounded by crowds of people who want to celebrate with the champ over his victory. To them, he is their hero. The announcer picks up his mike and says, "Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention, please. Tonight, we have had the privilege of witnessing the greatest exhibition of guts, stamina, and outright power in the history of this ring! Yet another glorious knockout for the Emperor, and as you can see and hear, the fans are letting him know how they feel about it. And they're feeling GOOD!" He then turns in Sagat's direction and says, "Well, champ, looks like you're still the Emperor. So now what are you going to do?"

Sagat takes the mike from him and loudly declares, "Hear me! I AM the Emperor! I can NOT be defeated! I have beaten ALL who dared challenge me, including THIS fool," Sagat says pointing to Go's unconscious and quivering form. "But it is not enough. Not for me. NOW, I seek greater challenges, stronger opponents, as befitting my rightful position as the Emperor. Someday, I will defeat a real champion. A true warrior! And if he dies by my hand, then he dies! To those who hear my roar, come and attack me any time! I will ALWAYS be here!"

As he leaves the ring to a rampant chorus of applause, Sagat flashes one last look over his shoulder to the Hibiki father-and-son duo. He smiles contemptuously, gives Dan a mock salute, then, accompanied by some VERY attractive women, his pupil Adon, and a bunch of his supporters, he disappears into the throngs of cheering people. Never mind the trophy, and they could send him the prize money in the mail.

At the same time….

On the other side in Go Hibiki lying on the mat, battered, bloodied, and broken by Sagat. Dan is by his father's side.

"D-dad? DAD!!!!!!!" At first Dan didn't think he was going to respond. But then Go's eyes focused on him, and Dan was so overjoyed that his heart skipped a beat, figuratively speaking. What a relief! His father's NOT dead!

"Dan?" Go croaks. In spite of the pummeling he'd clearly endured, he still has that sarcastic grin on his face. Unfortunately Go's heart also skipped a beat, but it was rather more literal, and he started to twitch in great agitation.

"Oh, Dad, no….!"

Surprisingly, he heard—of all things—a soft chuckle coming from his father. How in the world could ANY of this be remotely funny? But then, sounding extremely sincere, Go ACTUALLY said, "I'm sorry, boy. I... haven't always been there for you, have I?"

Dan couldn't believe it. He'd never heard his father sound this sympathetic about…. well, about anything. "Dad… Oyaji... Please, don't try to speak! I'll get help! I'll…."

"You were right, boy. You tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen to you. And it cost me everthying, not just my chance for for fame and glory, but my life as well."

Dan tries to change the subject, to keep his father's spirits up. "Dad, you… you were awesome out there."

Go snorts softly, "Heh… I was, wasn't I….? You know what the weird part is? I got my ass kicked seven ways by that musclebound meathead out there, and yet there's no pain. It's all just ebbing out of me. It's the strangest sensation. Like a million tiny pinpricks, and after each one, nothing at all. That's what life is, isn't it? All these little irritations and annoyances you've grown so accustomed to, you only notice they were there when they no longer are there. So…", he concludes, "…this is what it's like when one's about to die, eh?"

Dan didn't know what to say to this, but he did want to somehow console or calm his father, after the near-fatal beating he'd taken. "No, Dad, NO! You're NOT going to die! You…you're going to live! Somehow, someway, I'll avenge you! Sagat won't get away with this! He CAN'T!"

"Just so long as you do it," Go says. Then he was silent. His eyes fluttered closed, and Dan had difficulty making out his breathing. Was this the moment? Was his father really going to...?

Dan puts his ear to Go's chest. He's still breathing. There's a pulse, but it's faint. He can still hope! His father will survive this! He's going to live and not die! He's getting better!

Go speaks again. "Promise me this, boy. Whatever you do, finish up where I left off."

"I'll… I'll try to." Dan promises, fighting back his tears.

But Go's not about to let the icy hands of death just take him. Not without giving his boy some last instructions.

"No good… You gotta do more than try." He points weakly at Sagat, who is approached by the beautiful ladies and his fans as he is making his declaration. He can barely hold back his disgust – how come that huge oaf can get chicks? "Make certain that man goes down for the count. You see, don't you? That he won't be stopped unless he's defeated? You got me? As long as he's around, he'll reign unchallenged. Are you up to it? You'd… better be. It's… up to you now. Just know that I'll be watching you from that great big dojo in the clouds… Ahrrrrgh!" The twitching becomes even more violent.

"I…I'll get him back for you, Dad," Dan says.

Go nods, clutching Dan by the arm with what's left of his strength. "One more thing, boy." He leans in closer. "Heh… your mother… she'd used to say my pursuit of the Art would get me killed one day… W-when you see her… Tell her… that… she was… right…" With one final gasp, he croaks, "Yoiks…!"

And so on that awful day Go Hibiki died in the arms of his son, his death a result of the injuries he suffered during his fight with Sagat.

Holding his father's body in his arms, Dan wails, "OYAJI! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…..!!"

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

2:00 AM. Dan snaps out of his musings. He had not expected to do so with tear-tracks staining his cheeks, and the last of a sob dying in his throat. It had been years since his father was slain in combat by Sagat; on remembering this now, the memories don't hurt as much as they did back then. Dan's heart felt like it had turned to stone that day. He knew in that moment that he could never go home again. Not until he'd settled the score with Sagat and avenged his father's death.

At his current level of skill, with only the little bit of the Art he'd learned from his father, he would stand NO CHANCE against Sagat. Based on this assessment of his abilities, he made a decision. He would take a training trip, search for the greatest martial arts master in all of Japan, and train with him until he was strong enough for the time when he would exact his revenge from Sagat.

This, of course, eventually led him to the Shotokan dojo run by Master Gouken. He'd spent the next few years under Gouken's tutelage, learning the basics of the Shotokan style. Impatient with his current level of progress, Dan demanded to be taught at a faster rate so that he could take his revenge on Sagat.

Needless to say, Gouken was quite displeased when he eventually discovered the reason for Dan's impatience, and why he'd come seeking to be trained in the first place… which led to Dan being kicked out of the dojo – literally!

Undaunted (well, slightly daunted), he continued to train on his own. Applying the few lessons he'd learned from Gouken with his father's teachings, Dan would eventually create his own brand of martial arts. A self-taught form of Shotokan he would call "Saikyo-ryuu", the Strongest Style. With his awesome techniques, Dan would fulfill his promise to his dying father. And you know what? He actually succeeded in defeating Sagat! Never mind the fact that the Emperor of Muay Thai had ALREADY been defeated by Ryu in the first Street Fighter tournament BEFORE Dan caught up to him, but who cares? For Dan, it was his first real victory, and it was the one that brought him his first crack at recognition.

And now, even though everybody these days STILL thought he was a joke, a laughingstock of all martial arts, not to mention a pervert and a loser, even in spite of all that'd happened to him since his indiscretion with Mai Shiranui was exposed by R, and even though he'd been beaten by R and THE MCD (and several other people along the way!), NOBODY could take that away from him.

But tonight... even THAT did not seem like enough. He needed a way to not only make good on his vow to defeat R but to redeem himself in the eyes of his fans and the public at large.

As for what form that redemption would take... as a certain ever-scheming High Priest likes to say, "THAT… is a secret!"

"But how?" Dan asks himself and then rolls over onto his bed, lying flat on his back. Though instead of going back to sleep, he does something that would surprise most people – well, THIS narrator's surprised anyway! – he starts thinking. Uh-oh. A plan is forming…

* * *

_**SOMEWHERE IN TOKYO - **__**AT A LATE-NIGHT KONBINI*…**_

(*Konbini – Convenience store)

Grenademan is in the store picking up some things he needs for his plan to defeat Ranma (and possibly win the heart of that girl Ran!)…

Wait a minute. Just WHAT could one buy at a convenience store that would help one achieve his fiendish goals?

Well, massive quantities of energy drinks, that's what! Monster, Red Bull, ROCKSTAR, Asparadrink… it doesn't matter. Grenademan's working overtime, pulling an all-nighter tonight – he figures he'll need every last can, if that's what it'll take. Lately he's been studying the book of poems Erick gave him as guidance for the love poem he wants to write for Ran. Plus, he'd remembered Erick's girl Delia putting her two cents in as well, suggesting that he write love letters as well in order to conquer the object of his affections. So when he returns to the base, he plans to go online and look up some examples of love letters – for ideas, of course – followed by another read-through of that book before he eventually powers down for the night.

BUT Grenademan has a secret reason for coming here. This particular store is large enough to accommodate a small but well-stocked grocery section. Within this section is a wall of produce, fruits and vegetables of all kinds. And within this, is a display of fresh cantalopes. And in this display are two innocently placed cantalope, side-by-side, reminding one of a large, healthy pair of…

Grenademan is there in front of the display. As he looks at the pair of melons, he imagines that he is looking at Ran Hayami, the girl who has caught his eye. Apparently he is trying to train himself to maintain eye contact when he meets her and not look at her breasts. After all, he wants to make a good impression when they meet face to face – he doesn't want her to think that's he some kind of pervert.

Grenademan clears his throat, and then speaks. "Oh, my lovely Ran. It is I...the mighty Grenademan. I… have admired you from afar for so long. And now, NOW that I've defeated that one who stands between us, you are finally free. Now that Saotome is no more, I… I hope to be the one who will give you what you want and fulfill your innermost wishes. Perhaps, maybe, to stop the aching in your heart… as well as mine."

_Hmm…. I should write that down_, he thinks. He pauses, as if waiting for her reply, then says, "OK, enough with the mushy stuff already! OH YEAH!! Err… um… I mean, if it's all right with you, could I… *gulp!*…"

Yep, you guessed it. Grenademan tries to touch the "melons", so to speak. With trembling fingers, he tries to delicately reach out for them. But he hestates, and withdraws. _C'mon Grenademan! You can do this! _He screws up his courage, and tries again; like before, he backs off.

_Aw, screw it! Forget being gentle! Gimme those! OH YEAH!_ This time, Grenademan just goes for it and grabs the melons. Now that they're in his hands, he relaxes and then rubs them gently, lovingly, reverently. And all the while he has this strange and goofy look of bliss on his face; his metal cheeks a bright shade of red.

Unfoutnately, one of the store's employees sees Grenademan in the act. The poor guy can't believe it – of all the things to happen on his shift tonight, geez! Too stunned to speak, he sweatdrops at the scene before him – a robot doing THAT with THOSE…

Aware that someone's watching him, Grenademan's joy quickly turns to annoyance. He whirls on the sales clerk and angrily confronts him. "What are YOU lookin' at, buddy!?"

Creeped out by Grenademan's perverted actions, the sales associate nervously backs away from him. Then running to the nearest phone in the store, he calls his immediate supervisor. "Hey boss, there's some weirdo over in produce fondling the melons."

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, WTHIN ERICK'S "BATTLE CONSTRUCT", BASS AND AKUMA ARE STILL LOCKED IN MORTAL COMBAT…**_

And Bass, believe it or not, is enjoying himself immensely. He's totally forgotten that he's here to train, having thrown himself into battle with the Master of the Fist as if his life depended on it. Which in a way, it does.

(BGM – _**Killing Moon, Mix 3 (Akuma's Stage) – Street Fighter III 3rd Strike**_)

Bass and Akuma have been fighting all night, non-stop, all through the forest. The explosive power of their Hadouken blasts have leveled much of it; many trees have burned down from Shakunetsu Hadouken (Scorching Heat Surge Fist) blasts, rocks have been crushed into pieces by the force of their blows. All the while, Bass has had to adapt quickly, to learn to think on his feet, to apply the lessons learned in his previous battles to the point where he can use new abilities on the spot in real-time.

One COULD say that Bass is getting a crash-course in fighting like a practicioner of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts style.

And if that's the case, then, when he completes his training, Ranma, Ran, R, and Megaman are ALL gonna be in for a rude awakening.

Having fought their way out of the forest, now Bass and Akuma have taken the battle inside the ruins of an old castle dating back to the Sengoku Jidai (Japan's 'Warring States' Period). Here, the death match between Erick Genryusai's apprentice and the Master of the Fist continues…

_Hmm… the machine has grown powerful since our battle began_, Akuma quietly observes, thinking. _The murderous intent is strong in him, but he is still limited within the boundaries of his programmed capabilities. Unless he can surpass those limitations, he will never reach his full potential as a warrior._

"Whatsamatta, Akuma?" Bass asks, taunting him while dodging an incoming strike from his murderous fists. "Jealous cause I'm a robot? You know, being a human ain't all it's cracked up to be. Anybody who gets on the business end of that killing fist of yours - well, that's all she wrote for them! Heh. Good riddance, I say. Now, ME, on the other hand… if you take me out, I can be rebuilt, put back back together good as new." Wisely, Bass keeps the knowledge of Erick's DVL Cells and their self-rengenerating powers to himself.

"Hmph. What is built up can be torn down, and vice-versa. Creation then destruction – an endless cycle. Enough philosophical babbling, machine. Here, the fight is all that matters. Nothing else," Akuma responds.

"Feh. Figures you'd say that," Bass counters while launching a Hadou Buster blast at Akuma, who teleports away out of the line of fire. Seeing an opportunity to go on the offensive, Bass charges at Akuma, uttering a fierce battle scream. "YAAAAAAHHHH!!'

At the same time, upon finishing his Ashura Senkuu, Akuma prepares to defend against whatever Bass may throw at him. Bass then strikes with a high kick, which Akuma parries, and then follows up with a Gou Shoryuken. Sent airborne by the uppercut, Bass quickly recovers, flipping in mid-air, then dives at Akuma, his fist glowing with purple energy. Akuma, on the ground, unleashes the Messatsu Gou Shoryu (Murderous Magnificent Rising Dragon Destruction); the final uppercut launching him up at an angle to meet Bass's diving punch with his own.

**BAM!**

On contact, their fists clash together and stuck, their Ki energies trapped in the middle. Sparks of lightning shoot out from their fists as the two warriors struggle against each other. Time seems to stop for a split-second until the built-up energy explodes, sending both of them flying away from each other.

Akuma lands safely while Bass barely manages to catch himself and keep from falling. Regaining his footing, Bass notices his hand smoking and burnt from the blast. A quick clench of his fist, a moment's concentration to allow his self-regenerating powers to kick in, and the hand's good as new.

Getting back into his fighting stance, Bass then leaps into the air; Akuma does likewise. Jumping all over the castle grounds at blinding speeds, they engage in fast exchanges of punches and kicks all the while. As each dodges away from the other, their missed blows leave impressions in the walls and the ground.

Akuma attacks, charging in with a roundhouse to the chest. Bass blocks and countered by grabbing Akuma's leg, then flinging him over his shoulder. Akuma flips and lands on his feet, though, then teleports forward. Bass teleports out as if he's left the area then reappears behind Akuma, at the same time firing off a Hadou Buster Shot. Caught off-guard by the unexpected maneuver, Akuma takes the blast in the back and goes sprawling.

"Impressive," the Master of the Fist commnds his opponent as he gets up.

"Yeah, I'm just full of little surprises, aren't I?" Bass laughs.

"Hmph. Well, then. Show me if you have any more tricks up your sleeve!"

"Oh, there's plently more where THAT came from!" Bass jumps high into the sky and shoots two Hadou Buster Shots at Akuma, then while airborne, goes for a diving kick that almost mimics Akuma's Tenma Kuujinkyaku. Akuma teleports out of the range of the projectiles, blocks the kick, then catches Bass on the rebound with the Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku (Dragon Slashing Wind Kick)

Bass gets jerked back and forth as he feels the electrified whirling kicks to his body. Falling onto the ground after the final kick, he rolls away in case Akuma tries to follow up that attack, then counters with…

"SHINING CIRCUIT RAIJINKEN (Shining Circuit Thunder God Fist)!!"

A new technique Bass whips out on the spot, Bass recalls his recent fights with Megaman – didn't that blue boob have a Shoryuken-type attack too? – and the techniques he's seen Akuma use tonight. Applying this knowledge with his Lightning Bolt attack, and voila! Bass has risen into the air with an uppercut, leaving behind a trail of electricity as he goes upward.

A great attack – if it actually made contact. On finishing his Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku move, Akuma spots Bass going for an attack. When he lands, he dodges as Bass goes up with that new lightning-charged Shoryuken of his.

Bass lands from his uppercut move and faces Akuma. "Well, what do you think, Devil-Boy?"

Akuma hmph's, "An interesting technique. Your skill has improved somewhat since our battle began. But you have not yet mastered your fist."

"Maybe," Bass admits. "But that doesn't mean I can't push my limits along the way! Listen up! I'll do whatever it takes to become stronger than my rivals, even if it means getting destroyed in the process! So go ahead and unleash your final attack! Let's see this "Raging Demon" of yours!"

"Fool. You know not what you ask for. If I use Shun Goku Satsu, it will be the last thing you see. Surely YOU are in no hurry to die?"

"Feh. It's a risk I'm willing to take. So c'mon!"

With that, Bass and Akuma assume their fighting stances. Neither of them dared even to blink. Time seemed to stop right there as the two warriors gathered energy to perform their final attacks. Dark energy swirls around Akuma, while Bass glows with a purple battle aura. Both of them keep their eyes locked on each other.

Both were in mutual agreement on this one thing - Only one would leave this place tonight.

And at that precise moment in time, the final attack commences. Akuma glides forward. Bass draws in power, preparing to do what VERY few fighters could possibly do – defend himself against the Shun Goku Satsu. He braces himself for the killing blow…

And all the while the jewel mounted in his helmet glows… The new special ability Bass possesses faces its ultimate field test, analyzing every single detail of Akuma's technique, feeding images of probabilities, options, and outcomes directly into Bass's mind. From this, Bass comes to a conclusion: He CAN attack Akuma before he uses the technique, but then that would defeat what he is trying to do in the first place. Therefore the only solution he can see is: block the Shun Goku Satsu. Failing this (which is VERY likely), take the technique full-on and face the fate of those who fallen victim to it.

If this risky plan succeeds, Bass would soon possess the knowledge of the ultimate killing technique! If not… well… Bass idly wonders if his self-regenerating powers can put him back together again after this.

Closer and closer Akuma quickly comes and then...

A bright flash of light fills the entire area, and stays constant for more than fifteen seconds. The light's so bright, even sunglasses won't help

anyone who happened to look directly at it. And as that light glares brighter and brighter, sounds of fists striking against metal can be heard...and then stopped altogether.

If anyone were able to see into that light, what they would have seen would have been called unbelievable.

From Bass's perspective, everything's gone black. The next thing he knows he's in a world of pain like he's never felt before in his life.

You see, that's how the Shun Goku Satsu works. It's not Akuma's fist alone, but the past sins that will kill the victim; the more evil his or her past doings are, the more painful the person's death. Furthermore, each of Akuma's strikes releases a concentrated burst of Ki on imacpt, causing internal explosions within the body, which literally destroys the opponent from the inside out.

To gain this kind of power, Bass is literally facing death folks. Staring into the darkness, he sees (or thinks he's seeing) thousands of ghostly shapes all around him, the wails of anguish from the countless lives alreadly slain by the Raging Demon. But he fights back with all his might using his own anger to counteract the nightmarish images.

Now, fighting his way out of the Shun Goku Satsu, Bass absorbs the fatal force of the Master of the Fist, drawing in the demon's rage and power into his innermost being — And releases it right back at him, reflecting the fury upon its source.

NOW, Akuma is impressed with Bass's ability. _The machine is proving to be a worthy opponent. Perhaps training him is not a waste of time after all._

But an intereseting phenomenon has occurred, for in trying to counter the Shun Goku Satsu, Bass has become half of a superconducting loop completed by Akuma, a circuit of dark energy flowing between the two fighters. The Satsui No Hadou itself rolls and burst and crashes around them, boiling with power and lightspeed ricochets of evil intent, weaving nets of killing energy in exchanges so fast that they are impossible to see.

There's no restraint here folks – Bass is cutting loose in this fight! He's deep in the Satsui No Hadou now: swimming in it, swallowed up within it, he no longer truly exists as an independent being.

The fighting becomes effortless for him now; he lets his body handle it without the intervention of his mind. While his fists lash out and strike, while his feet slide and his weight shifts and his shoulders turn in precise curves of their own direction, his mind surfing along the circuits of dark power, tracing it back to its source.

They become a standing wave of battle that expands into every cubic centimeter of the castle grounds. There's neither scrap of carpet nor shred of chair that might not at any second disintegrate in flames; lampstands become brief shields, smashed into fragments that whirl through the air; couches become terrain to be climbed for advantage or leapt over in retreat. But there's still the constant cycle of power, the endless loop, no wounds taken on either side, not even the possibility of fatigue.

An impasse, a classic stand-off which might have gone on forever, if Bass hadn't used his own teleport to break the circuit. A loud…

**SNAP!**

…of power and everything comes back into focus. So furious was the action that the battle had gone outside, into the castle's courtyard.

Out into the wind.

Out with the lightning.

Out into the pouring rain.

Nevertheless Bass doesn't miss a beat; still in the heat of battle, he charges up, soaking in the residual engeries left in the wake of the destruction caused by their fight, and yells…

"FULL-FORCE HADOU BUSTER!!!"

"MESSATSU GOU HADOU!!"

Bass and Akuma have just unleashed their strongest Ki blasts. In a repeat of their earlier fight, the projectiles collide, exploding on contact!

**KA-BOOOOMMM!!**

The resulting shockwaves from the impact caused everything around them to literally crumble to the ground. Anything that wasn't nailed down was blown away away like leaves in the wind.

Both warriors face each other now, the rain steadily pouring down on them. Akuma regards Bass, waiting for him to make a move. Years of using the power of the Surge of Murderous Intent have enabled him to handle his rage and killing intent while staying focused – something that his pupil / opponent (despite the progress he's made in one night) has yet to master.

Bass, however, is still glowing with a black aura of death around him. Tonight, he has done the impossible – survived the Shun Goku Satsu. Not only that, he has absorbed the knowledge of the deadly technique and added it to his growing arsenal of moves. He looks up at the Master of the Fist now, the "Evil Intent" burning in his eyes. Then he gets an idea. He decides it's time to give Akuma a taste of his own medicine – using the very technique he came back from the dead (again) to achieve. _And after that, Dog-Boy's next!_

When they hear someone… clapping in applause?

Or course, who else could it be? Bass has no need to look; the presence behind him is VERY familiar.

Erick Genryusai applauds his apprentice and Akuma, delighted by what he has seen. "Congratulations, gentlemen. Both of you have fought well."

Only then does Bass turn to face Erick. "Erick. As usual your timing is unbelievable," he says with his usual sarcasm. "And just HOW long have you been watching us?"

"Hmph. I come here to check on my apprentice, and THIS is how he shows me gratitude?" Erick replies with mock hurt in his voice. "Ah well… my point is, Bass, I had some free time this evening – our "mutual friend" has kept us very busy…."

Bass doesn't need to ask – he knows who Erick's talking about. "Geez… so you found the mutt? OK, what's he done now?"

"I'll brief you later on that. As I was saying, I took a moment to observe your training, and I must say I'm pleased with the progress you're making so far. Wouldn't you agree, Akuma?"

"……………" Akuma just nods, not saying a word.

"Plus, Bass, some important things are underway and I'll need you with me back at the base, so for the time being, I'm putting your training on hold – temporarily. Consider it a reward, in appreciation for the hard work you've put in tonight."

Bass is surprised – he wasn't expecting this. "Really? Well… that's, er… rather nice of you, Erick."

Erick smirks, then snaps his fingers and a portal materializes behind him. "Step into that portal, Bass. And enjoy your break – you've earned it. We'll talk later. Right now, Akuma and I have business to discuss."

Bass steps into the portal, which will take him back to the RED CATS' secret base. It closes behind him, leaving Erick and Akuma alone. "So, what do you think of Bass now?" he asks.

"The machine may possess the "murderous intent", but until he can surpass his artificial limitations, he will never truly master his fist," Akuma replies. "At his current rate of progress, he may yet achieve it through his own volition. As things stand, at the very least he is an entertaining sparring partner."

Erick laughs, glad that Bass is not here to hear that – his apprenctice would probably throw a hissy-fit if he found out what Akuma really thought of his abilities. He then turns his attention to Akuma. "And as for YOU, Akuma… I KNOW you've been watching tonight's demonstration of R's capabilities from the shadows. The others may not have seen you, but I knew you were there the whole time. Do you have something you would like to share with me regarding R?"

When Akuma does not respond, Erick continues, "You know, in spite of the circumstances under which you came into my service, you are still a valuable and respected associate of mine. I assure you that what you say to me will be kept under the strictest levels of confidentiality, and will remain solely between you and me. After all, I'm keeping up my end of the deal I offered you, aren't I? What have I done to you, that you would withhold a secret from me?"

Now Akuma may be the Master of the Fist, but he's seen first hand that Erick has a lot of mystical monkey business on his side – powers that could put even his own to shame, and he knows better than to trifle with the man. Still, he finds Erick's speech funny. But since he's not the type to bust out laughing, he simply looks at him and gives him an amused smile. "Spare me the sales pitch."

Erick smiles at that. "Always so straightforward, so direct. I like that. Now, then, how long have you known of R's potential?"

"Irrelevant. What matters now is when 'that' will truly awaken. And I am here, biding my time, waiting for the moment when it does."

"I see…" Erick nods in understanding. _Of coruse! Now it all makes sense. Satsui No Hadou – the Surge of Murderous Intent. I'm surprised I didn't recognize it before when my drone in Furinkan reported it to me. And through the Wolf-Fist, it manifests itself differently in R's case – a possible side-effect of the conditioning those "geniuses" Wily and Brightman used in their failed attempt to train him in the Neko-Ken. So… you too are aware of R's true power, eh, Akuma? Hmm… this too is useful_, he secretly thinks.

As if in reponse to his thoughts, Akuma says, "...Don't get cocky. You know the boy posseses the same power as I. The "evil intent" is strong with him. He is potentially more powerful than even myself or Ryu. I wish to see if he is worthy of possessing it, if he can master his fist."

"Interesting. But I wonder… why the sudden interest in R? Up until now, you've been so focused on Ryu."

"Bah," the Master of the Fist scoffs. "Battle after battle, I have tried to convince Ryu of the power that he posessess. And every time, he has defied his chosen fate."

"I take it, then, that he has overcome the Satsui No Hadou?"

"Laughable. He has done nothing of the sort. He's merely escaped its grasp; as further proof, I am still here, undefeated. If Ryu will not submit to the "evil intent", then perhaps this "R" will."

Erick chuckles. "My, such confidence. I see you've already made up YOUR mind, at least. But I must ask: is R truly the one you want?"

Akuma pauses before speaking. "...I must have him surpass all else. Surpass me, surpass the killing fist, and surpass the Satsui No Hadou. This boy has the gift of fury, which makes it even MORE potent, and he does not realize it. In time, he may be the one who can stand against me."

_Perfect! Now that I know where the Wolf-Fist draws its killing power from, figuring out how to control it (and R) will be a snap! And Akuma's just given me a brilliant idea!_ "Well, what a coincidence. Because I'm looking into some additional training for R. The Kyoujuu-Urufuken technique you've seen him use is quite powerful, but he has no control over it yet. Perhaps, with YOUR influence…"

"Hmph.... Unlike you, I have no need for technological trickery or sleight-of-hand tricks," Akuma stops Erick right there. "I desire to fight the boy the day when he uses his true power from within."

"Fair enough. Under the terms of our little deal, R WOULD be yours… but there's a problem, you see. We need him to eliminate Ranma Saotome, the boy he was fighting tonight."

"Ah yes…" Akuma remembers, having watched the fight between R and Ranma before coming to train Bass. "That young one reminds me of Ryu when he was his age; he shares a similar fighting spirit and almost as much potential. In the future, he will be an interesting opponent to face. But compared to R, he is merely a pale alternative. That Neko-Ken technique he wields is based in fear, which gives the technique its strength."

"Fear CAN be a powerful motivator, Akuma," Erick warns. "In any case, it would not be wise to underestimate Ranma. We've had to invest quite a bit of time and resources to get R up to his level of fighting ability."

"Which is precisely," Akuma says, "why it might be best if I were to kill this Ranma, instead."

Erick's eyebrows go up at this – he didn't forsee that one coming; rhetorically, he asks, "Are you so certain that you can?"

The Master of the Fist affirmatively nods. "He is R's destined rival, correct? If that is so, then R will go out of his way to prevent anyone else from fighting the boy, so that he alone may have the pleasure of killing him with his own hands. If I slay his opponent, it will force his hand. And then he will have no choice but to face me in battle."

Erick is delighted – the plan is literally writing itself! _Oh, THIS is good. This is SO good! Both Bass and Akuma want a piece of R. But if Bass kills him now, Akuma won't get to face R; conversely, if Akuma kills R should R prove unworthy of posessing the Satsui No Hadou, then Bass loses his chance for revenge. Therefore, the solution is simple: I'll send Akuma to deal with Ranma. It won't matter whether or not Akuma succeeds – R will probably intervene to prevent Ranma from getting killed. All Akuma wants is to test R's potential and awaken his murderous possibilities present themselves: One, if Akuma kills R, even though Bass won't get his revenge, it means we get rid of two birds with one stone! Two, if R, once his murderous intent is awakened, rises to the challenge and kills Akuma, HE will become the Master of the Fist. And even though I lose Akuma, R will be more useful to us than he is now. Once he eliminates Ranma for us and fulfills his destiny according to the Cat Ghost King's will, then I'll sic Bass on R, and satisfy his desire for vengeance. Either way everyone's happy! _

"Heh heh heh… hahahahahaha!!" Erick laughs, drawing satisfaction from his new plan. "Very well, Akuma, Ranma is yours then. As for perfecting R's control of the Insane Beast Wolf-Fist … you would be willing to help me achieve this?"

Akuma nods. "I see a possibility."

Pleased, Erick nods in a way that came close to being a bow of respect. "Then, my friend, it appears our REAL partnership is just beginning."

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	54. The Longest Night, Part III

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:

MUCH OF THIS CHAPTER IS A SERIES OF DREAM SEQUENCES. WE APOLOGIZE TO THE READERS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY CHARACTER WHO MAY ACT  
O-O-C (out of character). IF ANYTHING IN THIS CHAPTER SEEMS RATHER SILLY, IT'S ALL THE AUTHOR'S FAULT. SO, NO FLAMES IN YOUR REVIEWS, PRETTY PLEASE? THERE. WE SAID IT.

Y'ALL HAVE BEEN WARNED.

And now, on with the show!

* * *

CHAPTER 54

_**-"THE LONGEST NIGHT"-  
**__**(PART III –JOURNEY **__**INTO THE MIND OF DAN HIBIKI!**__**)**_

Let us leave the chaos behind us for now and focus our attention on a somewhat more peaceful scene: Dan Hibiki, fast asleep. When we last saw him, he WAS supposed to be thinking about a way he could defeat R and win back the fame and glory he once enjoyed…

Naturally, within an hour he'd fallen asleep, dead to the world, and snoring loudly on top of that too.

And as he sleeps, Dan begins to dream…

What insight into his personality can we gain by looking into his dreams? What images fill the sleeping mind of the self-proclaimed master of Saikyo-ryuu, this would-be defender of truth and justice?

...Apparently, the same ones that dominate in any (somewhat) normal man with an active libido, a healthy interest in the opposite sex, and delusions of granduer.

-(CUE DREAM SEQUENCE)-

"...a.........Dan," a woman's voice calls him.

The voice gets Dan's attention. "Huh?" he wonders, blinking.

"D...n......Dan!"

Dan recognizes the voice immediately. "Th-That voice...can it be?... I-Is this heaven...? Wha--!? It IS! MAI!?" _Gods, she's so beautiful!_

The sexy ninja girl Mai Shiranui meets Dan face to face. "Oh, Dan...I...I was always infatuated with you."

Dan can't believe it! This…this HAS to be a dream! "WHAT!? Wh-Wh-What did you say!?"

"What's the matter, darling? Don't you… like me?"

Dan's cheeks turn bright-red as he blushes; twitching nervously, he replies, "O-O-Of course I do!"

Mai squeals in delight, "Eeee! I'm so happy! Then don't you think we should, you know, do what married people do? Come on, Dan, I'm W-A-I-T-I-N-G!"

Now, Dan's face is as red as a tomato! Steam comes out of his ears. He visibly gulps; he can barely stammer, "*Gulp!"… Wh-What married people d-d-do!?"

She nods.

Regaining his senses – for the moment, anyway – Dan admits, "Oh, Mai…! No..! NO! We CAN'T! What about Andy? I thought you and he were… And besides, I-I'm not ready yet! If you REALLY feel that way, then if… if it's possible, I'd like us to start with a sweet, innocent friendship instead and then maybe work our way up to…"

And THAT's when Mai plants a kiss on Dan's lips. And not just one, either; she begins kissing him passionately.

As Dan gets over the shock of being kissed by the girl of his dreams, he gasps, "O-Oh! Oh, God! Oh, Mai…! How bold of you! I-I mean...HERE! In broad daylight even...! I...I'm overwhelmed! Oh...!...?...Ohhhhh…...........Oooooohh…..!"

At long last Dan Hibiki, master of Saikyo-ryu, is finally getting when he deserves. He's sharing a single bed with, embracing, and in the embrace of the girl of his fantasies…

Dan asks, "D'ya mind if I turn off the light, Mai?"

Mai replies, "*Giggle*... go right ahead, Dan-chan..."

**CLICK!**

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Dan wakes up in his bed, sweat dripping off him, breathing hard as if he'd fought a fierce battle.

"*Huff,huff*…." Then, he realizes, "Aw crud, it WAS a dream after all. Man…! My heart was beating like crazy! I...I can't believe I had such...such a vivid dream about Mai! And I call myself a martial artist! Ah, well…"

He gets up to get a big glass of water from the fridge – he chugs it down in a couple of gulps. Then he goes back to bed.

But Dan's dream is FAR from over.

For somewhere, far in the distance, he hears a faint laugh, a snicker. He wakes up and looks around in confusion. Where had it come from? The laughter continues as Dan scans his surroundings, looking for the source. But just as soon as he gets out of bed and takes maybe a couple steps, the laughter abruptly stops. It was as if there was an intruder who suspected he'd been discovered and was trying to avoid detection.

"Somebody there?" Dan asks. The silence is a bit unnerving. It wasn't just that the laughter had ceased. There was a palpable sense of emptiness. His danger sense (such as it is) is on full alert, his fists clenched, ready in case there was some crazed fan standing outside wielding a mallet, ready to whomp him. Yeeeah… right.

Or, even better, R trying to launch a sneak attack on him. If THAT were the case, then Dan wouldn't have to wait long for his chance to even the score with him.

But there was no one. The room is empty. The only thing staring back at him was his father's tengu mask, and THAT obviously wasn't posing any threat. "Of course not," he says to himself.

"Heh heh heh… well, well, if it isn't my son, the "Dateless Wonder". Alone, AGAIN, as usual. But that's nothing new," a man's voice replies out of nowhere.

Dan whirls around; the sudden realization that he wasn't alone was like a cold splash of water in his face. Sweat was rolling off him in buckets. Standing in the middle of his room, spinning in place, trying to see everywhere in the room at once, he demands, "Who said that?!"

"Oh, c'mon, boy! Just WHO were you expecting tonight? That ninja chick you're fantasizing over half the time? Get real!"

Dan feels a cold shiver running down his spine. The voice was full of sarcasm, and so familiar that it gives him the heebie-jeebies, as if the intruder and Dan knew each other...

The horrifying reality slammed home to Dan all at once. OH NO! It couldn't be! Not HIM!

"Oh yeah. It IS. I'll give ya three more seconds… two… ONE!"

**KRAKA-BOOOM!!**

With thunder and a flash of lightning, the owner of the voice appears. Since it's dark in the room, all Dan can make out is the shape of his visitor, who appears to be a man roughly the same height as Dan, wearing a similar long ponytail, and a martial artist's gi. Plus, he's wearing a long-nosed mask.

With trembling fingers, Dan turns on the lights…

**CLICK!**

And comes face to face with his father, the late Go Hibiki! "……………………..!?" is all Dan can say; he's too stunned by the sight to speak.

Go flashes a grin, saying, "Hello there, son. Long time no see."

Dan does the only thing one can do in a situation like this. "*Gulp*….. D-dad!? Is it REALLY you? But HOW…?"

Go spells it out plainly for his boy. "Does the phrase "BOO!" mean anything to you?"

Dan's next reaction is obvious. He takes a deep breath, then….

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

And he faints.

* * *

When he comes to, Dan finds himself not in his own dojo, but in the old dojo his father once owned. He hears a familiar voice…

"Hmph. About time you woke up…. Loser."

Dan looks up to see his father standing before him, radiating a ghostly aura around him. The tengu mask Go Hibiki wore in life now seemed to be permanently attached to his face; the way it moved in synch with his mood was so lifelike, as if it were Go's "true" face, so to speak.

The golden halo hanging over his head was such an obvious clue (even to a simpleton like Dan) as to where he'd been ever since… well, y'know.

Regarding his pathetic excuse for a son, Go's unusually long nose shakes side to side with his head in a "tisk tisk" gesture. Back in place, too, was, his usual sarcastic grin on his face. "OK, I've made our dream locale more suitable and myself a little less tangible. Are ya satified now?"

Dan frowns at that. "Sh'yeah, hardly." It's then that Dan notices he's wearing nothing but the boxers he's been sleeping in. "And WHY am I still in my boxers!?

"Well you DID ask me for advice, didn't you? And as for your current state of undress, you're in the process of getting ready for the "being naked in public" dream you'll have next."

"Wh-WHAT!? Why didn't you interrupt THAT instead of turning my wet dreams into some sort of nightmare!?"

"Bee-CAUSE I thought that coming here to tell you about things to come was MUCH more important than some imaginary romp in bed with a girl you REALLY don't stand a snowball's chance in hell with. Or am I wrong about that?"

Dan doesn't say anything in response to his father's question.

"....WELL!?"

"I am NOT even going to dignify that question with an answer, thank you very much!"

Unfazed, Go continues. "Feh, whatever. Your personal opinion of my timing is irrelevant." Changing the subject, he asks, "So, uh… how is your mother these days?"

Dan admits, "I wouldn't know. We haven't talked a lot since, well, you… died and all."

Go looked sad. "I'm sorry." A long moment passes, and then he says, "Ah, well… before we begin, there is something you should know about me."

Dan blinks. "What?"

Motioning with his hand, Go beckons, "Come closer, and I'll tell ya…." When Dan gets close enough, he pauses for dramatic effect, and then says, "OK. Dan, I am… NOT your father!"

Dan is shocked! After all these years…! "…………… Wh-what!?"

Then Go laughs, "Bwhahahaha! Just kidding ya, boy! Man, you should have seen the look on your face!"

"Why, you….! How DARE you play with my already-damaged psyche! I think you enjoy just watching me squirm, don't you?"

Go grins. "Yeah, pretty much. Geez, don't take things so personally, boy!"

"Y'know, I'm beginning to wonder HOW you even got up there." Dan says, pointing upwards to heaven.

"Hey, now, you watch your mouth. I might not be "father of the year" material, but I THINK I did a pretty good job of training you in the way you should go. And I'd HOPED that when you got old enough, you wouldn't turn away from it. What about all those times we talked about honor, fairness, and all that stuff? You think I did all that for MY own health!? Sheesh! Some son YOU are! To think of all those years, all that love and attention your mother and I wasted on you!"

Furious, Dan's reply to that is, "How dare you! My mother LOVED me! And YOU! There were times where I THOUGHT you did, too! If that's true, you sure got a funny way of showing it! To you, I'm a just a big disappointment, a first-class loser in your eyes, and you can't stand that!"

"Where'd you get THAT idea?"

"YOU, that's who! I'm a complete mess, in your opinion. OK, MAYBE I'm not as charismatic or witty as you or have your ability to score with the ladies like you do, but DAMNIT, DAD, I'M NOT PERFECT!"

"So that's it, huh? News flash, sonny boy: I NEVER expected you to be." Go's calm and cool reply to Dan's ranting deflates his son down a few notches. "Remember when I said you reminded me of myself when I was your age, except without the potential for greatness? You haven't changed a bit at all. If you're able to get yourself into trouble like you've been doing these days, you're old enough to get yourself out. You're a grown man, Dan; I expected better from you by now. Oh, sure, you might be a martial artist of ONLY barely-above-mediocre ability but you still act like that same hormonal, awkward, and goofy kid with zero-sex appeal when it comes to women."

And with that, Dan's little world crumbles like a cookie. His face goes slack. His muscles went slack. Only some involuntary instinct not to collapse in front of this, this godlike figure in his life, the one he'd fought to avenge, kept him upright.

But that state lasts all but under a minute, when he realizes…

"HEY! What do you mean by "ONLY barely-above-mediocre ability"?" an offended Dan objects, his brain clearly skipping over the part where his father just dissed him again.

"Lemme put it this way, boy – if we were to fight right now, I'd kick your ass. And I'm DEAD."

Slowly walking up to his father, Dan tried to look pleading and highly impressive, all at once. "But, Oyaji... I defeated Sagat! I avenged your death! Doesn't that count for SOMETHING?"

"That was then. This is NOW, boy. Oh sure, you beat Sagat (which I'm proud of you for, by the way). And sure, you kept your promise to carry on where I left off – and became famous in the process, what with your dojos, the exercise videos, and the book deal and all... But it's like ever since then your skills have been getting worse, not better. Hate to say it, but right now you totally SUCK. No wonder you get schooled on a regular basis!"

Dan frowns, saying, "Man, some advice… If you didn't want to help me in the first place, then why don't you just go away and leave me alone!"

Go laughs, "Heh… Leave you alone… Like all the women in your life? As you have no one to go to after your victory? And NO, those cheerleaders don't count!"

"HEY!"

"Heh… Hit a nerve did I? Face it, boy. Who would love someone like you? I'm telling you, if you don't man up and make some moves, you'll end up alone for the rest of your life… But cheer up; with YOUR win record these days, it won't be for too long…"

Dan just glares at the spirit of his father. "………….!!"

As he begins to fade away, Go remembers, "Oh, yeah… almost forgot. Not like you deserve to know this, but I came back to let you know your path to becoming a great martial artist draws near."

Now that part gets Dan by the leg. "Really? So, uh, when is all this supposed to happen, Dad?"

"It lies in your future," the ghost of Go Hibiki says with an air of mystery.

"I KNOW that, old man! But WHEN in my future? And do I have something to do with it NOW?"

"You shall choose which future shall come to pass."

"Wow, that's great!" Dan says with obvious sarcasm. "Can I pick the one where you stop being cryptic, vague, and mysterious and actually tell me something, y'know, USEFUL!? GOSH!"

Go grins like a Cheshire cat. "Actually, I would have gladly provided you with some additional details. But since we've wasted all our available time together with pointless bickering, guess what? YOU're gonna have to make do without 'em! HA! So you've only yourself to blame this time."

"WHAT!? Already!? But you just GOT here! That's cold!"

"Well our time's up for now. But don't worry; you'll be seeing me again before this night's over. Hehe heh heh... enjoy your public nudity dream, boy...! WHA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

"HEY! Wait a minute! You can't just take off and leave me like this! OYAJIIII....!!

Go's mad laughter echoes through the ruins of the Hibiki-ryuu dojo "... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

* * *

…And the next thing Dan knows he's out in the street. He has a moment of déjà vu; oddly enough, this is the SAME EXACT place where he'd lost his shirt (and everything else!) to the Gambling King, oh about five espiodes ago….

Only THIS time, he doesn't have a barrel to cover himself. Dan is now COMPLETELY naked. Several people take notice of Dan's appearance; random voices could be heard throughout the crowd:

"Goodness! Young men these days have NO shame!"

"Yo, that dude MUST be drunk."

"Hey, buddy! Don't go walkin' around in the buff like that! This is a public street, y'know!"

"No, sweetie, just… don't look at the weird naked man."

"Arrrgh! My eyes… my eyes! OK, I'm officially scarred for life now."

"Wow! I didn't know we had nude corners in this ward!"

"So he's THAT type of guy....."

"It's said "it ain't what you got; it's how you use it." But THAT's taking it a little too far."

"Oh yes they call him the streak!"

A frightened young woman's scream can be heard over the crowd, "EEEEK!! Help! Police! Arrest that pervert hentai flasher! EEEK!!"

Before he knows it, two police officers, thinking that the naked guy might act in a hostile manner toward the civilians, quickly subdue Dan and slap the cuffs on him, arresting him for being nude in a public place.

Humilated, Dan screams, "AAARRRGGH!! I'll get you for this, old man!"

* * *

"ACK!"

Startled by that dream he just had, Dan wakes up on the floor of his own place.

But wait a minute. How'd he get from his bed down to here?

"Ugh... what a horrible way to wake up." He groans, shaking his head slowly from side to side, trying to clear out the cobwebs, shaking off any lingering memories of that trippy dream he just had.

"Dan….?" A familiar female voice says.

When he looks up and around, Mai is leaning over the side of his bed, a look of concern on her face. "You must have had a terrible dream. Are you all right?"

Somewhere, way, way, back in his addled mind, Dan realizes that instead of waking up he must have gone back to his orginial dream. Still, dream or no, he's relieved to see her. After all, it could have been worse. Dan nods, telling her, "Yeah. That's all it was. Just a bad dream."

She smiles, a playful expression on her face. "Well, I know what will make you feel better…." And with that, she lets down one strap of her negligee.

Dan's jaw drops. "………….!"

Then with one finger, she traces down to the edge of her nightgown, and pulls that down, revealing just a little bit of cleavage…

"*Gulp!*……….."

Just before she's about to expose her ample bosom, an EXTREMELY overjoyed Dan shouts "HALLELUJAH!! Woo-hoo……!!" and leaps up to embrace her passionately…

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

**SPLAT!**

Only to end up landing on the floor, flat on his face, on the other side of his bed.

"Aw man. It WAS just a dream after all," he says, obvious disappointment in his voice.

With that Dan gets up and back into bed. He lies there for quite some time, trying to get to sleep and having no success. _Great. Just my luck. Just my lousy luck_, he thinks, and then realizes that if his luck was running contrary to what he REALLY wanted...

So he tries to stay awake, and manages that for all of ten minutes before finally drifting off into a deep slumber.

In his subconsciousness, the world swirls around him, doing loopty-loops in his sleep, different aspects of his life tumbling around like clothes in an electric dryer. Events that really had happened in his life would mix and mingle freely with those that hadn't, drawn from his deepest fears to his wildest dreams with everything else inbetween.

It's as if everything that's been happening to Dan lately is leading up to this.

And all we can do is hang on for the ride.

Still, we have to wonder… what's going to happen to Dan next?

* * *

-(CUE DREAM SEQUENCE)-

For some strange reason, we're in a movie theatre now. As the people there wait for the movie to start, they watch the previews. ONE in particular gets everyone's attention…

[ Narration ]

Go Hibiki, the greatest fighter of his generation, was slain in battle by the Emperor of Muay Thai Sagat.  
His young son witnessed his father's last moments, and thus vowed revenge…!

[ Dan ]

Though he never missed an opportunity to wound my self-esteem...he was still my father! I.. I shall avenge you, Dad!

[ Narration ]

Dan runs, to go save the world... And to avenge his father.

[ Sagat ]

Who the hell are you? A loser like you trying to stand up against ME, the Emperor!?

[ Narration ]

The encounter of a long-time rival... And the real enemy who no one foresaw.

[ Erick ]

Ah, it's the so-called "hero"! Long time no see, Dan.

[ Dan ]

Egads! I-It can't be! The foul sorcerer who wreaks chaos and disorder wherever his feet tread! ERICK! Shame on your misdeeds! In the  
name of love and justice I, Dan Hibiki of Saikyo-ryuu, must PUNISH you!!

[ Narration ]

A man whose world was turned upside down by tragedy – and turned rightside up in triumph... his quest is far from over! Now, uncover  
the evil ones' dark conspiracy, and bring peace back to the world, Dan Hibiki!

[ Dan ]

I... I can't lose no matter what... For the sake of those who have fallen! Check this out! The ultimate move that my Oyaji taught me!  
For the sake of justice, love, and sorrow: SAIKYO-RYUU SUPER MODE!!

[ Narration ]

Based on a true story, it's the most anticipated martial arts movie of the year...

"STREET FIGHTER: Saikyo-ryuu Densetsu – Dan Strikes Back!"

A stunning tale of LOVE and... JUSTICE...

Coming to a theater near you this summer!

It seems that once again, someone tries to make a movie based on "Street Fighter", only this time it's (VERY loosely) based on Dan's autobiography.

And the part that REALLY baked EVERYBODY's noodles was that it won not one, but several awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Musical Score, and Best Actor (for Dan, of course, as he played himself in the movie).

We see Dan at the Academy Awards in Hollywood. On stage, he receives his Oscar for Best Actor from two beautiful girls, and prepares to address the huge crowd. "Thank you." He clears his throat. "Thank you very much. Wow. What do you say to something like this? Hmm… Ooh! OK! I got it! Now, you can probably tell how happy and excited and downright surprised and just plain relieved I am now just by looking at me, but truth be told, I don't think ANYBODY (me included!) in here was expecting this. Tonight, man… wow… this is a dream come true for me, and I before I go any further, I'd like to thank my director and everybody involved that helped make THIS possible."

The audience delivers a brief round of applause for the cast and crew.

Dan continues, "Now when we started this project a few years years ago, most people's initial reaction was, "Oh no! Not ANOTHER live-action Street Fighter movie! What are you thinking!?" And after that LAST attempt, I can understand why. Going through the filming and production and all, it kinda reminded me of what it was like when I started my fighting career. All the obstacles, opposition, the jokes we faced, and just not having enough resources really to do what we wanted to do, to make it happen. But compared to that "other" Street Fighter movie, what we had going for us was a script that inspired mad love in everybody who read it. When I read the final script the boys handed me, even now, I'm amazed at how skillfully they were able to adapt my life's story to the big screen. Most of all, we had passion and we had belief and this movie shows that if you have those two things, truly… anything's possible. And if you're one of the few that haven't seen it, give THIS one a chance. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer… you might even be inclined to yell "YAHOO" and wear a pink gi like me!"

Everybody in the audience sweatdrops at that; Dan notices this. "Err… well, maybe not, but…. Anyway… To the members of my fan club, thank you for showing your ol' buddy Dan some love and support." Then he looks up to the sky. "And Dad, if you're watching up there, thanks for everything!" He gets all teary-eyed as he does his famous win pose. "YATTA ZE, OYAJIIIII!!!" As he makes with the waterworks, Dan tearfully finishes his acceptance speech with, "Thank you, everybody! Thank you all so much!!"

As he basks in the applause and adulation and outpourings of love he's receiving, there's a nagging thought in the back of Dan's mind. In the midst of the celebrations, despite his achievements, he feels SOMETHING is missing....

"Good grief! THAT load of cinematic crap ACTUALLY won! Bad enough he wrote a book! What were those guys smoking when they filmed that? Must be some GOOD stuff – where can I get some?" someone yells out in the audience.

Ah, THAT voice! NOW, Dan remembers what that "something" was…

He can't believe his eyes – how did HE manage to find him all the way out HERE!? "HUH!? That long white hair… That stupid-ass face... YOU!? R! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO UPSTAGE ME IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY!?"

"You think I WANT to see your ugly face again?" R counters back. He stands up from his seat out in the audience. "Anyway, I dare because I'm sick of third-rate fighters like YOU being in the spotlight all the time, that's why!" he sharply replies. "Face it Dan; no matter what you do, you'll ALWAYS be a joke, a loser, AND a pervert. You're an embarrassment to the Art. And I'll make sure everybody knows it." To the audience, he says, "Anybody from the Academy in here? Good, because I don't know WHAT you guys were thinking, but do NOT give this clown the award!"

"Why you….! Go away and let me enjoy my moment of glory, R! GOSH!"

"Oh, quit your whining, you loser. I'm not going anywhere. Instead of fabricating all these fairy-tale, made-for-manga-and-anime stories, why don't you tell all these nice people in here the TRUTH for once?"

"Man… You got a big mouth R, you know that?"

"Well, why don't you come down here and close it, Dan?" R smirks at him, taunting him. "I would LOVE for you to actually try. Come on. Come on."

Turning cross, Dan responds, "Anytime."

A cute (and wonderfully-endowed) young actress (that, coincidentally, played the role of Mai Shiranui in Dan's movie) who'd become rather fond of Dan, tries to persuade him from accepting R's challenge. "This guy's crazy, Dan-kun. Don't listen to him."

R notices this. "Aww, the little man don't wanna come to me." Someone had tossed him a microphone; he takes it and then faces the audience. "OK, then I'll come to you people to lay out the truth. Listen up, everyone - I am a REAL fighter! A TRUE martial artist! That means I'M the strongest AND the best. But THIS chump's…" he points at Dan, "been taking the easy matches, fighting other chumps. And when he DID fight someone with real abilty, like Sagat, the "Emperor of Muay Thai", for example, he won purely by sheer dumb luck. Nothing more!"

"HEY!" Dan objects. "I'm not gonna listen to any more of this, R! Anytime you want...!"

"Ah ah, I'm not through," R waves a finger. "And besides, you don't know what I had to come from, what I've had to deal with to become what I am! I mean, look at YOU, with your so-called victories, your book, and this movie! Fronting in front of all these people like you're all that. And you have the absolute gall to call yourself a fighter? Prove it now, Dan. That is, IF you're man enough..."

Dan's REALLY trying hard not to let R get to him. This is HIS night, and there's NO WAY he's going to let this smart-mouthed, punk kid show him up.

R grins, savoring the moment, chuckling at Dan's attempts to stay cool under pressure. Calling out to the cute actress beside Dan, R smooth-talks, "Say, miss, since this old guy isn't doing it for you…."

"OLD GUY….!?" an insulted Dan shouts.

"… maybe you'd like to be with a real man, a true gentleman, perhaps? I tell you what; after the show's over, perhaps you and I could go out for dinner and dessert? My treat."

The pretty girl seems flattered by R's proposition; Dan, on the other hand, is furious! Losing his temper completely, he screams, "OK, THAT'S IT! The nerve of you!"

"The nerve of YOU!"

"SAY WHAT!?"

"Yeah, that's WHAT!" R smiles evilly at Dan.

"Grrrr….!" Dan grits his teeth, angry at R's attempts to embarrass him in front of everybody AGAIN, and on national television no less! Even now he can hear a few people in the audience murmering, wondering if Dan really deserved his award. From Dan's point of view, R's made it his mission, for whatever reason, to destroy Dan Hibiki one battle, one opportunity, one day at a time. Anything was possible. It couldn't have been over a girl, could it? Had he flirted with R's girlfriend, and was R the jealous lover seeking revenge? Naah, course not. Perhaps he'd been hired by one of Dan's many enemies…. yeeeah, right. Dan clenched his fists angrily. There had to be a reason, a rationale. All Dan had to do was keep looking, and he would surely find the reason that R was trying to make life miserable for him.

_No. No. NO! This can't be! It's got to be a bad dream! No, it's a nightmare! What can I do? _Then the light-bulb finally comes on for Dan – for once._ OH YEAH! That's right! THIS is my chance! If I can defeat him here, this'll prove to everybody that I'm a _true_ hero!_

His confidence boosted (along with his ego), Dan declares to his hated foe, "That's where you're WRONG, R. You may have defeated me once before, but now, NOW's my chance to flip the script and change history! Here, in front of all these people, I'll show everyone the power of my Saikyo style AND crush you once and for all!"

R snorts, "Heh. YOU? Crush ME? In your dreams! Last time, I just beat you up in front of those pathetic jokers with NO lives whatsoever that you once called your fans. If you're in such a hurry to die, then c'mon." R motions with his oustretched right hand in a "come here / bring it" gesture. "I'll swat you like a fly, only THIS time it'll be televised, with live-action coverage! You'd better thank me for taking on a sorry chump like you! It's beneath me otherwise!"

"Oh, this'll be quick. Here I come! YAHOO!" Dan leaps from the stage and charges up through the audience to face R.

R casually goes down to meet him, cracking his knuckles. "I'm warning you; I'm not gonna just knock you down this time. I'm gonna put you through the floor!"

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

* * *

-(CUE DREAM SEQUENCE; CHANGING LOCATIONS…)-

_**AUSTRAILIA… **_

(As seen in the opening scene of "Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie" or, if you prefer,  
the final Ryu VS. Sagat battle in Street Fighter Alpha 2)

We're in a grassy field, late at night, the wind whipping through the grass. A thunderstorm is brewing as two combatants face off…

But the fighters in question are NOT Ryu and Sagat.

On one side we can see the self-proclaimed master of Saikyo-ryu Dan Hibiki, his pink gi fluttering in the strong breeze. On the other side, roughly two-thirds the length of a football field away, is R, the wind blowing through his hair. Both warriors assume fighting stances, each one waiting for the other to make his move.

"Ah HA! So, the notorious super-villain and really mean person R finally shows his face before me! We meet again for the first time for the last time." Dan thinks about what he's just said. "…….Yeah."

"Ah geez, it's YOU again," R groans. "Don't you EVER give up?"

"NEVER!! I'm the man who will bring justice. And mark my words, R... THIS TIME you will not escape from my "Hands of Stone"! Prepare to face the awesome power of my Saikyo-ryu!!"

R shrugs, "...Tch! Oh well, I guess I got no choice then. Whenever you're ready, dude. I'll crush you."

Dan lets out a whoop of joy – at last, he gets his chance to fight R again! "YAHOO! I AM the warrior of love and justice, Dan Hibiki! Now, let's settle this fair and square!"

Suddenly, a flash of thunder and lightning ….!

**KAKA-BOOOOOMM!!**

And they charge!

"YAAAAAAAHHHH!!" Dan yells as he charges at R.

But R just sidesteps, and gives poor Dan a light jab across the chin.

**WHAP!**

"OH!" Dan cries out, then falls.

**THUD!**

Yep… you guessed it. Dan's out cold on the ground. And the fight's only just begun.

"Pfffh… "Hands of Stone"? Sh-yeah, right. More like "Jaw of Glass" to me." R then leaves his pathetic opponent behind.

Or he WOULD have, if Dan hadn't got up, rubbing his chin. "Oww… ! Grrr….that was a cheap shot R and you KNOW it! NOW it's time for me to get serious! Accept your defeat! You shall become a stepping stone to pave my path to GLORY!"

R shakes his head in disbelief, muttering, "Man, this guy just DOESN'T know when to quit. Looks I'm gonna have to do this the hard way."

As Dan charges again at R, R rushes to meet him head on. The two then trade punches and kicks. Dan's doing much better than in previous battles, but he's taking just as much damage as he's dishing out. R, with cool precision, meets Dan's offense with his own, pretty much canceling out most of Dan's strikes. But he's taken a few good hits, too.

However, despite his strength and abilities, Dan has some difficulty defeating his opponent. Channeling his Ki, he unleashes his built-up internal energy at his challenger. R evades the blow, but Dan knocks him down with a couple of kicks. Now that his foe is down, Dan attempts to finish R off. However, R counter-attacks with his technique the White Diamond Pearl; the kicking uppercut inflicts a severe wound on Dan. Enraged, Dan charges towards R. R gathers his internal energy and unleashes it in the form of an Active Red Pearl.

After about a quarter of an hour, they break away from each other, each giving the other some room to breathe. R wipes some blood off his lips. "Whoa-ho! Looks like somebody's been doing some training! You've improved just a little, I see."

A battered and bruised Dan, still standing, says, "Hmph. I accept your compliment, half-hearted though it might be. BUT that doesn't change the fact that you are a fiend and an enemy of love and justice who uses his powers to frighten innocent maidens!"

R blinks. "And what's up with that ridiculous dialogue coming out of your mouth, man? Have you been taking speech lessons from Kuno or what?"

"Or what? And WHO's Kuno? Anyway, R, today I make you pay for all you've put me through! And when I'm through, you'll recognize my power as a true warrior of love and justice!"

"Yeah, right." R snorts. "Enough with the "love and justice" crap. Let's just get this fight over with already."

"OOSHA!!" Dan rolls back and forth and jumps around all while doing his signature taunts.

R's getting annoyed with Dan's antics. "Quit showboating and fight me!"

"Ha HA! NOW, I'll show you the awesome-ness of my Saikyo-ryuu!" Dan shouts as he rolls toward R and does another taunt.

R lets out a bored yawn. He counters with his Sonic Silver Metallic attack as he lashes out with a kick. The force of the kick sends up a spiraling burst of air that blows Dan back a few yards.

"OOF!" Dan grunts as he hits the ground from that wind attack of R's.

"Hmph. That'll teach you," R says with a laugh.

But Dan's back on his feet! He goes for R using his Dankukyaku to fly toward him and (possibly) attack him simultaneously. "DAN DAN! HEY-YA!!"

In a repeat of their very first fight, R ducks low to the ground and Dan just sails right past him - again. He then turns around to face Dan once he lands. "Was that Saikyo? More like Sucky-o to me. Give up, Dan; you'll NEVER beat me."

"Grrr….!" That R really knows how to rub Dan the wrong way. Enraged, Dan does a 180 and charges right at R. "ARRRRRGH!!"

"Face it Dan. You SUCK. There's no shame in admitting it," R continues taunting him.

"That's it! That's the last straw! I've had it up to here with you, R! This is the LAST time you make fun of me!" Dan shouts as he throws several punches at R.

Unaware to Dan, he's playing right into R's hands. When he's all hot and bothered like this, Dan's giving off quite a bit of hot battle aura. This is just what R needs, for he has a technique in his arsenal that can end this fight. He begins to move in a spiraling pattern…

Dan just threw a spinning hook kick, which R ducks and then trips him up with a footsweep, knocking him off his feet. "ACK!" Dan says as he falls on his backside. Getting up, Dan recovers as R continues to move around in the spiral pattern.

"You know, it's been fun, but I got other people to beat up besides you. You ready to lose again?" R smiles at Dan.

His battle aura glowing in intensity, Dan says as if pronouncing a sentence, "I didn't wanna have to use this, but you've left me NO choice…! THIS IS THE END! SAIKYO-RYUU OUGI!! HISSHOU….!!"

And with that Dan attacks R with his Hisshou Buraiken (Certain Victory Relying on Nobody But Myself Fist), striking with a barrage of punches and kicks, all the while yelling "Ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora….!!"

Now THIS took R by surprise; Dan came at him so fast he didn't have enough time to defend himself. He's getting pummeled by Dan's furious assault. But R's smiling, because once Dan gets through, this battle's as good as over.

As Dan finishes up, he yells "….. BURAIKEN!!" at the end of his attack, leaping up and striking with a Kouryuken (Shiny Dragon Fist).

That's all it took. The Kouryuken hits cleanly, right into R's jaw.

**POW!**

….And it sends R up into the air, seemingly knocking him out. As he watches R's body fly away, Dan thinks, excited, _I did it! I finally beat R! Saikyo-ryuu has prevailed!_

Uhhh…. Not quite, Dan. For at the last possible second, R regains consciousness, does a mid-air somersault, lands on the ground, and says, "My final attack! STRATOSPHERIC BLAST! ROAR, GOLDEN PEARL!!"

R raises his fist, unleashing his own personalized take on Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha (Heaven Blast of the Dragon). The name "Golden Pearl" is appropriate, as a violent tornado of golden-yellow Ki (with streaks of purple, this narrator should add) bursts forth and flings Dan up into the sky!

**FWOOOSHH!!**

"OH NO!! NOT AGAINNNnnnnnn……!!" Dan wails in defeat as he's blown far, far away!

The force of R's new technique had blasted him so far into the sky that only a speck of light could be seen by anyone watching the battle from the ground.

"And don't come back!" R shouted to the sky.

* * *

As Dan's flying high in the friendly skies without a plane (thanks to a one-way ticket via R's Golden Pearl), hurtling through the air towards his inevitable destination...

_The ground_, he thinks with bitter resignation as sooner or later he'll make contact. He's anticipating a painful connection with the earth, wherever he lands.

When he lands.

IF he even lands at all.

_I'll get you back R. Somehow!_ Dan thinks as he's soaring through the air against his will.

* * *

We see two guys camping out in the woods, one of them cooking some food over the campfire. It's rather quiet and peaceful out, until….

**BOOM!**

Something crash lands right out of nowhere in front of them! The first guy turns to his companion and says…

"Now there's something you don't see everyday, Chauncey."

"What's that, Edgar?"

"A man falling out of the sky."

"Oh, I don't know about all that, Edgar. Maybe he's into skydiving?"

"Without a parachute?"

"Oh."

When the smoke clears from the impact, we see Dan lying flat on his back. Slowly, he regains consciousness. As he's coming to, Dan groans, "Ugghh…. Man, this is getting old…" He examines himself. "Ooookay, let's see… Pride… wounded… Bones… broken… Breathing… labored…"

Then, he realizes something. "HEY!" He checks himself again. "Breathing….normal! Pulse… steady! Bones… not broken! Pride…. Well, three out of four ain't bad. But the bottom line is… I'm ALIVE! YAHOO! That landing technique I learned from those Team Rocket guys actually WORKED!! Hmm… yes, good technique, that it was… maybe even better than my old one… I've got it! I'll call it my Saikyo-ryu Tenka Otoshi (Saikyo Style Descending from Heaven Drop)! Now then…. To beat that blasted R! I'll take him to the cleaners! I'll thump him for sure! Oooh…."

His confidence renewed, Dan shouts, "JUST YOU WAIT, R! YOU'LL FALL BEFORE THE AWESOME POWER OF MY SAIKYO-RYU! YAHOO!!"

And with that, Dan dashes out of the forest, to continue his quest to defeat R.

Reaching an open field, he stands before a night-blue sky, looking all around him. Doing a 360 reveals nothing familiar; he's surrounded by nothing but trees and rocks, with mountains providing some background scenery. His facial expression changes to confusion. And he utters a phrase usually spoken by another Hibiki…

"Aw great, where on earth am I now?"

He wonders if this is still Japan; R's new tornado attack HAD sent him helluva far. Realizing that he's lost, Dan starts panicking. "WAAAAAAAHHH!! I wanna go home!"

But things start to look up for our pink-clad protagonist. A brief twinkling of light afar off in the distance catches Dan's eye. He turns in that direction. _Hm? what was that?_ he wonders. _Maybe if I go that way, I'll find civilization. Beats standing out here, that's for sure._

And so, Dan starts walking toward that light he saw. But wouldn't you know it, a storm is raging and it's pouring down rain. Continuing to walk, he'd found his way into a very deep, dark, foreboding, mossy, and generally unpleasant forest. "How do I manage this?" he asked of no one, since no one was around. Nobody answered him, of course. This didn't help him find his way back home, however.

Then he heard a low moaning behind him, and decided that a strategic withdrawal from the general area was in order.

Later on, we see Dan trudging alone through the rain and thunder in the forest. He forces his way through brambles and over slippery rocks. Progress is really hard. He pauses and at this moment we hear the howling of wolves. Dan turns, and then hurries onward even more urgently. Another louder, closer howl is heard and he stumbles and falls heavily. Though obviously injured from the beating R gave him earlier, he bravely struggles forward a little and regains his footing, reacting to the pain.

Hearing louder and closer howling, Dan gulps. Summoning what's left of his courage, he presses onward. As he glances around a flash of lightning reveals the silhouette of a huge, terrifying castle. Above it the lightning illuminates the ghostly shape of a glowing scroll. Is this the end of his quest? Has he found what he's seeking?

Dan reaches the forbidding and enormous doors of the castle and beats on the doors with his fists, looking over his shoulder the while. He stops waiting, pausing, waiting for a reply. He beats again, shouting, "HEY! Open the door! Open the door!! It's cold and wet out here! And I'm hungry too!! Please! Open the door...!!"

The door creaks open and Dan falls inside clumsily. Once inside, he wipes away the rain from his eyes, and turns as the door crashes behind him.

**CRASHHH!**

He turns back to the door reacting to the fact he's trapped. Looking around, he doesn't see anyone, but just then a heavenly voice greets him. "Hello. Who might you be, that has stumbled upon this place?"

Dan looks up and finds himself mesmerized by the cleavage that was suddenly right in front of him. A drop of blood immediately flowed from his nose, and he tears his eyes away from the cleavage and looks at the rest of the woman before him. It is Mai Shiranui (again!?) (or somebody who eerily resembles her, anyway) dressed in a rather conservative version of her regular outfit that somehow managed to cover *just* the right parts, while still revealing most everything else. He idly wondered how such a thing was possible. And was it just him, or did Mai cut her hair? He notices that she's wearing it short these days – a new hairstyle, perhaps? Behind her are about twenty more young, beautiful, scantily clad, and (this narrator adds) big-breasted girls. THIS Mai smiles enchantingly at him. He blinks. "...Mai?"

The Mai-lookalike asks, "Excuse me? It appears that you know someone who looks like me, but I am not this "Mai" person whom you speak of."

Dan's like, "Eeeee-yeah...right. Anyway, where am I?"

"You are in Anthrax-jo."

Dan blinks, confused. "Anthrax-jo? "Castle Anthrax"?"

The copy-Mai admits, "Oh, yes, it's not a very good name, is it? Oh, but we are nice and we will attend to your every ... every need!"

Dan, remembering what he'd seen outside the castle, decides to ask, "Are you are the keepers of the ultimate technique?"

She blinks. "The what-what?"

"You know, that thing that's glowing outside on top of your castle."

Dodging his question, "Mai" says, "Oh, but you are tired and you must rest awhile." Clapping her hands twice, she then calls, "Stunner? Lovely?"

Suddenly, two similarly clad women appear behind the faux-Mai. One has long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and the other has short lavender hair. Both are wearing white versions of Mai's regular outfit, exposing their….erm… "goodies", so to speak. "Yes, oh Zoot-sama?"

"Mai" (or is it Zoot, perhaps?) instructs, "Please prepare a bed for our guest."

Groveling with delight, they bow gratefully saying, "Oh thank you, Zoot, thank you, thank you!"

She shoos them off. "Away! Away, naughty girls!..." Turning her attention to Dan, she says, "The beds here are warm and soft and very, very big."

"Well, look, I ... I, ah ...," Dan stammers.

"What is your name, handsome warrior?"

"Errr…. Dan ... Dan Hibiki."

"Mine is Zoot. Just Zoot."

Dan blinks. "Zoot? A rather unusual nickname for a pretty lady like you, don't you think?"

"Mai" seems rather pleased by Dan's complement. She is very close to him for a moment. "Oh, but come." She turns away and leads him on a tour of the castle, all the while heading towards a door leading to the bedchamber.

"Okay, I appreciate you showing me around your castle and all, but I haven't got time now! I REALLY need that scroll you have, so if you'll just show it to me, I'll…!"

"Oh, you have suffered much! You are delirious!"

"NO! Look, look, I have seen it, it's here! Why don't you believe me? Is it ..."

"Now, Dan, you would not be so ungallant as to refuse our hospitality?"

Dan looks at the other girls around him; they are clearly on the verge of being offended. Strangely, he feels rather uncomfortable under their gazes. "Well, I ... I, ah ..."

She moves off and Dan unwittingly follows. As they walk, she admits, "Oh, I'm afraid our life must seem very dull and quiet compared to yours. We are but eight score young blondes and brunettes, all between eighteen and twenty-nine-and-a-half, cut off in this castle, with no one to protect us. Oooh. It is a lonely life ... bathing ... dressing... undressing... making exciting underwear..."

"*gulp*…E…exciting underwear!?" Dan reacts, and then follows further. They reach the end of the corridor and enter the bedchamber.

"Mai" turns to face him and says, "We are just not used to such handsome warriors around these parts ... No, no! Come, you may lie here." She notices him limping. "Oh, but you are wounded!

"No, no, it's nothing!"

"I will have a doctor see to you immediately." She claps to summon the nurse. Dan is about to object, but she insists, "No, no! Please. Lie down."

She almost forces him to lie on the bed as another girl enters the room. Now this girl's an equally enchanting young woman, with short reddish-pink hair and wears a tight-fitting nurse's uniform. Dan blushes at the sight. She approaches Dan. "Well, what seems to be the trouble?"

Dan, needless to say, is shocked. "SHE's a doctor?"

Evasively, "Mai" replies, "Ah, she has basic medical training, yes." He struggles, but she pushes him back down. "Oh, come, come. You must try to rest." To the nurse, she says, "Amazing, if you would practice your arts?" "Mai" then leaves Dan alone with the pretty nurse with the unusual nickname.

"Amazing, huh…?" Dan wonders aloud.

She nods, "That's what most of the girls around here call me. And now, let's get to know each other better while I take care of you. Try to relax," she says soothingly to Dan, caressing his face lovingly.

Dan squirms a bit, unused to being treated by a girl in this affectionate (and yet downright unprofessional) manner. "Are you SURE that's absolutely necessary?" he asks her.

"But I simply MUST examine you."

"ACK! Hey! There's nothing wrong with ... that."

Slightly irritated, Amazing says, "Please ... I AM a doctor, after all. Now this won't hurt a bit…."

Dan tries for a moment to relax. But as she closes in on his pants he jumps off the bed and starts collecting his things. "No, no, this can't be… Even if you ARE cute and incredibly sexy with perfect proportions, I… I am NOT a pervert!"

"Back to your bed! At once!"

"Oh, tempt me no longer! I have seen the scroll with the ultimate technique!"

"What are you talking about? There's no scroll here," Amazing says matter-of-factly.

"But I'm telling you I've seen it! I have seen it! I have seen ..." Dan hurries to the door and pushes through it. As he leaves the room we cut to the reverse to show that he is now in a room full of girlies, all innocent, wide-eyed and beautiful (and also in various states of undress too!). Several of them were trying on lingerie of some very provocative sorts, and a few were in the process of bathing, with the help of a few others. They stare at him smiling, looking him over. Somebody somewhere's playing a harp in the background.

All the girlies greet Dan in a rather friendly manner, "Hello."

"Oh!" Dan gasps. He nods to them stiffly once or twice as he greets them, "Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello…."

But the sight of all that female flesh causes poor Dan to stagger back, his nose gushing blood. "Errrrgh!" At this point he'd contemplated fainting, and then felt a gentle hand upon his shoulder. He turns and sees the same woman that had greeted him at the door, only now she's wearing her hair long again like a certain "bouncy" ninja gal who's shown up a lot in Dan's dreams used to. He visibly gulps with repressed emotion and cannot resist saying, "Zoot!"

"Silly Dan! I'M Mai! Around here, they call me "Dingo". You must have met my identical twin sister, Mii," she says.

Dan apologizes, "Oh ... well ... excuse me." Then, he finally realizes, "HEY! YOU have a twin sister!? And does Andy know about this?"

He pushes forth but she blocks his way. "But where are you going?"

"I seek the scroll with the Ultimate Technique! I have seen it - here in this castle!"

Very melodramatically, Mai goes, "Oh, no! Oh, no! Bad ... bad Mii!"

"What is it?"

"Oh, wicked, bad, naughty Mii! She has been setting alight to our beacon, which - I have just remembered - is scroll-shaped ... It's not the first time we've had this problem."

Dan can't believe it. "You mean to tell me it's NOT the real scroll!?"

"Oh, wicked, bad, naughty, evil Mii ... Oh, she is a naughty person and she must pay the penalty......" Mai then turns to YOU, the reader (!), and says, "Do you think this scene should have been cut? We were so worried when the boys were writing it, but now, we're glad. It's better than some of the previous scenes, I think."

* * *

"At least ours was written better," RED CAT Soldier #023 comments.

Bass snorts, "Hey, at least ours was committed. It wasn't just mindless fan service and panty shots."

The Old Man from Chapter 9 urges, "Get on with it."

Dr. Wily adds, "Yes, get on with it!

Now everybody yells, "YES, GET ON WITH IT!"

* * *

"Oh, I am SO enjoying this scene..." Mai says with delight.

The Author, wanting things to move forward, says, "Oh, get on with it!"

Mai sighs sadly, " ... Oh, wicked, wicked Mii... ...And here in Anthrax-jo, we have but one punishment for setting alight the scroll-shaped beacon. And since it was you who was tricked by our beacon, then it is only logical that you should be the one to distribute the punishment. You must tie her down on a bed – face down, bottoms up, of course... and spank her.

Excited, the girls cheer, "Oooh! A spanking! A spanking!"

"You must spank her well and after you have spanked her you may deal with her as you like and then ... spank me."

"And spank me!" Dynamite, a girl wearing an orange-and-white waitress' uniform, calls out.

Followed by another, a blond girl in a bunny suit, who says, "And me!"

"And me," a third says.

Mai nods, agreeing, "Yes, yes, you must give us all a good spanking!"

With obvious joy and rapture in their voices, all the girls in the place are shouting, "A spanking! A spanking! There is going to be a spanking tonight!"

"And after the spanking ... the oral sex!"

"YAY! The oral sex! The oral sex!"

Dan considers it. "Well, I COULD stay a llittle bit longer…"

Delighted, Mai leads Dan to a nearby couch and they sit down together. On a tray beside them is a pair of champagne glasses. One of them has a small amount of sake sitting in the bottom; she refills that one for herself and pours a fresh glass for him. She curls up next to him, her body turned towards him in a relaxed but attentive posture. She opens up her outfit slightly, showing him lots of leg and just enough cleavage to be distracting. Dan gulps loudly at the sight and tries not to nosebleed in front of her.

She then takes his right hand and places it in her lap, tantalizingly close to the opening in her top. "Suppose I told you that you can have us," she says softly. "That you can love us all in whatever way your heart desires, and that we will all love you in return. What would you say to that, Dan?"

With trembling hands, Dan caresses Mai's breast through the silken garment and was rather pleased to feel a hardened nipple. With tears pouring down his face, he sobs, "Oh, you girls are so kind to a stranger like me! *Sniff,sniff…!!* Boo hoo hoo!" He hides his face in her bosom as she embraces him lovingly, comforting him.

At this moment there is a commotion behind them as Ryo Sakazaki (!) bursts into the chamber looking for a fight. He stands between Dan and the girls. "Dan!!"

Looking up, Dan dreamily says, "Oh ... hello ..."

"Quick!" Ryo, looking rather upset, forcefully tears Dan away from Mai. Mai looks like she is about to cuss, and poor Dan looks like he is about to cry.

"W-what?"

"You heard me! Quick! You've GOT to get out of here!"

"Why?"

"You are in great peril!"

"No he isn't!" Mai objects, taking Dan back and glomping his head into her VERY ample bosom.

"*Sigh*… This feels SO nice……!" Dan says with a goofy grin of joy on his face.

He threatens Mai, "Hey, hey! Back off psycho wench, or I'll Haoh Shoukou Ken ya! Besides, you're not Mai, anyway! The REAL Mai Shiranui's only got eyes for ONE guy – and wouldn't give THIS sad sack of a man (points to Dan) the time of day!"

"HEY! I'm right here, y'know!" a hurt Dan interjects.

"Oh, Ryoooo….", a VERY familiar short-haired blonde girl calls.

Ryo glances over at her, and gets the shock of his life when he realizes it's… "ACK!! KING!? What are YOU doing here!?"

Dan admits, "Well, at least THIS Mai's got a point."

"Come on, I'll cover your escape!"

"Look - I'm fine!"

"Oh Dan!" all the girls cry out.

Dan stands up to Ryo on their behalf. "No! Geez, Ryo, don't be such a party pooper! Look, I can take this bunch single-handed!"

"Yes, let him take us single-handed!"

"NO! Let's go, Dan!" Ryo starts pulling Dan away.

Dan pleads, "No, really, honestly, I can cope. I can handle them easily!"

"Oh please! Let him handle us easily," Mai intercedes.

"No, please! Please! I can defeat them! There's only like, what? A hundred and fifty of them?"

"Yes, yes! He will beat us easily! We haven't a chance."

Now the other girls all speak up, "We haven't a chance! We haven't a chance!!"

"Ah, geez, come on!! This might be the only chance I have to score!" Dan whines pathetically to Ryo.

"ARGH!! Enough already!!" Not even wanting to entertain the thought of leaving Dan alone with them, Ryo has to literally drag him away from these beguiling seductresses. Ever see a guy do 0-to-60 in under a minute, without a car? That's how fast they got out of Dodge.

The door slamming behind them, Dan and Ryo are LONG gone. Fustrated, Mai snaps, "Oh.... fudge!"

Now outside, a greatly relieved Ryo says, "Oh thank God I got there in time. You were in great peril."

Dragging his feet somewhat, Dan begs to differ. "I didn't think I was."

"Yes, you were! You were in terrible peril."

"Well, let me go back in there and face the peril!"

"NO! The peril is too perilous."

"But we're martial artists! It's our duty to face as much peril as we possibly can!"

"Nope. Besides, you've still got to find that ultimate technique, remember? Come on."

"Oh, can't I have just a LITTLE bit of peril?"

Ryo firmly says, "NO. It's just unhealthy."

They run off into the distance, FAR away from the castle. Sulking, Dan mutters, "Aww… you're NO fun at all, you know that?"

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

* * *

For some odd reason we've now switched to a recording studio, the kind that's used by voice actors when they record their lines for an anime. On a large HD monitor is the scene of Dan being dragged away from the Castle Anthrax by Ryo. People are hard at work in the studio, monitoring the recording in progress.

Inside the sound booth, Bubbleman is reading some lines from a script. "And so, Ryo Sakazaki, Kyokugen-ryu's "Invincible Dragon", had saved Dan Hibiki from almost certain temptation. But Dan was still no nearer to finding the scroll with the "Ultimate Technique"…"

"Hey, Bubbleman", the Author asks. "What are you doing?"

"Oh! Well, seeing as I haven't been featured yet in these new episodes you've posted, I thought I'd step up to the plate and help narrate this part of the episode."

"That's great, but where's our regular narrator?"

"Well, last I saw him, he went into that castle with all those girls and…"

The Author looks like he's got a headache. He groans, "Oh boy, looks like we won't be hearing from HIM for a while. Ah well, since you're here, you might as well narrate the rest of this episode too."

"Cool! I'll do my best."

"And so, Bubbleman (that's ME by the way folks!), with the author's permission, is the acting narrator for the rest of this episode! This is going to be so much fun! Hmmm… I wonder if the Author, who's a really cool guy, would be nice enough to pay me whatever they pay the narrator for one episode's work."

"Sorry, Bubbleman, but you're NOT getting any money for this episode. You're working for free. Plus, since the narrator's not around, that's one less paycheck we have to write," the Author says.

"What!? Awww….!"

* * *

-(CUE DREAM SEQUENCE)-

We're now inside a modern psychiatrist's office somewhere in downtown Tokyo. Dan is lying on the couch, involved in a therapy session with the local shrink.

Since the sesson's started, all Dan's done is complain to the head-shrinker that he's such a pathetic loser, that no girl could ever fall in love with him, and how disgustingly lonely he thinks he is. He laments that no matter what he does, everywhere he goes people treat him like a joke. He then tells the doctor about his rise to fame and power, including how he'd defeated the Emperor of Muay Thai Sagat. He then talks about the friends he's made along the way, his dojos, and the book he wrote. And then he tells him about how everything just went so wrong after the day he opened his new dojo. Finally, he blames all his current problems on someone named R.

After listening to Dan whine and bitch about his troubles for about a good half-hour, the psychiatrist, a short, thin man in his early-to-mid forties with reddish-brown hair and a face that reminds Dan of a monkey's, just says, "Well, Mr. Hibiki, now that you've… gotten some things off your chest, so to speak ...I'd like to ask you a question, just to get a conversation going. What is it you really want to be?"

Dan's response is, "I wanna be a great martial artist like my daddy!"

"Oh? And why DO you want to be a martial artist?"

An unusual question, but Dan answers anyway, "Ooh ... why does anyone want to be a martial artist? Fame, money, glamour, action, adventure, excitement, sex!"

"Ah HA! It's the sex, isn't it?" the psychiatrist asks interestedly.

Dan admits, "Well, that's one of the things, yeah."

"Yes, what's the sex problem?"

"Wh-what? There's no problem!"

"Now, come on, come on. You've got the girl on the bed and she's all ready for it!"

"No, no! It's nothing to do with that."

The psychiatrist's getting REALLY excited now. "Now come on, come on, there she is, she's all ready for it! She's a real stunner, fresh off a Juicy Honey photo shoot! She's got great big tits, she's really, REALLY stacked and you've got her legs up against the mantelpiece..."

"All right, Mr. Nomura, I'll take over." A distinguished-looking man in a suit enters; the psychiatrist leaves. "Good morning, Mr. Hibiki. My name's Tsuchiya. Sorry to keep you waiting. Now what seems to be the problem?"

Dan tells him, "Well, I was telling the other psychiatrist ..."

Dr. Tsuchiya sweatdrops. "He's ... he's not a psychiatrist."

"Huh? But he said he WAS a psychiatrist."

"Well ... yes ... um, he's a kind of psychiatrist. He's ... he's not a proper psychiatrist. He's not er, um ... fully qualified ... in, um, quite the sort of way we should want. Anyway, the problem, I believe, is basically sexual in nature isn't it?"

Nomura puts his head round the door on hearing this. "I asked him that!"

"Get out!" Dr. Tsuchiya snaps at him. Once he's gone, the doctor turns his attention to his patient. "Now then, you've got the girl on the bed. You've been having a bit of a feel up during the evening. You've got your tongue down her throat. She's got both her legs up on the mantelpiece..."

Enter a distinguished-looking psychiatrist in a white coat. Quietly and authoritatively, he indicates the door. "Dr. Tsuchiya... out please!"

"But I'm talking with a patient! Oh ...!" Tsuchiya goes.

"Out please!" He then apologizes to Dan. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. We've had a lot of problems lately with bogus psychiatrists. One of the risks in our profession, I'm afraid. Unfortunately, they do tend to frighten the patient and they can cause real and permanent damage with regards to the treatment. But I assure you that I am a completely 100% bona-fide psychiatrist, with all the credentials to prove it. Here's my diploma in psychiatry from the University of Tokyo. This here shows that I'm a member of the All-Japan Psychiatric Association, a very important body indeed. Here's a letter from another psychiatrist in which he mentions that I'm a psychiatrist. This is my Psychiatric Club tie, and as you can see the cufflinks match. I've got a copy of "Psychiatry Today" in my bag, which I think is pretty convincing. And a letter here from my mother in which she asks how the psychiatry is going, and I think you'll realize that the one person you can't fool is your mother. So if you'd like to ask me any questions about psychiatry, I'll bet you I can answer them. So let's keep going, OK?"

"No, no, it's all right, really…."

Picking up where the last two psychiatrists left off, this one continues, "OK, you've got this girl on your bed, you've had a few drinks, and you've got her stretched out and her feet on the mantelpiece..."

It was then that the intercom buzzed…

**BZZZ! **

And he answers, "…yes? What is it?"

The voice on the other end of the intercom replies, "There's a proper psychiatrist to see you, Dr. Orido."

"Oh, oh my God! It completely slipped my mind! OK, thank you." Dr. Orido hurriedly changes into a race car driver's suit. "Right, thank you very much for answering the questions, sir. We'll try not to trouble you again." He exits hurriedly. Next thing Dan hears is the sound of screeching tires outside the buidling.

A fourth psychiatrist rushes in, taking up where Orido left off. "Right, now you've got the girl down on the bed, you've got her legs up on the mantelpiece…"

Two men in white coats enter, bundle him up in a straitjacket, and forcibly escort him out. Then Dr. Tsuchiya returns. "Congratulations, Mr. Hibiki. You've done extremely well in our disorientation tests."

Dan blinks. "Oh? Oh!"

Dr. Tsuchiya explains, "Yes. You see, I apologize if it might have confused you a little, but we do this to try to establish a very good doctor/patient relationship, you see ... we do it to sort of break down the barriers. All right?"

"Uh…OK, fine."

"Good! Well, you've got her legs up on the mantelpiece..."

The guys in white coats come in and chase Tsuchiya out.

* * *

= WE INTERRUPT THIS DREAM SEQUENCE FOR AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT. =

An important-looking man sits behind a desk in an office. The caption on-screen indicates that he is the chairman of the All-Japan Psychiatric Association.

The chairman politely ahem's, then says, "On behalf of the Psychiatric Association, I should like to say that we are taking firm action to clamp down on the activities of bogus psychiatrists. In fact, in many areas of modern psychiatry, computers are now being increasingly used for the first basic diagnosis and this has gone a long way in eliminating the danger of unqualified impostors."

We then switch back to the psychiatrist's office, where Dan is lying on the couch. On the desk beside him is an impressive-looking computer.

In a digitized voice, the computer says, "You've had your tongue down her throat and she's got her legs on the mantelpiece…"

The door opens and Amazing, the lovely nurse from Castle Anthrax appears. "Out!" she orders. The computer (and the desk it sits on) scuttles for the door, revealing that underneath it are three pairs of legs, in pin-striped trousers and expensive shoes.

Later, we see the same computer and desk out in a field. Amazing picks up a bazooka. The computer desk rises into the air; she fires at it, and it explodes….

* * *

Anyway…

Back to reality now (at least in this dream, anyway), Dr. Tsuchiya says, "You still instist that you're a martial artist trying to recover his lost fame and glory, Mr. Hibiki. At what point did you feel you needed a bit more spice, a little more excitement in your life?"

"What's that supposed to mean doc?" Dan asks. "All I ever wanted was to be the greatest Street Fighter in the world. Oh, and a nice house in the suburbs, a wife (or two, or maybe even three!), a kid, and a dog. That's all."

"OK, Mr. Hibiki, Let's go back to your childhood. Tell me about your father. How did you feel about him? Did you hate him?"

"On the contrary, I was very fond of my dad. I mean, sure, he'd take jabs at my long-wounded self-esteem and ridicule my efforts to meet girls, but he was a great guy. We had a lot in common. Martial arts, karaoke, and when I was old enough, women!"

"And what about your mother, hm? How did you feel about her?"

Dan explodes, "WHAT ABOUT MY MOTHER!? My mother was a saint! A SAINT, I tell you! A paragon of womanhood! The finest representation of her gender!" Then he calms down, sighing, "*sigh*.... If only I could meet a nice girl like that, y'know, with those kind of qualities - kindness, warmth, a great set of assets..."

_Oh, dear, a martial artist with father issues and a pseudo-Oedipus complex_, Dr. Tsuchiya sweatdrops as he thinks. Clearing his throat, he continues, "Err… right. Now, Mr. Hibiki, would you mind looking at these inkblots and tell me exactly what comes into your mind, the first thing that comes to mind."

His first impression upon being handed the Rorschach inkblots by the doctor is, "You need a new pen, doc."

That gets a chuckle out of the doctor. "Heh heh, very good, very good. No no no, I mean, just look at them and the first thing that comes into your mind, just talk about that, OK?"

Dan looks at the first inkblot. "Wow, that's a pretty girl."

"That's good, that's good," the doctor nods. He instructs Dan to look at the next one.

"That's... that's a guy and a hot girl hugging."

"Really? Next, please."

"And this one's two girls and a guy... OMG, is that a can of whipped cream?...uh, say, doc, could I BUY a set of these?"

Exasperated, the psychiatrist goes, "Ahh...! Mr. Hibiki! It seems to me you think that these pictures are all about women!"

"Well, YOU're the one showing me all the ecchi and fanservice! GOSH!"

Realizing that this sesson's getting nowhere, Dr. Tsuchiya wraps up. "*sigh*... Thank you Mr Hibiki, that'll be enough for today."

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

* * *

At three in the morning, Dan wakes up shaking and sweating and remembering, echoes of the dreams he's had so far rattling around in his head. His eyes were wide open and his mind was crawling around old stuff, bad stuff, fights won and lost… It was funny how tired he could be, limbs leaden and slow and blood so thick and sluggish that it felt like his heart couldn't even pump the stuff. But still he was wide awake, his gaze skimming the darkness like a mosquito hunting for fresh blood in the middle of the night.

Waking up (again), Dan's left with many worries. The hair on his back stands on end. His danger sense goes up. Someone's here. He's not by himself…

So he tries to go back to sleep, but he can't. Later on, he hears a strange tapping, as if someone's gently rapping on his door…

Whoops, a little Edgar Allan Poe there, sorry. Anyway, looking all around, Dan sees nothing; suddenly, something (or someone!) appears before him….!

But it's just the ghost of his late father again. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaazzup!!" Go Hibiki says, greeting his boy as only he can.

"ACK!!" Dan's so startled by his father's reappearance that he almost fell out his bed. "Oyaji! Not YOU again!"

"Yep. Told you I'd be back. Now, where were we?"

"Well, BEFORE you ditched me, you were at the part where you told me that my path to becoming a great martial artist was near."

"Huh?" Go blinks. "Did I actually say that out loud?"

"ARRRGH!" Dan facefaults. "Don't tell me you FORGOT!?"

"Ahhh…. Yeah, that. Thanks for remindin' me boy. Anyway, I saw your last fight with your so-called "rival", and once again, you blew it!" Dan lowers his head in shame, knowing his father's right. "Now tell me exactly WHY I should help you if all you are going to do is screw up?"

"I'll get R the next time," Dan says in defense. "Soon, HE'LL be the one begging for mercy at my feet the next time we battle!"

Go begs to differ. "You've said that the last couple of times you fought him! And, what happens? He gives you such a whooping!"

"I MEAN IT!!" Dan shouts, clenching his fists. "SURELY, you've seen how close I was last time! It was the closest I've gotten thus far!"

"Feh. Yeah, right, if by "closest" you mean you lasted more than five seconds against him, then, yeah, I'd agree with you. Dan, m'boy? Heart to heart a moment, okay?" Go suggests, dragging Dan off to the side by his ear. "Do you really have that much of a hard on for getting your rear end handed to you on a silver platter again?"

"I don't care! I have to do SOMETHING, Oyaji!" Dan pleads earnestly. "R has to be stopped! He's evil! He's worse than evil, he's... he's EVIL in all capital letters! Now help me, my father! Help me in my hour of need!"

_Geeez… what a drama queen!_ "Nope," Go refuses. "Listen to me, boy. You're not going to achieve anything this way. If--"

"BUT HE…."

"Let me finish, thank you," Go warns. "I'm educating your dense ass here. If you want to take on an opponent who's stronger than you, you don't rush at them screaming and punching. No. You use your head to devise and employ tactics to out-smart them; THEN, when they leave an opening, you rush at them screaming and punching! It's mind over muscle. Got that?"

Dan nods, understanding. "Yeah, OK, so what you're saying is I need a strategy?"

"Bingo, but there's more to it than that. Look... you're a bright kid, Dan. Well… sometimes, anyway. You'll figure out something. But if you want that path to martial arts superiority to open up for, you gotta do the legwork yourself, okay? I can only show you the door. You're the one that's gotta walk through it."

Now finished, Go continues, "Still, I gotta admit though, I DO have one regret. Back when I was your age, boy, I used to play in a band. And I'd thought that one day I'd like to be a musician, go on tour, and maybe get jiggy with the female groupies, y'know. Ah, if I'd only beaten Sagat, I would have not only made a reputation for myself as a fighter, it would allow me to finally pursue my musical aspirations as well."

"Wow… gee, Dad, I'm sorry. I never knew."

"You never asked. But it's just as well. If Sagat hadn't killed me, I would have gone on to greatness. I would have led the world's first martial arts polka band!"

Dan can't believe what's he's just heard. "Wh-WHAT!?

"C'mon in guys!"

Five more ghosts enter the room, all dressed like Go, wearing green karate gi and red tengu masks. Each has a musical instrument in their hands: a clarinet, a saxophone, an electric guitar, a tuba, and a bass drum, respectively. Go then picks up his accordion and says, "And now, we'd like to do our rendition of "Superfreak". OK, guys! And a one and a two and a three and a four!"

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Try to imagine Rick James' "Superfreak" (or MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This", if you prefer) played polka-style. Need we say more?]

Watching in horror, Dan puts his hands to each side of his face and screams like the kid from "Home Alone". "AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

* * *

Dan wakes up! "AAAAAAHHHHHH…!! OH! Oh…it was only another dream!"

**KNOCK! KNOCK!**

_Someone at my door at this hour? Who could it be?_ "Come in!"

The door opens and in walks Mai Shiranui! "MAI! Wh-what are you doing here?" Dan asks.

"I heard there was trouble here, so I came to investigate," she replies.

"No, really! What are YOU doing here?"

"Silly Dan! You're still dreaming, aren't you?"

Dan blinks. "I am?" He then pinches himself; he doesn't feel a thing. "Yep, still dreaming." To Mai, he says, "Say, uh, Mai…since you're here anyway… you got a moment?"

"Uh…all right. What is it?"

He blushes a bit - being in the presence of the girl of his fantasies tends to do that to a guy, you know. "Well, there's something I've always wanted to ask you that's always been very difficult for me to say. But it's kinda embarrassing to say it out loud."

Ready for him in case he'd try anything funny like the last time they'd met, Mai carefully approaches Dan. He then whispers something in her ear. She's surprised at what she hears. At first. Then her eyes go wide when Dan tells her the rest of it. She reacts. "Wh-what? Now!?"

Dan whispers something else to her.

"Why?"

More whispering, to which she responsds, "You really ARE a pervert, you know that?"

Then, Dan whispers one last thing. Mai gives up, sighing, "Oh…what the hey. It's YOUR dream, anyway."

To his surprise and utter amazement, Mai starts doing jumping jacks in front of Dan! Watching "them" bounce up and down, Dan is totally mesmerized! "Oh, Mai…"

He is interrupted when Andy Bogard bursts in! "Mai!"

As she bounces up and down, Mai cheerfully says, "Oh, hi Andy!!"

He too, is mesmerized. "Uh………….!" But Andy quickly snaps out of it. "No, NO! Cut that out!" Then he looks over in Dan's direction. "Grr….! Shame on you, taking advantage of Mai like this!

Dan's like, "HEY! All this time you've been acting like you don't like her, and now this?"

Excited, Mai lets out a whoop of joy, "OH ANDY! You DO care!" and promptly glomps him in a mad embrace.

Andy struggles in Mai's iron glomp. "ACK! Mai, please!"

Watching the happy couple, Dan sighs, "Oh, well… Now that you're done getting back together, can I please go back to my dream now?"

Andy stops him. "Not so fast, you! I'd read your book, especially the part where you touched…well, you know. And I came here to make you pay! So Dan Hibiki, prepare yourself! If you want Mai that badly, you'll have to go through ME first!" With that, he lunges toward Dan with his Zan-ei Ken (Phantom Slash Fist).

Mai is touched. "Oh, Andy…."

Dan sidesteps it. He rolls his eyes, muttering, "Geez… of all the times he finally decides to get over his commitment issues and stand up for her, why NOW….?" He then blocks the punch Andy throws next and gets into his own fighting stance. It looks like he's going to be here for a while...

Andy throws a Hishoken (Soaring Fist) projectile, which Dan deflects with his Gadouken. They then trade blows, punches and kicks being thrown all over the place. Dan goes for a Koryuken, but gets smacked by Andy's Shouryuudan (Rising Dragon Bullet). Ouch!

Fortunately for those few people who are rooting for our pink-clad progtagonist, Dan recovers in mid-air, and as he falls, he rolls backwards, away from Andy. But Andy goes for his Kuuha Dan (Sky-Ripping Shot) kick, timing it just right so that the moment Dan finshes rolling…

**THUMP!**

Yep, you guessed it; Dan gets a pair of flying feet into his face.

"OOF! WAAAAHHHHhhh…..!!" Dan wails, tasting defeat yet again….

* * *

And now he's back in Hollywood, accepting his award. How'd he get from his room above the dojo back here?

But just to be sure, he does a quick scan of the audience; there's no sign of R. Relieved, he continues his acceptance speech as if nothing's happened. "Whoops. Sorry about that everybody," he apologizes. "Spaced out there for a moment. Being up here for the first time tends to do that, y'know?....*ahem*…. Well, as I was saying, I'd like to thank my director, the cast and crew, my fan club, and last but not least, my Oyaji, who've would been thrilled to see this… after he'd try to wound my healed-up self-esteem, that is… ah, well… Thanks, and good night everybody!!"

Dan basks in the applause and adulation and outpourings of love he's finally receiving.

After the awards ceremony, with his beautiful co-star acompaniying him, he walks out into the crowd, signs autographs, takes pictures with fans and fellow celebrities alike, and basically has himself a good ol' time celerbrating his cinematic victory. Sure, it's not the same as smacking down Sagat or (one day!) R, but he's happy anyway.

In the midst of the fame and flashing lights, everything goes white…

* * *

And he wakes up at home.

Not his current home, mind you, but the place he used to own before all his stuff got repossessed.

And beside him in his bed is someone curled up under the covers. Thinking it's Mai who's asleep beside him, Dan turns in the direction of the sleeping figure.

Since it's just the two of them (and nobody else, thank goodness!), Dan confesses, "Mai, I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days. The first day seemed like a week and the second day seemed like five days. And the third day seemed like a week again and the fourth day seemed like eight days. And the fifth day you went to see that Andy Bogard for the last time and that seemed just like a day, and then you came back and later on the sixth day, in the evening, when we saw each other, that started seeming like two days, so in the evening it seemed like two days spilling over into the next day and that started seeming like four days, so at the end of the sixth day on into the seventh day, it seemed like a total of five days. And the sixth day seemed like a week and a half. I have it written down, but I can show it to you tomorrow if you want to see it."

He gets no response. "I'm kinda glad you're asleep right now, because there's something I wanted to say that's always been very difficult for me to say. Well… the truth is Mai, I… I love you. Or at least, I like you a lot. There. I've never been relaxed enough around you to say that. And I'm sorry about those things I said in my book about you. What really happened that day was an accident, and while it felt good to touch you… well, you know… everything just kinda got way out of proportion from there. I know you really dig that Andy guy, but I hope you could forgive me, and maybe we could at least be friends. Maybe even "with benefits", but I know I'm asking for too much here. Ah well…"

He pats the curled-up figure on the bottom, which in turn, awakens from its slumber.

Unfortunately, instead of Mai, it's **R**.

Dan's eyes bug out and he turns white as a sheet.

R looks back at him with murder in his eyes.

Their reaction is simultaneous. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH……….!!"

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH……….!!" Dan screams, waking up so suddenly that he falls out of his bed.

After coming to, he comtemplates the dream he just had. "Man…now THAT was SCARY."

"Here. Have a glass of water." a voice from above him says, handing him (duh!) a glass of water.

Dan accepts it. "Oh, thanks. I…I need some of th—YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" He looks up, shocked to see the ghost of his father standing over him.

Go Hibiki flinches, covering his ears from his son's screaming. "Geez, boy, what's up with the spontaneous shouting? There's medication for that, you know …" he suggests. Then he asks, "Aw, what's the matter now?"

"Oh… oh, Dad, I… I had a bad dream… Actually, I've had several bad dreams. Well, they weren't ALL bad…" Dan thinks about those girls from Castle Anthrax (especially the twin Mai's) from one of his earlier dreams and starts to drool.

Go covers his face with his left hand and shakes it in resignation. His boy is a pervert. But then again, isn't this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black?

"HEY! Nobody asked for YOUR input!" Go scolds the narrator. After a couple of minutes, he stops shaking his head, and then he pulls Dan up to his feet and smacks him across the face a few times.

**SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!**

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!" Dan yee-ouches in pain.

After he's done slapping some sense into him, Go comments, "Good grief, you're pathetic, you know that? Don't you remember what I used to tell you when you were little – bad dreams are only dreams. Nothing more. Feel better now?"

Dan groans. With little dizzy swirls in his eyes, he nods dizzly, "No, I don't wanna go to school today, Oyaji. All the other kids make fun of me…."

_Hmm… maybe those last few slaps were a bit too much…_ Go thinks. He picks up his semi-conscious son and helps him into the bath. "C'mon boy, up you go, into the shower. Just stand under that for a while. That'll help you clear your head. Then we'll talk, OK?"

Once Dan's inside, he takes off his boxers, stumbles into the shower stall…

And accidentally turns on the cold water.

"AHH! OH! OH! OH-HO! C-COLD!!" Dan yelps. That cold water woke him right up real quick. He turns on the hot water instead, and relaxes, letting the water wash away all he's seen and imagined in his dreams tonight.

_Oh, thank God it's over_, Dan thinks.

Not a chance, Dan. You're still dreaming aren't you?

Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared outside of his shower, seemingly brandishing a knife-like weapon in its hands. The high-pitched violin sound effect ala the movie 'Psycho' begins to play.

**EEK-EEK-EEK-EEK!**

"What the…!?" Dan says as he quickly opens the curtains to his shower to see who was behind it.

It was R. Again. "ACK! R! What are you doing in my bathroom!?" Dan questioned angrily.

Before he gets an answer, R attacks him violently with his Silver Metallic rapid-punch attack, raining razor-sharp blows of hurt on him. In such tight quarters (it IS a shower stall after all), under a relentless assault, unable to mount a counterattack, Dan gets the snot beat out of him all while the shower's on. While he's getting beat down, he slips on a bar of soap he'd dropped earlier and falls backwards inside the shower with a…

**CRASH!**

Blood and soapy water flow down the shower drain. When it's all over, Dan's a bloody, bruised mess, slumped over unconscious in the corner of the shower.

Trimuphant, R hmph's, "THAT's for that last dream sequence you had. Next time, leave me out of your trippy dreams, you sick freak!"

It was ridiculous. Dan Hibiki, master of Saikyo-ryuu, beaten? And not in honorable combat either, but in a cowardly ambush; on top of that, punked in his own shower, even.

It must have been some mistake. Some sort of dream. A waking nightmare. Nobody could move THAT fast...strike with such force and accuracy. All his ability and skill was as nothing compared to R's. Could this challenger be...some sort of martial arts god?

...No, it couldn't be. It was utterly impossible. It was outrageous! A nightmare! A horrible, horrible...

* * *

Indeed, Dan was in the grip of a nightmare, twitching, tossing and turning around in him bed, groaning in mental pain, until he awoke shouting, "Nightmare!" He'd awoken so suddenly that he almost falls out his bed… again.

Dan lets out a long sigh of relief. It WAS just a dream after all. He frowned for a moment – some parts of it weren't THAT bad, like being with Mai, all those girls from Castle Anthrax, and (believe it or not) seeing his father again.

Still, he wonders what exactly the point of the dream was, the dreams within dreams he'd been having tonight? What message did they convey? Sure, his Oyaji hinted that his path to becoming a great martial artist would draw near – but he didn't say how or when it would happen.

And then there was the therapy session he'd had with Dr. Tsuchiya (who may or may not have been a psychiatrist at all) during the "bogus psychiatrists" part of his dream. Dan vaguly remembered the things he's confessed to the doctor, his desire to be the greatest Street Fighter in the world, for a wife (or two, or maybe even three!), a kid, and a dog. Which maybe meant (aside from the more than one wife thing) that perhaps one day, perhaps after achieving his aforementioned goal of martial arts supremacy, Dan might want to be married and start a family of his own.

But that's NOT gonna happen because…

"OK, OK, I get it. I get it now," Dan comprehends. "I mean, it's not like I WANT to be a bachelor for the rest of my life! And yeah, sure, I'm lonely! I want to be popular! I want the girls to scream my name in adulation and delight, not fear and repulsion! I want to be respected as a martial artist! But it seems like no matter what I do, people think I'm a joke… Unless I can put it all on THAT guy… the one who beat me in front of all my fans… that damn R! YES! HE's the reason I'm so disgustingly lonely... for my bachelor status, my single-ness... why the women reject me... why it seems every man, woman, and child laughs at my very existence... And if I can't defeat him and prove to everybody that I really AM a true martial artist, then... WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH MEeeeeeee....!!"

"You know…. I've been wondering about THAT for years…," a familiar male voice says.

Dan turns around to see the spirit of his father standing before him again, still rocking the "Force Ghost" shtick, all blue and transparent-like, the glowing halo over his head and tengu-mask permanently attached to his face still present.

Go Hibiki continues, "I mean, I could have had any girl in the world. Got no pleasure from them nor expected any. And in my pursuit of the opposite sex, I've only had two losses after a gluttonous testing period. The rest of them I could have turned in any direction I chose." He chuckles softly, remembering his wife, "Heh…. But I ended up deciding on your mother, because not only did she have a great set of assets but she had personality and a good heart to go along with 'em. And then one simple little sprawl in the park under a full moon produced, well…. YOU. So if you can come up with a better answer to that one, let me know."

Dan groans, "Aw, man, it's just you again, Oyaji. Come to bruise my long-wounded self-esteem again, ridiculing what little dignity I have left? Or, dare I hope, you've ACTUALLY come back to help me this time? No, wait, what am I saying? You're here to do both, right?"

Go laughs, "Heeey… give the kid a cookie. He gets it right. For once. You thought I was here just so I could fix your problems for you? Ohhhh no, not even close, boy. It hasn't occured to you yet that the answer just MIGHT be closer than you think?"

"There you go being all vague and mysterious again," Dan complains. "Just tell me what I need to do so you'll stop haunting me."

"All-righty then. Tonight, Dan, you'll be visited by three spirits. Listen to them. Do what they say, and…" Go corrects himself. "Whoops, sorry, that's Dickens. Wrong story. My bad."

Dan facefaults, groaning, "Oh, get on with it already! GOSH!"

Go accepts that. "OK. Right. Well, let's take stock of your life right now, boy. You've been dealt a series of bad breaks, you're a thirty-something, unemployed wash-out with no game whatsoever when it comes to the girlies. You never kept in touch with your mother since Sagat killed me, you're virtually friendless, STILL dateless, and (aside from avenging my death) you haven't acquired a single thing of real value in your life lately. I think that pretty much covers it."

"Oh, man…." Dan groans, holding his head in his hands. It seems reality has finally (FINALLY!? It sure took him long enough!) dawned on him.

Go snorts, "Yeeeah, thought so. Well, while you're getting a clue, I'm gonna raid your fridge for a beer."

He goes to Dan's refridgerator and scores himself a can of Asahi Dry; cracking it open, he tosses it back, chugging the whole can in one long gulp. Refreshed, he breathes, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…. That was good. Haven't done that in a LONG while."

And NOW he turns his attention to Dan. "Weeell…. it's like that old catch-phrase: admitting you've got a problem is the first step toward being cured. Or something like that, I don't know exactly how it goes," Go says. "Here's the deal: You made some mistakes, mistakes that you're currently paying for… and some you're gonna probably pay for later. And while you're on your way to becoming a great martial artist, now you have the opportunity to make things right. I'd suggest by starting with that ninja-girl you're always drooling over. Did you ever stop to think how putting that little blurb, how you stretched the truth about your encounter with her in your so-called autobiography might affect HER reputation? Oh no, wait, that's right, of COURSE you didn't you little creep!"

Dan shrinks under his father's scolding – he knows his Oyaji's got him cold on that one.

"As for your skill in the Art, now THERE's something you can fix. Training alone won't be enough this time. Now you need to perfect your techniques. OK, sure, your skills may have been enough to beat down Sagat, but as you can probably already tell from your last few fights, the tricks you've used before aren't working now – epecially against the opponents you've tangled with. So I'm thinking you need to add some new moves to your repertoire. How you do THAT is up to you."

Dan thinks about that. Maybe that's why he's been unable to defeat R. Perhaps it's time to take Saikyo-ryu to a new level. He nods his understanding. "OK, I can do that. Is there anything else I need to know?"

Go replies, "Nope. That's it."

"WHAT!? That's all I get?"

"Well, I can't just TELL you EVERYTHING can I? Besides, this espiode's WAY too long. If I told you about ALL the stuff that's coming your way, we'd be here a while. And the author's been wracking his brain trying to get this thing posted for the longest time now. And if I TRIED explaining it to you any further, you'd probably give me the ol' 'dazed and confused' look, like someone's who's been shot in the head and slammed in the bum."

Dan looks at his father, with the aforementioned 'dazed and confused' look.

Go notices this, and comments, "Yeah. Like that," shaking his head. Sighing now, his tone becomes an odd combination of sympathy and annoyance. "I worry about you, boy. Let's face it, Dan, you're a loser. You always were a loser. You always will be a loser, until you take control. You managed to do that once, and you beat down Sagat. Now don't get me wrong; I'm eternally grateful to you for taking down that big goon and avenging me. But this business between you and that dog-eared kid, oh no, that's YOUR mess. Now you know what you have to do. Be strong, my son, and just DO IT, OK?" Having finished, he smiles and says, "Well, it's been good talking with you, boy."

Dan notices his father's becoming more and more transparent, as if he's…. "Will I..." he clears his throat and suddenly discovers that, for all the craiziness that's been happening tonight, he didn't want his father to leave. "Will I be seeing you again?"

"Probably not, son," Go admits.

"I'll . . . I'll miss you, Oyaji."

Go chuckles heartily, "Sh-yeah right, not as much as you think. With all those girlies out there?" He chucks a thumb behind himself, pointing out to the city behind him, possibly even to the world. "Not a chance! _Gambatte ne*_, Dan!"

[*Gambatte ne = Do your best]

With that, the ghost of Go Hibiki fades away.

Or so Dan thought. Unaware that his father's reappeared behind him, armed with a huge megaphone. Go sneaks up right next to him, squeezes the trigger, and yells real loud into his ear….

"**WAAAAAAAAKE UPPPPPPPPPPPPPP…!!"**

-(END DREAM SEQUENCE)-

* * *

Dan wakes up, this time for real! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

**BONK! CRASH!**

"Owww… Hey, what's this?" Dan picks up a scroll. "A scroll? Hmm… looks pretty old. I wonder what it is…." Then, he notices something attached to the scroll. "Hey! There's a note on here, looks like it's from Dad…

_To my son Dan:_

_If you're reading this now, it means I'm dead and you're still "hopeless, dateless, and downright pathetic" (Hey, your words, not mine)! What are you waiting for boy!? Some beautiful girl to just walk into your life and fall madly in love with you? Keep dreaming! Loser._

Dan groans, "Man. Even dead, he still takes shots at my long-wounded self-esteem." He continues to read:

_Anyway… I was going to give you this as a wedding gift on the day you finally got married. But seeing that's about as likely as hell freezing over, you might as well just open it up and read what's inside. I'm sure you'll figure out what to do with it._

_Look, sorry about that "loser" part earlier. You might not have the "Hibiki touch" when it comes to women, but… you're still my son and I'm proud of you. With just a little more training, you could be as great a fighter as I was. So whatever you do, don't give up, keep trying, keep on fighting, until your dreams come true, boy!_

_God, that was corny._

_Well… take care, son. Use the knowledge within this scroll well._

_Dad._

_P.S. – You're still gonna marry Yuri Sakizaki! Don't think just cause I'm dead and gone that the deal's off! You'd better marry her boy, or so help me, I'll come back and haunt you for the rest of your disgustingly lonely life!_

Then he opens the scroll and begins to read it. "Hey! This…this is….!"

One has to wonder what the contents of that scroll are. In any case, Dan's reaction to what's written inside would mean it's probably good news – the best news he's had in a LONG time.

"ALL RIGHT!! With these, I could finally beat him! YES! Hee hee! Better watch out, R, cause my Saikyo-ryu is about to make its grand comeback! MWA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	55. A Rose's Innocence Lost

CHAPTER 55

_**-"A ROSE'S INNOCENCE LOST / THE WHITE LILY RETURNS!"-**_

It's morning.

R awakens. Despite last night's events, he somehow managed to get a good night's sleep. Though, to be honest, he felt like he could've stayed in bed longer. He doesn't know how long his eyes have been open, or how long he had been staring at the pattern made by the rays of light from outside his window shining on his bedroom ceiling. He's lying in his bed in his darkened bedroom.

In his mind, he reviews what's happened the night before:

The school dance…

The DDR Match between him and Ranma…

Dancing with Kodachi and the passionate kiss they shared…

On remembering THAT, R's eyes bug out. _Aw, man! Kodachi! She must think I ditched her! Great. I'd better check back with her. Hope she's not mad at me._

He continues his ponderings:

A steamed bun that he and Ranma fought over…

The cat that showed up and freaked out Ranma…

Ranma acting like a cat…

A pounding headache…

Then darkness… nothingness…

A slap to the face….

Ran's crying…why…?

Those two together, R was somehow able to connect to each other. He still wonders why Ran slapped him, what he did to make her upset.

Then, one name escaped his lips.

"Ranma," R says. Hearing that name causes his mood to darken considerably. Yet, somehow the sound of his voice was reassuring. He remembered talking to Ran sometime before the dance, telling her he was going to fight Ranma Saotome. Information… yes, that was it… he wanted information from Ran about Ranma's weaknesses. Anything he could to gain an advantage over him in a fight. She told him she didn't know anything. That was disappointing.

But what really took the cake for R was discovering that it was RANMA who Ran secretly loved. Finding that out had really hurt, and as a result caused some serious strain on his friendship with her. He remembers being angry with Ran and walking away from her.

OK, between what happened at the dance and waking up in that old temple later, R's drawing a total blank. Then he had a thought: had he been drugged? That WOULD possibly explain the huge gap in his memories between events.

R stirs under the covers, slowly coming to. Up until now, he thought that everything that went on last night had all been a really weird dream. Of course, he still can't remember what he's done while in the madness of Kyoujuu-Urufuken (the Insane Beast Wolf Fist). But now that its violence has passed (for now, anyway), he can think clearly about what's happened before. From the bits and pieces of his recollections, he draws these conclusions:

First, the cat and Ranma's reaction to it during their fight leads R to believe that Ranma's weakness somehow involves cats.

Second, at some point during the fight, Ran slapped him, upset that he'd resorted to using Ranma's possible weakness against him in an attempt to fight and possibly kill him.

Or at least, that's what R now thinks based on what little bit he does remember. Ran's reaction to what he possibly did to Ranma last night is irrelevant to him now; frankly, he doesn't give a damn about what she thinks or feels these days. After all, she'd made clear who she was in love with – did she ever stop to consider R's feelings? Hell no! That selfish little…

As the readers probably already guessed, R's still sore about finding out Ran's crush on Ranma.

BUT, he'd gained a hint to Ranma's weakness as a result of last night. And for that, maybe… maybe he could forgive Ran for her part in this mess, let go of the hurt she'd unintentionally caused him.

Or maybe not…

An evil smile appears on R's lips. Armed with this new knowledge, he's got leverage he can use against her whenever he feels like it. (Does anybody besides this narrator think R's just being straight-up petty here?) And as for Ranma, well… he'd better start watching his back from now on. Next time they fight, R will be ready for him.

And when that happens, only ONE would walk away the victor.

But enough about Ranma and Ran; R decides he'll deal with them later. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he lets out a sigh, letting the memories of last night fade away for now. He then sits up in his bed, feeling the pleasant silkiness of the sheets against his bare skin. He swings his legs onto the floor, stands up, stretches and walks up to the large panoramic window, flipping a switch. Opening the thick curtains, in the glow of the eastern sky, he can see a beautiful view of his private rose garden. He notices puddles of water outside; it must have rained again last night while he slept. The sun's peeking out through the gray clouds above, its light penetrating through the darkness, the only remaining visible reminder of recent events.

R takes it as a good sign. For him, it was the end of a VERY long night, and the beginning of a brand new day. He then does a mental scan of his body, kicks his legs, waves his arms: nothing broken, no unusual sensations, everything apparently intact. Without pausing, he drops to the rug and begins doing push-ups, two per second. After about a couple hundred or so push-ups, R then rolls over on his back and starts doing crunches at the same rate. Eventually he's knocked out three sets of one hundred sit-ups each. Getting up from the floor, he then reaches under his bed for a pair of heavy dumbbells and does curls, one arm at a time, then alternating both arms. Usually, if R wanted to exercise, he'd use the weight room at the RED CATS' base. But that impromptu workout was just the ticket, getting his blood flowing and helping to drive away any lingering memories of last night, at least for a little while.

Finished with exercise, R lifts a bottle of water from the small refrigerator beside his bed, and quickly drains the contents, drinking it down. He then sets the bottle on top of the fridge and then walks over to his closet. Reaching into it, he pulls out a black silky robe, slips it on, and walks down the long hallway to the bath. R's bathroom appears similar to a Western-style bathroom, with a toilet, sink, medicine cabinet, and shower. If one enters the shower, there's another set of sliding glass doors in the stall that lead to the Japanese-style bath inside.

Once inside the bathroom, R shucks off the boxers he'd slept in and goes into the shower, turning on the hot water.

* * *

WE INTERRUPT THIS CHAPTER AS A FREE SERVICE FOR OUR FEMALE READERS. LADIES, PLEASE FEEL FREE AT THIS POINT TO IMAGINE FANSERVICE FEATURING R IN THE SHOWER. EVERYBODY ELSE, KEEP ON READING.

THANK YOU. WE NOW RESUME OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED FANFIC.

* * *

"HEY! Who put that disclaimer in there!?" The Author demands to know.

* * *

Taking a sponge and some shower gel, R washes himself thoroughly from head to toe, the steaming water sliding down his body in a most appreciative manner, and then stands under the shower head letting the water rinse all the suds off him. After he's done rinsing off, he turns to his right, reaching for the second pair of sliding glass doors. Opening these, R steps through them and into the bath proper.

He gingerly steps into the bath, and sits down in the tub. Feeling the hot water making contact with his body, he sighs, relaxing, momentarily forgetting what he'd been and where he was the night before.

_Ahhh…. so relaxing_. He looks up at the ceiling, sinking down further into the water, becoming more and more relaxed. "Aahhh," R sighs, closing his eyes.

But he can't – for two reasons.

One, for some strange reason, he feels awful. _Why?_, he wonders. Did it have something to do with last night?

Reason number two is he's not alone. Not by a long shot. Sensing someone else's presence, he opens his eyes and looks straight ahead…

And wishes he hadn't. For the person sitting at the other end of the bath is none other than…

"ACK! DELIA!! What are YOU doing here!?" R panics.

"Bathing, of course," she replies.

"Yes, I KNOW that. But WHY are you here, in MY bath!?"

"Relax, R. Erick knows I'm here. In fact, he sent me to fetch you. He's waiting for you in the living room."

_Figures. Erick's got no respect whatsoever for boundaries_, R glumly thinks. He shuts his eyes, so he won't get in trouble for seeing Delia in the bath. Even though it's HIS bath. He can just imagine Erick walking in, seeing the two of them together….

His beloved in the bath with one of the henchmen? Ridiculous! But knowing Erick, R imagines him maintaining a calm and cool composure, a smile on his lips…

Except for the single angry vein popping out his head indicating that he's NOT pleased.

In his mind's eye, R sees Erick simply lift a finger, a small spark of psycho-electric charge dancing around his fingertip. _Well, R_, he would say, _I'd say it's time for a little science lesson, don't you think? Surely you've heard the old cliché, "Water and electricity don't mix", right? Let's prove it, shall we?_

Then he'd dip his finger into the water, sending an electric current into poor R!

**FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHH!**

R comes to his senses, realizing he's just imagining things.

But it doesn't change anything at all. Delia's still there, paying R no mind whatsoever. Scary, sexy, tall, sexy, mysterious, beautiful, and sexy Delia. The raven-haired woman is peacefully soaking in R's bath.

From R's point of view, the most eye catching thing about her was, well everything about her caught his eye.

_Damn she's sexy... _R thinks._ ACK! Wait isn't she psychic like Erick? Does that mean she can read my mind too..? Please oh please don't let her be able to read my mind... Yeah, that's it! I should think about something else! Yeah, that'll keep me from thinking about how impossibly hot she looks... man I'm screwed. Erick's gonna kill me._ R risks opening one of his eyes and immediately regrets it when he sees that Delia's still in the tub with him.

So he sinks down in the tub so he won't have to look at her. Yeah, like THAT'll help.

It's then that Delia notices R. She chuckles, "My, such modesty. Erick was right about you; you're a gentleman at heart. A rare quality in most men these days, I'm afraid. Your girlfriend is very fortunate to have someone like you." She gets out the tub.

Fortunately, R has his eyes shut tight; if he'd opened them right now, he'd get a VERY good view of Delia, water dripping off her body. Is she gone yet? Not wanting to take the risk, he sinks down further in the tub, holding his breath. Even worse, he feels a slight twinge down below in a very personal spot. And he's not even looking at her! Reaching down there, he restrains himself.

"Ahh… that was refreshing. Well, I'll leave you to finish your bath now, R. Report to Erick as soon as you're done." Delia notices R's still underwater. "Hm hm hm… such a modest boy," she laughs softly as she leaves.

When he's absolutely sure that Delia's gone, R bursts up from the water, gasping for air. "PH-aaaah……!!" After several deep breaths, he finally says, "That girl is downright SCARY. And I thought Erick was bad enough." _Man, Bass invades my home. Bubbleman raids my refrigerator, and now THIS! What's next?_

You SURE you want to ask that question, R? With his co-workers invading his personal space and privacy, could he ever do anything in secret?

* * *

After getting over (or getting out) of a potentially VERY dangerous situation, R walks into his spacious living room. Sitting on a black leather couch is none other than High Priest Erick Genryusai, who has been patiently waiting for him. Erick notices the spooked look on R's face, and decides to toy with him a bit. He cheerfully greets him, "Ah, good morning R. My, you look as if you've seen something that NO mere mortal should look upon. As if… you saw something that lesser men would literally give up their souls for. And it has troubled you greatly, my young friend."

_That's a pretty biased way of describing one's girlfriend, Erick_, R thinks._ I mean, sure, Delia's attractive-looking and all, but… _

"But what R?"

"ACK!" _Crap! I forgot! He can read minds!_

Erick blinks innocently (Sh-yeah right, this is ERICK we're talking about here!), feigning surprise at R's behavior. "There's that 'deer caught in the headlights' look again. Are you sure you're OK?"

R responds quickly. "Oh…! Err… yes, yes, of course! I'm OK! Really! N-nothing to worry about at all, no sir! Heh heh…!" Calming down, regaining his professionalism as an elite agent of the RED CAT GANG, he says, "So, uh… Delia says you wanted to see me?"

Erick nods. "Yes, I did. It's nothing important, really. I wanted to see for myself how you were doing, a sort of an informal debriefing, if you will." Watching R squirm, he asks concernedly, "You're SURE you're all right?"

Panicking, R says, "Yes, yes! Enough with the third degree! What do you want already?" Inwardly, he wills himself with every fiber of his being to forget the sight he's seen this morning.

"Just as I thought," Erick comments. He's getting much pleasure from R's antics right now; he's trying hard (actually, with very little effort, really) not to bust out laughing at the sight of R trying NOT to think perverted thoughts. _That poor boy. Delia's freaked him out. As if he hasn't had enough to deal with, heh heh heh…. I think he'll like what I have to say next. That should put him at ease._ "Well, I came to tell you that Dr. Wily, the Cat Ghost King, and I have decided that, in light of recent events, you should take some time off. You are an important asset to this organization; you work harder than most of our soldiers. This much I can tell you – some VERY important things pertaining to our plans are on the horizon. We'll need you at your best – and you certainly can't do that now after all the stress you've been under lately. So I suggest you take this time to rest, recharge, train, whatever you need to do."

R's not buying it. "OK, Erick, what's the catch?"

"No catch at all, R. Effective immediately, you'll have three weeks – take four, if you wish - to do as you please, away from the base. Of course, you'll still have to maintain your cover as a student at Furinkan so no one will be suspicious. But think about it – for the next few weeks you won't have to attend any meetings at the shrine, no missions to undertake for us. After you come home from school, you'll have the rest of each day to yourself. If our enemies should interfere, I'll have Wily's bots and our forces deal with them."

Something occurs to R. "And Ranma too…?"

Erick grins. "Of course, eliminating Ranma Saotome will still be YOUR responsibility. Far be it from me to deny you the pleasure of killing him with your own hands." Remembering his latest plan, he mentally adds: _That is, unless Akuma gets to him first! Then, what will you do, R? I shall look forward to awakening your true potential!_

But R's still uneasy. Why's Erick being so nice to him all of a sudden? Something's up here. "Uhh… yeah, that sounds great and all, Erick… problem is, I don't trust you. This whole thing smells like another one of your plans, so come on – what is it THIS time?"

"Am I THAT transparent to you, R?" Erick then sighs, "I suppose I deserve that…. R, listen to me; I'm aware that you and I don't necessarily see eye to eye. But I would like to think that we at least have a fair and amicable professional relationship, despite our personal feelings toward each other."

R's like, "Whatever. So I really don't have to report to the base for four whole weeks?"

Erick nods affirmatively. He adds, "And if anything important is discussed in a meeting while you're away, you'll be briefed via e-mail, so check your messages."

R considers this, and then he says, "OK, cool, thanks, Erick. Now get out of my house." He then adds, "Please."

_Well, at least he said 'please'._ The fact that he needs the boy for his OWN plans is the only reason that Erick doesn't "punish" (for lack of a better term) R on the spot for the insolence he's shown him just now. "As you wish, R," he cordially says.

BUT, that doesn't mean he can't show him who's boss. "So, did you enjoy the free service Delia gave you in the bath?"

"ACK!!" R almost facefaults. _Aw man, I thought I was home free! Why he'd have to go and bring THAT up now!? Great, just great! He knows and I'm screwed! _He snaps to perfect attention, though he's sweating bullets!

Watching R's reaction, Erick has a huge grin of satisfaction on his face. With that one little bit of leverage he has over him, he can keep R in line. _Yes… that's more like it. You're VERY fortunate that I'm in a good mood today R._

"My, my… I bet you wish your little girlfriend could look like THAT, eh?" Erick smiles, as he watches R squirm. He gets up and walks toward him; as he passes by, he puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He leans close to R, so close he can literally smell and taste his fear, and whispers, "Relax, R. I know your type, so I have NOTHING to worry about. Besides, if you HAD tried anything with Delia, well… I can assure you that we would NOT be having this nice little chat today. Heh heh heh….!"

R's turned white as a sheet, scared stiff by Erick's implied threat. "……………………….!!!"

Aloud, Erick says, "Well, enjoy your vacation, R. We'll see you when you get back." And with that, he vanishes, leaving behind a GREATLY relieved R.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT….**_

A beautiful girl, with long blond hair, has stepped out from her private jet. Accompanied by her servants, she walks among the crowd…

It's Asuka Saginomiya, "The White Lily"… Kodachi Kuno's eternal rival.

She is an old kindergarten acquaintance of Kodachi's. When they were young, the two had a contest to see who had the best looking boyfriend. An argument ensued and they destroyed their classroom, but were unable to settle the disagreement.

Asuka and Kodachi meet again years later to finally settle the contest of who has the best looking boyfriend. Once Asuka sees Ranma, she promptly insults him and says that it will be very easy for her to win because her boyfriend is much better looking.

Akane encourages Ranma to accompany Kodachi as her "boyfriend" to prove that he's the better man. Ranma half-heartedly agrees and sets out to meet with Kodachi at the appointed location. Unfortunately for Ranma, Asuka has left behind quite a few traps to ensure that his face is mangled before he can reach her and her boyfriend.

Once Ranma and Kodachi make it through the traps, they find out that Asuka's "date" was actually kidnapped against his will and thereby voiding the contest. Both Asuka and Kodachi agreed to meet again in five years and hold the contest again.

Now, Asuka's returned to Japan for two reasons; first, to get her revenge against Kodachi; the second, to find her new love - R.

With an evil giggle, Asuka says, Kodachi, be prepared, for this time, I will defeat you. Then with hearts in her eyes, And then I will find my lovely Prince!"

But why is she here now?

Methinks it's time for the flashback, don't you?

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_**PARIS, FRANCE – AT A RESIDENCE OWNED BY THE SAGINOMIYA FAMILY:**_

We see Asuka in her room, surrounded by many white lilies. Also, there are many pictures of Kodachi Kuno, all painted with horns, mustaches, daggers on them…

Looking at one of the pictures of Kodachi, Asuka declares, "Kodachi, just you wait, in 5 years I'll have my revenge against you, just you wait!"

"Hu hu hu huuuu…," a man's voice chukles out of nowhere."

"HUH!" Asuka gasps – she wasn't expecting visitors. After all, this was a private estate, one of many owned by her family, used as a place to stay while traveling abroad. So who is this unknown guest? Looking around, she demands, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

ERICK (who else?) appears from the corner of Asuka's room. Asuka jumps back and grabs a bat concealed within one of the large vases filled with her trademark lilies. Yeah right, like SHE could do anything to HIM. In a dangerous tone of voice, she questions. "Who are you?"

Erick lifts his palm, attempting to assure the girl he's come in peace. "Easy there girl. I am Erick, a friend."

"Friend…" Asuka snorts. "I don't know you, so if you don't get out of my room, I'll…"

"Relax girl…I don't want to fight, just to talk to you."

"Talk to me…about what?"

Erick explains, "I know that you have a certain …rivalry with another girl…that goes by the name of Kodachi Kuno, am I right?"

Asuka's surprised. "HUH!? How…how did you know?"

Erick smiles at her. "A little bird told me. Now, I understand that you and Kodachi made a promise to meet up again in 5 years, right, to finish your fight?"

Asuka's even more confused. "WHA…how did you know of that?"

"Doesn't matter… Asuka, I think that it was a bad idea."

"Why?"

Erick politely spells it out for her. "My dear Asuka… MANY things can happen in five years. Heck, many things can happen in just five MONTHS. If I were you dear, I would finish that fight right NOW."

Asuka's unsure. "I don't know. I mean…"

"Plus…here's a little gossip for you that you will find interesting…Kodachi Kuno is interested in obtaining the love of this boy." Erick then takes out a picture of R and shows it to Asuka.

When Asuka sees R picture, she breathes an "AH!" of delight. With hearts in her eyes, she says, "WOW…WHO'S THE HUNK?"

Seeing she's interested, Erick tells her, "His name is R. Quite the man, isn't he Asuka…? Now, last I heard, Kodachi has been going out with him, and I was wondering… What would happen if YOU, Asuka, were to, I don't know, grab this boy's heart? How would Kodachi react toward it?"

Asuka was beginning to see the bigger picture. If she obtains the love of R…

Eager and happy, Asuka agrees, "Yes, yes…I would have a handsome boy by my side." She begins to fantasize, seeing herself, dressed as a Princess, and held by Prince R in his arms.

"Exactly," Erick confirms. "And as for Kodachi…"

With a smug grin on her face, Asuka finishes Erick's statement. "Her heart would be crushed. Ooooh, I can't wait to see the face of that slut, when she sees me with this stud-muffin! I can't thank you enough Mr. Erick… huh!?"

Asuka then notices that she was alone in her room. Erick has vanished. She then notices an envelope on a nearby table for her; opening it, she reads the contents.

_-"Never do things for tomorrow…when you can do them today"-_

Asuka gratefully says, "You have my thanks, Mr. Erick. Now…now to return to Japan, and get the love of my life! Tee hee hee!!"

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

Asuka then grabs her belongings and heads to the car waiting outside for her… a white Toyota Celsior (Lexus LS 430)… Once escorted inside by her chauffeur:

With a dignified (but still pretty evil) giggle, Asuka says, "Kodachi, just you wait. For this time…I`LL BE THE WINNER AND YOU`LL BE THE LOSER! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Poor R. He's gonna experience what Ranma has gone through with women.

* * *

_**KUNO MANSION – KODACHI'S ROOM:**_

Kodachi is watering her black roses, when she sneezes.

"AH-CHOOO…!! Oh my, I get the feeling that someone was talking about me." For some reason, the thought gives her the chills. "…And also, a feeling that something bad is coming."

But, she just shrugs it off as if it were nothing. "Oh well."

And resumes tending to her roses.

* * *

_**THE NEXT DAY – NERIMA WARD, TOKYO – TENDO RESIDENCE:**_

Breakfast was a rather subdued affair at the Tendos. Still, everyone's gathered around the table, eating. Everybody, except one person's missing…

Ran glances over in Akane's direction. Or rather, to an empty space between herself and Akane. This is where Ranma usually sat these days whenever the family got together. Which in a way was funny – sitting there, he would be beside Akane, and Ran would be right next to him.

Two girls, for VERY different reasons, each in love with the same boy, the object of their affections sandwiched in-between them.

But he's not there, because Ranma's still at the hospital, recovering from the injuries he'd suffered from his fight with R while in the Neko-Ken.

Plain and simple, Ran missed having Ranma around. Ranma Saotome, the one who is her best friend and the love of her life. Her love for him was real, more real to her than anything she'd felt or experienced before she came to Nerima. It kept the nightmares, the dark echoes of her past at bay, gave her the strength to oppose whatever that mad scientist Dr. Wily and his RED CAT allies planted in her head. How could she even WANT to kill Ranma? Lately, she wondered what Ranma did to earn the old man's hatred. She couldn't understand it; it made no sense to her at all.

But that love carried a burden; since she considers both Ranma and Akane as her very best friends, she can't tell Ranma how she feels for fear of jeopardizing his engagement to Akane. Forced to love him secretly, she can't possibly pursue a romantic relationship with him. Even worse, the more Ran tried to hide her feelings toward Ranma, the stronger they became. And when that clashed with the stuff Wily tried to brainwash into her, things would get really messy. A war was being waged inside the poor young lady's heart, with no signs of a cease-fire anytime soon.

Sometimes it would get so bad that she'd had to go and find someplace where no one could see her, where she could be alone and cry because she'd be overwhelmed by it all.

And matters are even more complicated now because R knows that Ranma's the one she loves. This has caused tension between R and Ran, especially since R WAS honor-bound to kill him (Ran knew this) and NOW he's been ordered by the Cat Ghost King and his High Priest Erick Genryusai to kill him. (THIS she doesn't know).

The lovesick girl's affliction is getting to her; in fact, she's hardly eaten since breakfast's started. Akane notices this, and tries to cheer Ran up. "Hey. You okay?"

Ran looks up and nods. "Yeah. I… I'll be fine. I just…" She looks at the space between them. "I miss him, that's all." She mentally adds, blaming herself, _And it's MY fault he's not here!_

And it's Akane who's now beside her, reassuring her. "It's only been hours since he and R fought. And we both saw him at the hospital last night, right? R may have thrashed him pretty good, but he's still alive. And we're all still together." She smiles at Ran. "So don't worry, Ran – Ranma's a lot tougher than you think. He'll be back home soon. Besides, it's not like it's YOUR fault he got hurt."

_That's just it, Akane!_, Ran wanted to respond, but the words won't come. _I'M responsible! R came to me, wanting to know Ranma's weakness. No, I didn't tell him about the Cat-Fist. But he knows, Akane, R knows I love Ranma, and that's the reason he attacked Ranma at the dance. And it's eating me up that I can't tell you the truth about what's really going on with me right now! I want to. I really do want to tell you. Believe me, I do! But I can't because you're not only my friend but you're HIS fiancée and I don't want to come between you guys. Akane, I'm sorry…I'm… I'm a terrible friend._

Ran would have beaten herself up even more had the phone not rang that moment.

Nabiki answers it. "Tendo Residence. Ah…! That's good…. Yes. Yes. All right, I'll be sure to tell them. Thanks for calling, Dr. Tofu." She hangs up, then says, "That was Dr. Tofu on the phone. He says Ranma's condition has improved considerably since your visit Friday night."

Hearing this news gets both Akane and Ran's attention. "Really?" they simultaneously ask.

Nodding affirmatively, Nabiki says, "Anyway, the doctor's had a chance to stop by and check on him this morning, and thanks to his experiences in treating Ranma's injuries in the past he's shaved off a few weeks of healing time. Of course, the hospital staff can't believe it. So they want to keep Ranma another day or two, and if everything still looks good they'll release him sometime this week."

Soun looks up from his newspaper. "Well, that IS good news, eh Saotome?"

Genma nods in reply. "Mm-hm. You said it Tendo."

But he frowns briefly, because he remembers being home that night when Ran and Akane came home from the dance without Ranma. He'd heard Kasumi talking on the phone earlier and was later watching the news broadcast of the fight between Ranma and R. In his usual fashion, he'd pressed the girls for details on what happened. That his son had been fighting under the influence of the Cat-Fist that night was no surprise; it was that Wolf-Fist technique that R was using that was a source of great concern to Genma. He'd never seen or heard of such a technique before; furthermore, he'd noticed that some elements of it were very reminiscent of Neko-Ken. It was almost as if R was trained in some sort of "anti-Neko-Ken" and using it to counter Ranma's powerful cat-like state.

Now Genma was pretty sure he'd bought the only copy of that "Advanced Combat" manual. If there WAS another copy of it floating around, somebody was using it to train R in Neko-Ken with the intent to kill Ranma with it. And that didn't sit too well with him. Still, he's relieved his boy's OK and that this latest attempt on his life was thwarted.

"There, you see?" Akane assures Ran. "It's just like I said. Ranma'll be fine."

"Yeah...," Ran concedes. The news of Ranma's condition makes Ran's heart lighter. Soon, she'll be reunited with her beloved again. Relieved, she makes a decision. At school tomorrow she'll try to patch things up between her and R.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	56. The Escalating Drama Between Two Hearts

CHAPTER 56

_**-"THE ESCALATING DRAMA BETWEEN TWO HEARTS / THE ROSE AND THE LILY CROSS PATHS!"-**_

_**THE FOLLOWING MORNING - AT FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:**_

"Good morning!"

"Good morning!"

As students greet each other and chat on their way to classes, Ran and Akane walk onto school grounds. While all this activity is going on, Ran looks around for R. She's hoping to meet up with him before school starts.

That is, if anyone knew where he'd gone to after that terrible fight. Yesterday, she'd briefly considered seeing the Kunos; perhaps Kodachi might have heard from R? But remembering what Ranma told her about his past encounters with the Black Rose, she scratched out that idea entirely.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spots him! Acting fast, Ran tells Akane, "Hey, I'll catch up to you in class." And then runs off after R.

Akane blinks, surprised. _Now what was that all about?_ she wonders. Then she spots who Ran's run off to see. _R…! Ran, be careful…!_

"R! R! I have to talk to you!"

Ran didn't believe for a moment (truth be told, it never crossed her mind) that R wouldn't show up at school today. Despite all that had happened between them, and all that remained unresolved, she's hoping that R's willing to listen to her, accept her apology, and they can get back to being friends again. She hopes he's in a good mood today.

Not a chance.

Just as R was about to enter the building, some instinct caused him to glance Ran's way. For half a moment they locked eyes, and then R pushes his way past several people in front of him. He nearly flattens Gosunkugi, who'd been skulking around, pining for Akane (no surprise there). It's his fault for standing in R's way, anyway.

"R, wait!" Ran calls as she follows him inside. She catches up to him at the shoe lockers. As he changes shoes and gathers his things, Ran delicately confronts him, careful not to provoke him. The last thing she needs R blowing his top, screaming at her that she, Ran Hayami, was in love with Ranma Saotome, loud enough for the whole school to hear. So much for her secret crush.

R knows Ran's standing right there; he's just not paying her any mind. Whatever hurt feelings he may have had, he's doing a pretty good job of not showing them. "Hello, Ran," R greets her coldly. He doesn't even call her 'kid'.

"R, about last weekend…," she begins.

"What? Make it quick. I'm busy."

Quietly, so that only R can hear her, Ran risks asking, "Is it because… you're bothered by what I feel toward Ranma?"

"Ack…," R grunts under his breath. She sure doesn't beat around the bush does she? Not wanting to continue this conversation any further, he calmly says, "Look, Ran, who YOU fall in love with is your business. Besides…"

**WHAM!**

The way he shuts his locker door, startles Ran a bit. R finishes, "…I'm not interested in that sort of thing. All right?"

Ran's stunned by R's response. "….!"

Satisfied by her silence, R smiles at her; it wasn't a friendly one, either. It was the kind of smile that implied BAD things would happen if she'd stayed in his presence one second longer. "Excuse me," he politely says.

And with that he turns and walks on to his first class, leaving a frustrated Ran in his wake.

* * *

Arriving at homeroom, Ran takes her seat. The atmosphere in the classroom is rather lively as the students are chatting amongst themselves; there are a few minutes before class starts.

As she's sitting there, Ran thinks about what happened over the weekend, particularly the fight between Ranma and R. Something Ranma told her at the hospital that night comes back to mind…

_I… I'm sorry, Ran. See, when I snap, and turn into a cat, I usually have no idea what's going on. And if R's "wolf-state" is anything like the Neko-Ken, then chances are if you saw him again and asked him about it, he probably wouldn't remember anything at all about what he did._

_I wonder if R really _has_ forgotten about the fight he had with Ranma. _Ran thinks. _No, it couldn't be. If… if I apologize to him…_

OK, so talking about that fight would be out of the question. So she has to try something else. Whatever it is, somehow she's got to apologize to R, make up with him, and restore their friendship.

Now it was a matter of finding another opportunity to talk to him. Ran's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Morning, Ran."

She looks up to see Ukyo. "Oh…. Morning, Ukyo."

Ukyo takes a seat at a desk beside Ran's. "Heard from Akane you guys had a 'fun' night Friday at the dance. I'm sorry I missed it, with work and all." Then she asks, "How's Ran-chan doing?"

"Dr. Tofu called the house yesterday. Says Ranma's doing better. But they're saying it might be a week or so before he's healed up enough that they'll let him come home. You could drop by and see him if you wanted to; they moved him to a regular room."

Noticing the sad look on Ran's face, Ukyo risks asking, "And… how are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess… ah, who am I kidding… I miss him, Ukyo. I want him to get better soon so I can…"

"Let him know your feelings?"

Ran shakes her head no. "Not now. To apologize to him. It's my fault he got hurt. Plus, R…."

"Ugh…" Ukyo groans on hearing that; in her personal opinion, R is her LEAST favorite person. The fact that's he's tried to kill Ranma on several occasions is the main reason she dislikes him these days. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Ms. Hinako walking into the classroom. Ukyo then whispers to Ran, "Well, class is about to start, so why don't we get together at lunch later? You can fill me in on what happened then. I'm especially interested in how R got involved."

"Okay," Ran nods.

* * *

Around lunchtime…

As most of Furinkan's student body moved along to the stores, R elegantly makes his way through the masses, figuring that anything the lunch counter had to sell was hardly even worth the money spent. This is why he usually brings his own lunch, anyway. Walking back through the emptying hallway, he takes a seat against the wall of a now abandoned one. Leaning back against the cool wall, he sighs as he thinks back to earlier this morning and considers why Ran could be so childish about these things. It was all a part of life, right? Some people become friends, things happen, and friendships sometimes end.

But sometimes, people reconcile, they become friends again, and the friendships are restored.

_Friends? Forget it, _R thinks, scoffing at the notion._ I don't want to be friends with THAT._

You don't sound very convinced, R.

_She's just..._ He sighs once more. "After all, if she's so ga-ga over Saotome," he mutters, "then she can try not having anything to do with me."

* * *

Later on, Ran WAS going to sit over at her usual spot, the tree that she and R usually have lunch at, but was disappointed to find he wasn't there. As a matter of fact, she'd seen R several times throughout the school day. It was like he was there one moment and then gone the next. She began to wonder if he was intentionally avoiding her.

So, not making progress in that area of her life, Ran decides to eat lunch elsewhere today. So she goes back inside the school, and taking the stairs, she makes her way up to the roof of the building where Ukyo's been waiting for her.

Ukyo hmph's, smiling, "There you are. What took you so long?"

"I…I had something else I was going to take care of during lunch," Ran replies. "But I guess I have to put it on hold for now."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. It must have been important."

Ran mulls that over before she says, "Kinda… but there's still time before school's over for the day. I'll try again later."

"Okay, if you say so. Now, tell me what happened Friday night."

Ran sits down beside Ukyo and they eat lunch; while eating, Ran explains what happened that night, starting with what set the fight off in the first place – Ranma and R quarreling over a steamed bun – and ending up where Ran stood up to a berserk R and slapped him in the face, stopping him from killing Ranma and Akane then watching as R fled from the battle site with Kodachi following after him on her own.

Ukyo reviews what she's heard after Ran finishes her story. "So Ranma's fighting with R when a cat shows up and Ranma goes into Cat-Fist. Then, around the same time, R flips out and starts acting like a mad dog and they REALLY start fighting. Man, Ran-chan's cat-state is bad enough, but THIS….? It's just…."

"I know, Ukyo…" Ran starts to say.

"No. I WAS going to say that's too convenient. R's got a technique where he snaps and starts acting and fighting like a wild animal? It sounds a lot like Ranma's Cat-Fist if you ask me. Just one MORE thing that bothers me about that guy… He's got guts to show up at school after what he's done."

"I saw him today, but…" Ran admits. Then she pauses, not wanting to say too much, but not wanting to say so little that it's obvious she was holding back. "He won't talk to me."

Ran tried not to introduce any melancholy into the moment, but there it was anyway. Ukyo considers it. "I see…. What is it between you, anyway?"

"It's complicated," she replies with an air of finality, hoping that Ukyo wouldn't pursue it.

But the look of gloom on the other girl's face tells Ukyo that something else is bugging Ran. She offers, "Y'know, we've still got some time before we have to go back to class… so what's on your mind?"

Uh oh. Ran just replies, "Nothing… it's nothing, really, except…"

"Except what? It is about Ran-chan?"

"No… well… yeah, it is, but…"

"Ran, I KNOW something's bothering you. I've noticed it since we got together for lunch. If this has to do with you and Ranma, then it'll stay just between us, remember?"

Ran finally admits, "That's the problem, Ukyo. The secret's already out."

Ukyo's like, "Wh-what…? How!"

"it was the week before the dance. R wanted to see me after school one day. So I come over to the tree where we eat lunch together sometimes, and he tells me he's going to fight Ranma."

Ukyo frowns on hearing that. "No surprise there, huh? What I wanna know is WHY he's been after Ran-chan."

Ran considers telling her about R's vow to his late parents, but decides against it; R probably would NOT like that part of his life made public. So she says, "Something to do with the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts – I'm… not too sure on the details. But anyway, he wanted to know if I knew any of Ranma's weaknesses..."

"And you told him about Ran-chan's fear of cats!"

"NO! I didn't tell him! At that time, I didn't even know about the Cat-Fist. I asked him, 'why are you asking ME about something like that?' I tried talking him out of it, reminding him of our friendship. But he insisted, saying if I knew something, I'd tell him. Now I'm wondering 'What for?', since R wants Ranma dead anyway. I couldn't give him anything that would give R an advantage over him. So I tell him the truth, that I don't know anything. But when I thought it was over, that he wouldn't press the matter further, R asked me… he asked…"

Hearing Ran's account of what happened between her and R, Ukyo asks, wondering what's next, "What was it, Ran? What did R ask you…?"

Ran confesses, "R basically asked me if he and I were friends, then why was I protecting Ranma? He was looking right at me when he asked that question, Ukyo. I didn't say a single word to him. And for a moment I thought I saw a look of hurt on his face. But he got so angry, and threatened me if I interfered between him and Ranma. And he just blows me off, right then and there, leaving me to wonder what I'd done to hurt him so badly."

After she finished telling her story, neither girl says anything. Ran finally breaks the silence. "It's… it's just not fair. Do you know what it's like to see the person you love every day and not be able to say what you really feel towards him? To feel that love grow inside you, urging you to speak? But you can't? And when you try opening your mouth, the words won't come out? And now R KNOWS, Ukyo. He knows that I love Ranma. And I'm scared, because I don't know what he'll do with that knowledge. So what do I do now?"

Ukyo could see Ran was on the verge of breaking down, almost in tears. It's hard for her to watch the other girl go to pieces like this, especially in light of the things she's heard about her from Ranma. But now, whatever sympathy she had for Ran's suffering (and feelings of love toward Ranma) comes back to her with redoubled force. And with it, a new empathy with her.

She puts a reassuring hand on Ran's shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry about it. What's done is done. So R knows? Big deal. Besides, he's going out with Kodachi anyway (which STILL boggles my mind) – what's it to HIM who you love? He's not the only friend you've got, y'know?" she says, smiling.

"And don't feel like you've got to deal with this all on your own. I'll run interference for you if R gives you a hard time. And Ran-chan's capable of handling him if those two cross each other again." Ran seems to accept this encouragement. Ukyo then continues, "Personally, I think you should forget about making up with R for a while until things blow over. Something about that guy stinks."

Ran blinks. "Ukyo… what do you mean?"

"Look, Ran, I know you're R's friend – heck, you're probably the ONLY friend he has in this whole school. I'M worried that he might not be YOUR friend. If you're still going to go through with this, just… just be careful, OK?"

"Thanks, Ukyo," Ran sighs, accepting her friend's counsel in this matter.

As they walk back to class, she asks Ukyo a question. "As one of Ranma's fiancées… How did you deal with it…? I mean… being in love with him?"

Ukyo flashes a big grin. "You SURE you REALLY want to know…? Come by Ucchan's sometime, and we'll talk. Girl, have I got stories!"

* * *

School was over for the day. R was glad it was over; after all, it was the first day of his vacation. Although he'd done a pretty good job of maintaining his cover, pretending to be bored and disinterested in his studies while simultaneously tuning in A+ work, R spent most of the day wondering what he was going to do after school since he didn't have to report to the base for four whole weeks – that was rather generous of Erick and the Doc.

It was around lunchtime, when R made his decision – he would use his first day off to go see Kodachi and make amends for whatever he'd done Friday night. He'd had a feeling it would take more than flowers alone to fix this mess. When he'd finished eating, R pulled out his cell phone and called the RED CATS' base. The soldier who answered the phone was given VERY specific instructions that had to be followed exactly as R specified. Just to be sure, R warns the poor guy what will happen to HIM if everything's not done as he's requested. After a fearful reply from the other end of the line, R hangs up on the soldier and then makes a call to the neighborhood florist, placing an order for a box of chocolates and two dozen roses that he will pick up after school.

The other thing he'd been successful at doing today was avoiding Ran. It still stung him, when he'd found out who she had a crush on – why, well even HE wasn't sure. All this time, and even the advice he'd given her! All so she could tell RANMA SAOTOME, of all people, how she felt about him.

Ranma, the person who Ran likes the best.

Ranma, who's been number one on the RED CAT GANG's hit list.

Ranma, who, now, because of Ran's affection toward him, has become R's personal enemy.

Before, R attempted to eliminate Ranma on several occasions out of obligation to his late parents to exact retribution on him and usurp the title of heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts. It was simply a matter of honor. _Nothing personal, just business_, so the old catchphrase goes.

Recently, he'd been ordered by the Cat Ghost King to kill Ranma, so it'd gone from a matter of honor to a matter of duty.

And now this sappy high-school dramatic crap he's now mixed up in between Ranma and Ran – and the fallout that resulted from it – just made it personal for him. So now it's a matter of… what? Love? No, couldn't be that; R already has a girlfriend these days – even if he'd been dating her just to learn her techniques in the manufacturing of various poisons and paralyzing agents. He certainty had no romantic interest in Ran before, even when they were on good speaking terms.

_Then why the hell does the fact Ran's in love with that idiot pisses me off? And what am I gonna do about it now?_

Truth be told, R knew exactly how to go about it... and was simply daunted by the prospect. This was not a situation that would require force. But if things turned ugly, and Ran foolishly decided to stand up for her secret love, thus interfering with R's mission, he'd have to…

He'd have to…

No. He couldn't, he tells himself. Because in order to do THAT, he would have to have the guts to stand in front of her, and to do that he's got to be willing to die himself. For some reason - he didn't know why - R feels he's not ready to do that.

With his briefcase in hand, R's about to head for the shoe lockers. Once he gets there, Ran's waiting for him.

It's a rather awkward moment. Neither one says anything at first. Face to face now, they look into each other's eyes; Ran's glistened with hope, while R's returned that hopeful gaze with a look of cold indifference. He frowns on seeing her. "Oh. It's YOU. Again."

Ran feels her heart sink at that moment. Refusing to let him bring her down, she responds, "Yeah, R. Look, I needed to talk to you this morning, but you just blew me off. All throughout today, you've been avoiding me. The last time we talked, things ended badly – for both of us lately, it seems.

R considers that. _Give the kid credit; at least she's trying_, he thinks, _but now's just not the time_. "That's nice. Move, please."

Ran steps aside so R can get to his locker. She continues, "I…." but pauses. She was about to say "I know…" but for some reason it wouldn't be the right way to say what's coming next. "I realize you've been upset with me, and I don't know how or if I can make things right between us. But you know what? I recall someone who needed to see me, talk to me about something he felt was important. And even though I didn't agree with some of the things he said, at least – because I considered him one of my friends - I heard him out. All I'm asking for R, is the same opportunity that friend gave me. Please."

Only then does R stop what he's doing and look at Ran. When he sees the desperate look on her face, something about the intensity of her sincerity, the honesty in her words almost prompts him to listen.

For a moment, he saw her not as a selfish, inconsiderate little brat who didn't care about his feelings or the object of both his (and possibly Ranma's) affections. Instead she was the first girl who had befriended him, talked with him, was nice to him. She had seen hope in him when other people thought otherwise.

Unlike just about everyone else in his life, Ran had been under no obligation to do so. She did it out of the goodness of her heart because she'd thought underneath his cold exterior, that aloof and distant image he projected toward everyone else around him, R was a decent guy who could use a friend.

This was the girl who's standing there now, begging R to listen to her.

What would it hurt? Really? Giving her five minutes to explain her side of the story? R was pretty sharp (so he thought) and could usually tell when someone was lying to him. If Ran tried to feed him some sort of bull, R would know. R would…

_Don't wimp out on me now!_

R can't tell if the voice was sounding in his head or was in the same space with him, but the identity of the speaker is unmistakable. "Aw, man," he groans.

He doesn't bother to look over to see who it is – R already knows who it is and what it wants.

Funny, he had the strangest feeling he'd spoken to it before – just recently in fact. _But that's crazy_, R thinks, _and only straight-up loonies talk to people who aren't there_.

Once more, his darker side appears, leaning against the lockers beside R. Having made his first appearance back in Chapter 46, we haven't seen this guy since, oh, about three chapters ago? Arms crossed, Dark-R flashes an evil grin at R. "C'mon R," R thinks he can hear himself saying, "Don't weaken. Don't let this sugary-sweet sappy little milquetoast of a girl tug at your heartstrings. Besides, she's in love with Ranma, OUR enemy. What makes you think she even WANTS to be friends with YOU? Dummy! If you give her that chance, she'll just hurt you again."

When R first had that inner dialogue with himself, he'd wondered if he was going out of his mind. On two separate occasions, it manifested itself before him, attempting to provoke him into awakening his violent berserker state which lay dormant for some time – a power that nowadays those who knew of it called the Kyoujuu-Urufuken (Insane Beast Wolf Fist). At some point, which R couldn't remember for the life of him, he'd accepted the power and assistance (whether he liked it or not!) of his "other" self.

Now, it seems normal to hear that voice inside his head; from that point on, he'd stopped caring. He simply accepted this condition as part of his new status quo. He was to spend the rest of his life being haunted, urged on by this vengeful side of himself to dish out as much hurt (or more!) on those who'd hurt him.

"Geez, don't so be dramatic," Dark-R complains. "This ain't Shakespeare here. Besides, you've been doin' fine today – for ONCE; hell, I didn't even have to 'intervene'… heh heh heh… So stay focused and don't lose sight of what you got to do now... and WHO you got to do it to... know what I mean? If you don't, I WILL. Got that?"

_No. Your services won't be needed this time_, R thinks back in response. _I can handle this._

And he was about to do just that when his gaze returns to Ran's again. She's still there, patiently waiting for him, hoping he'll hear her out. Those pretty green eyes are glistening and wet; she looks about to cry if her hopes get crushed. This ALMOST gets to R, and his heart softens toward her a little. Maybe avoiding her wasn't such a good idea. All she wants is for him to listen to her, right? That's all. But if he turns her down, says something mean or cruel, he'll break her little heart, shattering it like glass.

_DUH! That's the idea! Boy, for somebody who's supposed to have a genius-level IQ, you sure are stupid! Look, either you break her heart or I'll break her! Choose NOW, R!_

Oh yeah, there was THAT guy. Who was he to R anyway? Certainly wasn't his conscience, that's for sure. He heard somebody once say that a person's conscience was that still quiet voice they could hear in moments of decision, of choice, nudging them toward (we can only hope) what is right or good. His dark side's being nice today; usually he's not much into any kind of mercy whatsoever – murder is his reason for existence, breathing death like normal people breath air.

From Ran's perspective now, she couldn't be sure, but she thinks that something in R's expression just then seemed to be wavering. It's as if he wants to hear what she has to say but can't bring himself to do so. Or perhaps there's even more to it than that…

Poor girl, she doesn't know how right she is.

Meanwhile, R's still in conflict with himself. He puts his hands to the side of his head as if battling a migraine. In the back of his mind, he can hear his darker impulse taunting him, shouting into his ear, inside his brain.

Then Dark-R's tone shifts, becoming more cajoling, even sympathetic. _Heh heh… aw, look at her, with those sad little puppy dog eyes. Man, she's makin' ME depressed just looking at her. And I'm evil! This whole mess is her fault anyways. If only she hadn't interfered with me… oops, my bad, I slipped… US. We could have killed Saotome and gone back to dancing with that psycho girlfriend of yours._

_Hey, leave Ko-chan out of this!_

_Seems you already got a cute nickname for her._ He then appeals to R's past. _Don't you remember? You were there when you saw Saotome change right in front of her and that dope who's her brother. He broke her heart into pieces that day. Then you came along, smooth and suave, and scored her on the rebound. Now he's come between you and Ran; HE's the one she loves, not YOU. And I can see it. I see it eating you up, so much, to where you can't even enjoy the life you got now with Kodachi. You going to take that lying down?_

_No, _R decides.

Dark-R's drawing closer, his voice more intense, his eyes almost hypnotic. "See them in your mind's eye. Ranma, that smug bastard. He took Ran away from you, like the foul sorcerer Kuno once claimed him to be. Oh yeah, he'll get his soon enough… Now you know how Ran feels about him. It hurt when you found out the truth didn't it? Took your peace of mind? And while she's waiting for the day that Ranma will do the deed with her, she's gonna keep taking and taking, and haven't you had enough? For god's sake, haven't you had enough?"

Just then R has a disturbing thought….

He imagines Ranma and Ran together in a love scene out of some sappy romance novel. Wearing a silky nightgown, Ran undoes her pigtail, letting her hair down so that her beloved could run his fingers through her violet tresses. Ranma, in nothing but his boxers, strokes her hair gently, and turns out the light. R imagines hearing the sound of a body mounting the bed, and then silk on skin.

As the small grunts and moans of passion begin, we pan over to a window, where sitting on the windowsill is a single red rose in a bamboo vase. As the young lovers bestow their love on each other, a single petal falls from the rose as Ran gasps with delight, "Oh, Ranma….!"

Imagining that scene bothers R greatly. He feels an acid taste in the back of his throat, and a thudding in his head, and a buzzing in his ears.

He had thought he could live with it. He had thought he could keep himself from acting upon this terrible knowledge, because the knowledge of what he would have to become to combat it was almost as terrible. But the thought of her... with HIM!... knowing what they were likely off doing now... Ranma enjoying the life that should have been R's... causes him to burn with a purple aura of rage.

_More than enough_, R thinks. He's made his decision.

"Atta boy. Go get 'em. Show her no mercy!" With that, Dark-R fades away…

And now it's R who decides it's time to settle things with Ran once and for all.

Ran notices a shift in R's countenance. It's the strangest thing, but it looks to her as if R has a nervous tic – or maybe he'd had too much canned coffee – one of his eyebrows twitches rather violently and he's gritting his teeth. Plus the battle aura he's generating isn't helping either. She steps back, afraid he's relapsed into his wild animal persona again. Still, she has no idea why R would possibly do that – and besides, Ranma's not even here today.

Ran idly wonders for a moment if just the mere thought of Ranma sets R off. Or to put it another way, it seems that R hates Ranma just as much as (if not more than) Ran loves him. Like two opposite sides of a coin.

Yin and Yang

Light and darkness

Good and evil.

Anyway, a change has passed over R's face, and whatever curiosity or compassion or consideration might have been in his expression moments earlier is now replaced by distance and harshness. He lets out a sigh, his battle aura dissipating, and then says, "Yeah, you're right. I suppose we DO need to talk. This had BETTER be good."

Feeling that it's safe now, Ran apologizes, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

_Oh yeah, I'm ready now!_ He straightens up, composing himself. "No, no, I'm fine. Really. It's not you. Something else that's burning me up, that's all."

_Thank goodness_, Ran thinks, breathing a sigh of relief. She risks taking a step closer; R remains unmovable from the spot where he's standing. "So what…?" he starts to say, even as she speaks up.

"R, I…."

An awkward silence occurs.

R knows he has to take control here. If he doesn't, this could backfire on him. "Oh, no, no. You first. I'll wait."

He can see her straighten up, composing herself. It's as awkward for her as it was for him the last time they talked. _Good! She deserves it!_ He's angry, and although he's not sure he wants it, he's getting the chance for some kind of closure.

Enocouraged, she begins, "Thank you, R. I know you're in a hurry. I promise I won't take up too much of your time. Well, I wanted to apologize. About things that happened between us. And with everybody around today, I wasn't sure when was the best time for us to talk."

R blows it off, wanting her to get to the point - fast. Besides, he's got other things to do today. "Well, there's nobody around now. Except me, that is." He let the "me" hang, demanding her explanation. He could tell she was struggling for an answer. _Yeah. Do it. Struggle. See how it feels!_

Ran realizes now that coming here, coming to him now, was a mistake. His life was settled. He had a girlfriend. He was happy. _Why am I trying to upset the applecart? Why did I come here?_ She nods, not certain what else to say.

Not getting a response from her, R grows impatient; he has NO time for this. "Oookay then." There's a hint of anger in his voice now. "Well, I'm listening. What do you want?"

She kept her eyes on him, trying to regain some modicum of control. _I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry_, she tells herself. She didn't want to bring this up, but… "R, at the dance last Friday night, you and Ranma got into another fight. I know you told me about your plans to fight him, but don't you think it's silly to be fighting over a steamed bun?"

R can't believe it. THAT's what this is all about! Good grief! "Wow. Is that ALL? So where's that apology you were gonna deliver? Cause I REALLY gotta go."

He's about to leave, when Ran grabs him firmly by the sleeve of his school uniform. "Please don't ignore me, R. You said you'd hear me out. I'm not through."

Surprised by this, R thinks, _Hmm… got a strong grip there for a girl. She MUST be serious. Let's humor her, shall we?_ He shrugs off her grip. "Oookay…," he agrees, giving her a half-hearted grin. "Go on with your little story. So what happened next?"

"Well, one thing led to another, and the fight turned really ugly… Akane, Kodachi, and I, we followed you guys all through town."

"Who was with you again?"

"Akane, Kodachi, and I… we tried to break it up, but you wouldn't listen… I was really scared that you and Ranma would…"

"Would what? Kill each other?" _Not likely_, R thinks. _It'll never happen. Not if I kill Ranma first!_

Ran nods yes.

"Hmm… is that so? That's... too bad. And I was having SUCH a good time with Kodachi at that dance, too. Such a shame… Oh, I'm still waiting for that apology by the way. Question for you: if you saw this fight between Ranma and me, then tell me. Who won?"

Ran hesitates. This isn't going the way she hoped. "Uh….…?"

"Oh, c'mon, Ran. We're friends aren't we? Oh yeah, that's right. We AREN'T." The way he says it, causes Ran's heart to sink a little.

"You were there, R. Don't you remember?" she questions him, going on the defensive.

"I know what you're thinking – it's an unusual question to ask. Funniest thing is, see, I remember the bun, and I remembered fighting with Ranma. Come to think of it, wasn't there a CAT by any chance?"

Hearing this makes Ran's blood run cold. This was going against what she remembered Ranma told her about how the Nekoken works. R seems to remember those events that happened prior to him losing his sanity…

"Yeeeeah," R pretends remembering. "There WAS a cat there! And Ranma starts flipping out at the sight of it. Don't know why he did that and I really don't care right now, but the next thing I know I'm waking up in the wreckage of an old temple somewhere. And Kodachi's not there with me. Which means at some point I ditched my date, and that's NOT cool at all. And you know what? Between all that stuff, I can't remember worth a damn. So if YOU were there, YOU would know what happened after Ranma went bonkers. I'm not interested in details – I just wanna know WHO won that fight. Because when I came to, I had the strangest feeling that I'd won, like there was a decisive victory back there."

That does it for Ran. She came to apologize to R and restore their friendship, not to be put through a guilt trip. Then she remembers Ranma, nearly beaten to death by R. Then at the hospital, lying there in that hospital bed that awful night, weakened, but alive. Alive. And that gives her the strength to do what comes next. She's not about to let him gloat over his supposed triumph over Ranma.

"Well, hate to break to you, R, but you didn't win. Ranma's alive," Ran counters. She admits, though, "Oh sure, you might have beaten him, be HE got a few good hits in on you too. Did you think he was just gonna LET you beat him into a pulp? Not a chance!"

R frowns, considering what he's just heard. "Hmm…. That's not like me at all… If Ranma's still breathing, that means I'm slipping. I'll get him next time, though…. And it's not like I can walk up to Akane and ask her what happened. I'd ask Kodachi, but I got my OWN reasons for not doing so. And I get the feeling you're NOT telling me the whole story. A case of my word against yours. So… I guess this means I gotta call the match a draw." Frustrated, he snaps, "Man, this SUCKS. I HATE draws!"

Ran breathes a sigh of relief. Having thwarted R, she can now focus on the task at hand. "Look, R." she says calmly. "I didn't come here to talk about the past. I'm not concerned about what happened between you and Ranma that night, or why you feel he has to die so you can get some dignity. I'm concerned about YOU, R. because no matter what you think of me or my feelings about Ranma, I'm STILL your friend!" Her tone of voice softens. "At least… I still want to be."

Hearing that, R seems touched. "Ran…"

"Yes?" Ran asks, hope shining in her eyes.

….And that's when he (figuratively speaking) whips out Mallet-sama, and smashes her hopes to pieces. "That's the DUMBEST thing I've ever heard in my entire life! Did you REALLY THINK that by coming here and saying all that crap, that you could sway me? That we'd bury the hatchet right then and there, it's all water under the bridge, let bygones by bygones, and we're buddy-buddy let's get along again? THINK AGAIN!"

Ran reacts as if she'd been slapped. Then R starts mocking her, "Waah, waah, R doesn't like me anymore 'cause I'm in love with somebody else's fiancée, and he doesn't even notice poor little ol' me! Yeah, that's right. Bet you didn't think I KNEW your dream guy ALREADY HAS a fiancée. I might not have been at this school for a while, but news travels fast – we transfer students catch up pretty quick, don't you think?"

Of course, Ran doesn't know of R's association with the RED CAT GANG. Nor does she know that R learned about Ranma and Akane not through school gossip (which WAS true… to a small degree… sort of, anyway), but through information he'd received from Dr. Wily and his RED CAT allies when he first began his mission here. Now, he's making use of some of that knowledge AND maintaining his cover too. R figures his superiors (Erick, Delia, the Cat Ghost King, and Wily) would be pleased if they could see him now.

R further continues, "So go on ahead and nurse that little hope of yours that Ranma's just gonna up and leave his fiancée, lay you out on a futon and deflower you. One day, he'll marry that uncute tomboy and leave you, all sad and pathetic, out in the cold. And he won't be thinking about you anymore AT ALL. You'll be all alone, with nothing but memories of your unrequited love. So GROW UP, will you?"

That's real cold, R. Stomping on Ran's feelings like that. Making her feel guilty, because of her affections toward Ranma. Using what you know about Ranma and Akane, twisting it against Ran… Dude, you ARE a bastard.

"Hey, SHUT UP! No one asked for YOUR opinion anyway!" R yells at the narrator.

Ran's getting desperate now. All she knows is she can't let it end like this. Not after all that's happened. "You're really hurting me, R," she says softly. "I didn't mean for you to find out… it just came out. But I'm sorry if I hurt you!"

"Well, you sure screwed THAT up, didn't you? Anyway, the answer's NO. The time to say sorry was BEFORE you came to ME for advice." R says. Unloading some of his hurt, he further says, "And then I find out it's that sorry sack SAOTOME of all people that you're into. You KNOW how I feel about HIM."

"Yeah, I know that, but… if you'll just give me a chance to explain. Please…!"

A sudden burst of rage seized R. "Look, save it, OK? I don't need your concern….!" With a quick sweep of his hand, so fast Ran can't block it in time, he strikes her with a VERY hard slap!

**WHACK!**

* * *

_**AT THE REAL BOUT…**_

Working in his office, The MCD (Michael Angelus) looks up from what he's currently doing. He immediately senses that something is wrong.

He doesn't know what just happened; unlike his Father in Heaven, he's not omniscient – all-knowing.

But since his birth, he was blessed with a special gift of perception. It was the one ability unaffected by his Jusenkyo curse, thus he was able to use it in both his normal and cursed forms.

Since taking that plunge into Jusenkyo, Angelus has had opportunity to further hone this ability during his centuries of study and training in the martial arts. Nowadays, this extrasensory awareness of his has been refined into a powerful sixth sense, an early-warning detection system that alerts him to danger, either towards himself or others. In battles, it warns him of incoming attacks, allowing him to instantly counter or defend against an opponent's moves. In non-combat situations, it lets him "feel" the vibrations of other people, an empathic ability to sense their thoughts or emotions.

Nobody has to tell him who's involved; besides, his "Angel Sense" is partially attuned to the two souls he was assigned to watch over. He goes completely silent for a long moment as he concentrates now, like a martial artist about to summon and use his Ki, using it to search for them. Using his heightened senses in a focused manner like this, he's like a spider in the center of its web, invisible web lines radiating in every direction. And, like a real spider, any small vibration in any of those lines would immediately catch his attention.

Such is the case now. Apparently R has slapped Ran so hard, that Angelus can feel it from miles away. And along with it, he can feel Ran's shock at his actions, her impending sadness resulting from them, and R's anger toward her.

Aloud, he says, wondering, "R, what have you done now?"

* * *

_**BACK AT FURINKAN…**_

The force of R's blow had knocked Ran for a loop; it makes her so dizzy she has to struggle to keep conscious until it passes. Or at least keep from falling on her backside like a klutz. When she can stand upright again, staggering a little bit, there's this blank look on her face somewhere between shock and horror. It really takes her by surprise, because it indicates a cruelty that she didn't think he was capable of. As the reality of what just happened slowly begins to sink in, she starts to cry.

R's standing over her now, shaking with anger, his face red with rage, but his voice is calm as he finishes, "And I DON'T need YOU. If you're wondering, THAT was for slapping me Friday night. I really don't remember what happened during that fight, and I don't care WHY you did it, or WHAT FOR, but I DO remember that. I don't want you bothering me anymore, Ran. I mean it. So why don't you just GO AWAY and leave me alone. Please."

Ran doesn't say a word, nursing the left side of her face which she could fell swelling up pretty badly. Her shoulders are shaking. Her eyes are wet and red rimmed as she blinks away the tears that'll soon come streaming down her cheeks. She faces R with a look of utter defeat. As cruel as he's just been to her, even HE can clearly see the pain that's behind her eyes. When she finally speaks, her voice quivers a bit… it just FEELS and SOUNDS REALLY sad. "W-well… I… I tried… Okay, if that's how it is… I m-mean, I can take a hint….Ah… All right, I got it. I'm sorry, R. I really am. I'll… I'll just go now…..*sniff*,*sob!*…!"

She turns around and leaves quickly, not wanting R to see the tears in her eyes.

Satisfied that's she out of his presence, R snorts, "Hmph. "Got it", she says. What a girly-girl."

As he's about to (finally) walk off, R feels something odd within his chest, or rather, in his heart. He feels he SHOULD be happy that Ran's out of his hair, but why isn't he? He thinks: _What the hell is this? This disgusting feeling like I've stepped on a bug…? Geez… Why did I have to go and shoot off my big mouth like that? The least I could have done was to listen to what she had to say!_

Meanwhile, R hears the voice of his darker impulse in his head, laughing, giving its approval. _Oh, real smooth, R. You had me going there. For a moment there I thought you were going to listen to the one who betrayed us. See, I knew you had it in you! Well done!_

_Shut up_, he thinks back in reply. _Just shut up. You're NOT helping right now._

Just then, another voice, this one female, gets R's attention. "Geez, R, if THAT's how you treat your friends… I wonder what you do to your enemies."

R detects sarcasm here. He looks up to see Ukyo coming down the stairs. "And what do YOU want?"

Ukyo wastes no time in telling him off. "That was the worst, R. I mean that."

With an arrogant look on his face, his response to that is, "Oh yeah? Then enlighten me. Why's that?"

Ukyo shakes her head in disbelief. "Open your eyes, man: Did you EVER stop to think about how Ran feels?" At first, when Ukyo saw Ran try talking to R earlier, she WAS going to let her handle this on her own even though she warned Ran to tread carefully around him. But what came next, is what leads to Ukyo deciding to intervene. Plus, she'd promised Ran. Somebody has to get R to wise up… or kick his ass while doing it.

"How SHE feels?" R's saying as if he can't believe what he was hearing. "PLEASE! The only thing Ran cares about is that dumb-ass Ranma.

She can marry that cross dressing freak-of-nature for all I care."

"Watch it, jackass," Ukyo threatens. NO WAY she's going to let R get away with trash-talking her friends.

"Oh? Did I hit a soft spot? Hm hm hm…" R chuckles. "So she's told YOU, huh? Damn it! Ah well, it doesn't matter anymore. But I wonder… are you REALLY here on Ran's behalf, or are you just out to reclaim YOUR place in Saotome's little harem?

Ukyo grits her teeth; leave it to that creep to hit below the belt. Even if what he said's no longer true…

R flashes a knowing grin at her. "Oh, you wouldn't BELIEVE the stuff I've heard since transferring to this school," he brags, and leaves it at that. He rather not go on any further; in preparation for his mission, he ended up learning far too much about Ranma's messy private life, some of which sickened him. When he'd requested more information on Ranma's curse, the things he'd heard… after reading the reports he'd received, he was morally outraged. The sheer audacity of that guy! Back in the day, engaged to four girls! FOUR! Using his Jusenkyo curse to score free food or deceive people in various hare-brained schemes, or to get favors… and R didn't even want to know what kind of favors. The chaos that always seemed to revolve around Ranma as a result of his various 'crimes' (Well, that's the way it was expressed in those reports – gee, one HAS to wonder WHO wrote them in the first place!). And FOUR girls! It was too much!

Sometimes, R thinks he'd be doing the world a HUGE favor if he kills Ranma Saotome once and for all.

But back to current events…

"Well, if you weren't such a cold bastard, she wouldn't have to go looking for some compassion!" Ukyo snaps. "You're NOT the only friend Ran's got in this school. She can do MUCH better than you. In fact, after the way you've treated her just now, she's better off WITHOUT you!"

"Urg…!" Hearing that makes R pause. What Ukyo said came so completely out of left field that it caught him off guard. _Does Ran actually feel that way now?_ He shakes off the momentary confusion and snaps back, "How DARE you!" he roars. "What's it to you, anyway, huh?"

R sees little point in continuing this discussion with Ukyo. Besides, he's already late for his rendezvous he's planned with Kodachi. Even though she's connected to Ranma, Ukyo's no threat to R personally. Why bother wasting time with her? If it came down to a fight, what point was there in Ukyo engaging in a battle with him that she can't possibly win? Exercising diplomacy, he calms down and says, "Look, I got no grudge against you, Ukyo. It's not my fault if Ran pines after him like a lovesick puppy while I'm out to take him down. I TOLD her not to interfere before – but of course, she wouldn't listen. She never does."

"Yeah, I'll bet you did," Ukyo responds, not believing R for a second. "Now I don't know what EXACTLY you've got against Ranma, but I'll find out – one way or the other. You can be sure of that. But if you think I'm gonna stand by while you use your rivalry with him to hurt Ran's feelings…"

"I am NOT in the mood for this," R says in a menacing tone. "If there's a point here, you better make it quick. Otherwise, get the hell out of my way."

Then R looks, really looks closely, and even though Ukyo's face doesn't show it, there's a look in her eyes that says she's looking for a fight. _Wow, this _is_ personal for her_, he thinks.

"Your one-sided grudge against Ranma notwithstanding, I can understand why you're been avoiding Ran; her connection to him makes that pretty obvious. But she was your friend!" snaps Ukyo. "She came to apologize to you, and then not only do you refuse to accept her apology, you go and stomp on her dreams. Why? Why did you have to be so cruel to her?" Ukyo presses forward and R actually has to back away, not in the face of her power, but because of his opponent's anger, battering at him as if it had weight and substance. "You're a disgusting creep, R. And if you think you can get away with hurting Ran like that…." Ukyo's voice goes into a tough-guy cadence that's a reasonable facsimile of R's own. "I'm gonna beat you up real bad. And then I'm gonna do it again. And then, if possible, I'm leaving what's left of you for Ranma to finish off when he comes back."

R shakes his head. "That's not gonna happen. I've got other plans today... something I promised that I'd see to." He briefly considered telling Ukyo exactly what he's got planned, but decides against it. He doesn't need this girl's meddling in his affairs. He just needs Ukyo to get the hell out of the way, and if she isn't going to do it willingly, then he'll make it happen against her will. "And you must be out of your MIND if you think you can beat me! Now step aside. I REALLY don't want to have to hurt you."

"I will NEVER step aside for you, R."

"Then I guess I'll just have to take you down, here and now."

With a deft motion, Ukyo brings out her battle spatula. Right now, she can't think of anyone more deserving of getting some sense beat into them than R. She makes a little inviting wave of her fingers. "Bring it."

R takes a step forward, his fists cocked, assuming his fighting stance and actually feels sorry for the poor girl. Not only does she seem to be a glutton for punishment, but she's doing it on the behalf of both Ran AND Ranma too. _Screw her anyway, _R thinks._ She's trying to stand in the way of my mission. And ANYONE who sides with Ranma is MY enemy!_

Neither one makes a move as they size each other up. Going into this fight, R already has the advantage. Based on information he's received from Dr. Wily and the RED CATS about Ranma's friends and rivals, he's familiarized himself with their fighting styles. In his training, he visualizes himself facing off against each opponent, and applying his genius-level IQ, develops strategies to deal with their attacks, anticipating what they may or may not do, and then reacting accordingly. In battles, R can think five to ten (sometimes fifteen!) moves ahead of his opponents. This type of approach to fighting has worked in the past against most of the challengers he's faced – except Ranma, that is.

Thus, he can afford to wait and let his opponent make the first move.

Ukyo, on the other hand, doesn't have access to the kind of intelligence and privileged info R has. She HAS however, seen R fight before, way back when the REAL BOUT first opened (anybody remember chapter 12?); at least, she has an idea of what she's up against. _Hmm… from what I've seen, R's style is almost like Ran-chan's, with similar moves. Gotta watch out for that kick uppercut of his. Stay sharp, Ucchan_, she mentally tells herself. _He may have some extra tricks up his sleeve, so don't let your guard down!_

R smiles. "After you. Ladies first."

Ukyo snorts, "Gee, thanks, R. Now eat THIS!" Jumping up, in mid-air she quickly tosses a handful of her throwing spatulas at R.

R leaps away as the small utensils impale themselves into the floor, then again to avoid being cut in two by the downward slice from Ukyo's large spatula. Ducking low, he tries to sweep her off her feet with a low roundhouse, but Ukyo leaps up to avoid it and returns the favor by smacking him upside the head with the flat part of her spatula!

**KLONG!**

"OW!" R yelps in pain. Ukyo's attack was enough to make him stagger and see stars for a moment, but not enough to do him any real damage.

Ukyo knows it, too, and so seizes the opportunity to whack him again, before he can launch a counterattack. Already, she figures victory's in the bag. _Yes! Got 'im! He's got a hard head though; a few more good whacks should send him to nappy-nap land for a while. Serves him right for treating Ran like dirt!_

And she would have done it, if R hadn't recovered in time and deflected the incoming blow with a high kick. "Oh no, you ain't pulling that move on me again. I'm ready for you now!"

And with that, R advances on Ukyo throwing rapid-fire Silver Metallics. Ukyo gets pushed back as she blocks the storm of punches then has to duck as he delivers a kick aimed for her head. Sensing his kick missed, R prepares to throw another one.

The timing's perfect. Ukyo seizes that split-second between R's attacks to thrust the butt end of her spatula into his gut.

**THUMP!**

"OOF!" R grunts. But he's back on his feet as Ukyo charges in, going for an Oobera Fuusha Giri (Giant Spatula Windmill Cut). She swats him with her large spatula, then spins and slashes with it, the second hit knocking him down to the floor. Triumphant, she stands over R, the edge of her spatula just inches from his bare throat.

"Give it up, R," Ukyo says. "You've lost."

R laughs softly. "Heh heh heh… you REALLY think you've beaten me? I got news for you…" From his grounded position, R spins himself around using both hands, kicking out with both his legs, and tripping Ukyo. She falls to the floor.

Looking down on her now, R tells her, "See, when you go up against me, it's no game. You're betting your life."

Gasping, Ukyo struggles to her feet and R responds to that with a devastating punch to her ribs. She staggers backward.

"And guess what? Today, you challenged me on a good day," R continues. "Now what that means for you is, if you're lucky, you'll last ten more minutes, tops. Really lucky, you'll be unconscious for the last five."

Pivoting 340 degrees, R aims another kick at Ukyo's head. But she swings out with an upward slash of her spatula and blocks R's foot.

"Ten minutes, huh? All that means is I can knock you out with time to spare," Ukyo taunts back. "FLOUR BOMB!" She throws a small bag of flour to ground, which explodes creating a thick cloud of dust.

As R coughs while trying to get his bearings, Ukyo follows up with her Tempura Flash, tossing a mixture of tempura flakes and gunpowder. The result creates a cloud of explosives to blind and stun R further.

**POP-POPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOP!**

*Cough,cough!* ACK!... Dammit!... Enough of this! DOUBLE SONIC SILVER METALLIC!" R kicks out two spiraling bursts of wind that blow away Ukyo's smokescreen and explosives. He runs up to Ukyo and kicks her battle spatula out of her hands. Then while it's airborne, R leaps up, and then uses his White Diamond Pearl to break it in two. "Well, so much for your weapon."

"Not quite, R." With a small spatula in each hand, Ukyo twirls them like a pair of knives. She charges toward R, who meets her and the fight continues. R attacks and Ukyo responds back: punches, kicks, blocks, jabs, stabs, and swipes – a swift flurry of constant motion, with very little extraneous movement. Attack, defend, retreat, regroup, and attack again. Over and over they replay the same dance.

Both would not stop short of victory, and neither would give anything less than their absolute best right now.

As they fight, R compliments her. "Hey, you're not half-bad! But like I said, this isn't a game. And this game's just about over." With that, he smashes the top of his head into Ukyo's face and immediately knees her in the chest, then follows up with an uppercut right into her jaw. OUCH! Hit with that brutal combination, Ukyo falls backward and tries to rise, but can't.

"And that's that," a victorious R says. "Just be glad you didn't challenge me when I was having a bad day. THEN, you would have already been dead within ONE minute."

Though beaten and bruised from R's assault, Ukyo's still got the will to fight._ Come on, just a little bit closer_, she thinks as R approaches her. She's got a handful of small spatulas ready to toss at him as soon he's within range… She summons all of her strength for one last shot at R, keeping her eyes on him.

R sighs, calmly saying, "You know, you REALLY should have minded your own business, Ukyo. This isn't your fight." Then, he offers, "So, since I'm in SUCH a good mood, I'll give you one chance to walk away. Take it or leave it."

"You attack my friends and you say it isn't my fight?" Ukyo manages to say. _Okay, that does it!_ She then unleashes her surprise attack, tossing all the mini-spatulas she has at R.

Everything appears to be moving in slow motion (almost like "Bullet Time", one could say) from R's perspective as the sharp blades come fast and furious at him. But he reaches into the inner pocket of his school uniform's jacket, draws out four long-stemmed white roses, and with a single flick of his wrist tosses them INTO the stainless-steel storm of sharp spatulas. Then, WITHOUT moving from his current position, R LEANS to either side of him, left to right, back and forth to evade the projectiles. And for those of you who might be wondering, R is NOT using any special shoes to pull this "anti-gravity lean" technique off!

From Ukyo's point of view now, all she can is R appearing to be unmoving from his spot as her spatulas hurtle toward him. He's reaching in the pocket of his jacket for something, and then flicks his wrist. She can't see what it is, all of it happening so fast that…

**Hssssssssssssss….. THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!**

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Ukyo screams in pain. Then, she realizes what's happened to her. Four ordinary-looking white roses. One went right through her right hand pinning it to the wall, another into her upper arm, a third sticking into her left thigh, and the fourth lodged in deep between her left shoulder and torso. With her one good hand, she tries to pull them out, teeth grit tight together as she braces herself against the pain. But it's no good; the sharp thorns on each rose ensure that, even if she COULD pull them out, they'll hurt even more going out than coming in.

R just regards Ukyo as she's slumped against the wall. He shakes his head sadly as he says, "You should have walked away, but you just HAD to be stubborn to the end. I can respect that. Ah, here, let me help you with that one." He kneels down and reaches for the fourth rose dart, the one near Ukyo's chest and twists it around for a bit.

"AAAH! AHHHHHHH!"

R just smiles at her. "Ahh… that's much better isn't it?" Having added insult to her injuries, he decides to leave Ukyo alive to regret the foolishness of attacking him instead of finishing her off right then and there.

Ukyo hisses through her wounds, "I'll… I'll get you next time, R."

"I'll be looking forward to it. And if it's worth anything, you fought well. I just MIGHT have to take you seriously if we do fight again."

"UKYO! NO!" R hears a familiar voice cry out. He looks up to see Ran and Akane running toward them.

"Ukyo!" Ran cries in alarm, rushing toward the fallen girl and kneeling by her side. When she left R only minutes earlier, she had this awful feeling right down in the pit of her stomach that something bad was going to happen. It only got worse the farther away she got from the school.

When she'd caught up to Akane, the other girl had noticed Ran's appearance, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, tear tracks staining her cheeks. She was about to ask Ran what happened when Ran suggested that they go back to Furinkan.

Ran did the right thing in listening to her gut feelings, but now she's got to deal with what's before her now. A friend lying against the wall, badly wounded by the attack of a friend, all because of her affections toward a friend.

And all she can think on seeing the ghastly sight before her is _R, what have you done? How could you do this? Why did you do it?_

Looking at Ukyo up close now, Ran can see the blood oozing out her friend's wounds, and has to keep herself from fainting at the sight. The upper left part of Ukyo's uniform jacket is now dark red, and the spot's grown larger since R's assault. She tries to see if she can help without hurting Ukyo further.

"Oh, no," she moans, horrified, trying desperately to think what to do. She's shaking her head in disbelief, saying, "Oh, no... No, no, no," over and over.

Ukyo's eyelids flutter, then she opens her eyes to see Ran by her side. She grimaces, weakly reaching out with her good hand to touch her chest where an ugly red splotch was spreading. "Ran…? He got me pretty good…. I couldn't see his hands move… too fast… ooooh…" She lets out a soft moan, and closes her eyes again, her breathing shallow.

Ran panics, fearing the worst. She checks Ukyo for a pulse, and is relieved to find one, even if it's slow. She takes Ukyo's hand, somehow wanting to console her, to let her know her friends are here, that she's going to be all right…

"I have to stop your bleeding," she says next, though she's uncertain how to or if she CAN do anything about Ukyo's wounds. First rule of an accident or a serious injury: you don't move the victim. You could cause all manner of greater damage in doing so. What Ukyo needs is medical treatment, and immediate treatment at that.

Akane, however, looks right at the person responsible. "R! You'd BETTER have a good explanation for this!"

R looks at Akane, then at Ukyo and Ran, then at himself before saying anything. These girls are upset with him (each for their own reasons) because of one person: Ranma Saotome. That name summons up a deep, dark, ball of fury within R. It's all RANMA's fault he's caught up in this mess right now. If only he were here, so R could finish him off and get on with his own life. He ignores Akane, saying over in Ran's general direction, "My, my… it must be nice to have people stick up for you, isn't it, Ran?"

Ran doesn't look at R; she's turned her face from him, her heart still wounded by his actions earlier. She focuses her attention on trying to help Ukyo, all while R's taunting her.

"….Why, you're practically GIVING me people to beat up today!" R continues, now laughing.

Akane's insulted. How dare R just ignore her?

Then, something really gets her attention. She manages to hear a soft gasp from Ran followed by a few sniffles. R's taunting is getting under her skin. Akane considers Ran like a sister these days; their bond of friendship was almost that tight. And she's not about to stand by and let R mess with those she's considered family and get away with it. She begins to burn with a hot battle aura. R's behavior is about to awaken the 'old' Akane…

Reaching into Hammerspace, Akane whips out a large mallet, ready to make R one with the floor. She runs toward him, yelling. "YOU JERK! KNOCK IT OFF AND LEAVE HER ALONE!"

**WHAM!**

Yep. You guessed it. Big Mallet + R's skull = Unconsciousness. R is down for the count, folks! Even HIS power seems to be no match against an enraged hammer-wielding tomboy….! Oops. Did I say that out loud? Uh oh…

Akane glares at the Narrator, her threatening gaze warning him to shut up and stick to narrating OR ELSE.

Err.. right… ahem… anyway, on the floor now, R groans, "Uuuuughhh…." Slowly getting up now, he turns to face Akane, who has thrown away the mallet and is now in her fighting stance.

"So R, what's it gonna be?" she asks. "You gonna tell me why you feel the need to attack my friends? Or am I going to have to hit you FOR REAL this time?"

_FOR REAL!_ R thinks. _Seems I've underestimated Ranma's little fiancée. Still…_ "Look, Akane, I'm willing to give you the benefit of doubt regarding your fighting abilities, but I do NOT have time to play with you right now." He shakes off the cobwebs, still reeling from being bashed upside the head with that mallet. "And for YOUR information, THAT one," he points to Ukyo, "attacked me because of THAT one," he finishes explaining while pointing at Ran.

Ran's stunned by this. "…!" _Ukyo… You took on R… For me…?_ "Ukyo…" she whispers, tears starting to well up in her eyes. The moment she takes her hands from Ukyo's, she finds her own hands are covered in blood.

Laughing off his current predicament, R continues explaining, "Craziest thing, really. I get rid of ONE annoying nuisance, and then another sprouts up like weeds. And get this; she came here on your behalf, Ran! Isn't it funny? How you run off crying and you have to get your friends to help you? Can't even face me by yourself, can you? You're WEAK!"

"That's ENOUGH!" Akane shouts as she's about to deck R with a powerful right hook into his face.

Or would have if R hadn't caught her fist in his right hand. He's got her hand in an iron grip, and he's NOT laughing now. "Better tell your girl to cool it, Ran," he calmly warns. "Ukyo got off easy; I WON'T be as nice to Akane. And just so you know I'm not bluffing…"

**C-CRACK!**

R casually breaks Akane's fist.

"Ggggghhh….!" Akane's flinching from the pain, but even R's little display of inhuman strength isn't enough to bring her to her knees.

"C'mon, Ran, I'm waiting…. If you don't call Akane off, I'll break her arm next. Would you like that, hm?"

Ran's had enough; R's already made his point – why does he have to torment her further by using her friends? "Akane…!"

"Ran, don't worry about me! I can take him! Don't let R intimidate you! Ahhhhhgh!"

"BE QUIET," R threatens after he's applied more pressure on Akane's already broken hand. One good twist, and oops… her arm'll be broken. His voice is deadly serious now. "I'm talking to Ran, thank you. Well, Ran, do I have to go further, or are you going to sit there and watch another friend get hurt?"

Ran's already ignited a flame in her hands; she could burn R with her Heat Trigger and force him to let Akane go. But so many things could go wrong after that; she doesn't want to even think of what might happen if she chooses that course of action.

This is a totally different situation she's in folks, definitely not like the battles she's faced before. Ryoga? No problem? She's beaten him twice. Kuno? No sweat. Cutman? Piece of cake. Quickman? OK, he had help, but odds improved in her favor when she teamed up with Megaman. Bubbleman? Please. That robot was more likely to do himself bodily harm just walking down the street than hurt her.

* * *

"HEY!" Bubbleman objects, interrupting the story.

* * *

ANYWAY…. Put Ran up against opponents like THOSE guys, and she could handle herself all right.

But against R, she can't do it for some reason. Why can't she stand up to him now? She did it before when he went all "Grrrrrh!" and acted like an animal.

Just then she has a moment of clarity. She realizes that R's doing all this, acting this way toward her, inflicting near-fatal wounds on Ukyo, and threatening to do the same to Akane because he's hurting. Never mind the fact he'd hurt her feelings earlier, now she feels sorry for him. That he would stoop to this level just to get even with her; that he would drag her friends into it; that he was a GUY.

But she has to now, to protect her friends. She can do it. She can reach him. She tries not to think about Ranma, and what R's done to him recently. Her powers of conviction, however strong and unearthly, are focused only on R right now, and until she gets him to back off and leave her friends alone, she can not risk provoking him, picking a fight with him. All she can do is be present, stay cool, diffuse his hostility with style and grace, and let him do the rest on his own.

So when she looks up to face him, she calmly says, "R, I know I'm probably the least favorite person on your list right now, but I'm sorry, OK? I messed up, all right? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's all right if you still want to be angry with me, but that's no excuse to take it out on my friends. Let Akane go. Please."

Silence hangs in the air as R considers what she's just said. The tension's really thick; one could almost cut it with a knife.

But Ran's one single act of gentle yet firm defiance of his violence is enough to blow all the wind out of his sails, deflate his rage. "Arrrgh….!" he lets out in frustration. "Fine." With that, he lets Akane go.

Nursing her broken hand, Akane shows no fear. She's NOT afraid of R; still, she backs away from him, never keeping her eyes off him.

"There, you see? You CAN make a good decision when you try," R says, respecting Ran's courage back there; he's aware it took a LOT of guts to stand up to him. "Still doesn't change a thing between you and me, though."

As R picks up his briefcase, preparing to leave, something occurs to him, and he asks, Y'know, I haven't seen Ranma today. YOU wouldn't happen to know where he is by any chance, hmm?"

Ran looks up at R with sadness in her eyes, disappointed that he'd bring that up.

Ukyo, though wounded, has regained consciousness. She notices that Ran's been by her side, is actually glad to see Akane, and frowns, disgusted that R's still conscious and as obnoxious as ever.

Akane just glares at R angrily. Then, calmly, with a mockingly sweet smile of her own, she says, "Like we'd tell YOU, R? Get real!"

R has to restrain himself; he should have killed her right then and there. But he grins back at her and says, "All right. I'll accept that. Don't want to tell me? Fine. Then do this." NOW he's up in her face, which takes Akane by surprise – how'd he move so fast? "You tell him I'll be waiting for him when he gets back."

Looking over in the direction of Ran and the wounded Ukyo, Akane says, "He won't overlook this, R."

"If it means I get to fight Ranma again, then it's worth it. I've wasted enough time. I really need to get going. So, if you'll excuse me…"

As he passes by Ran, he learns in close to her and whispers, "Oh, don't worry. Your little secret is safe. For now… Heh heh heh….!"

And with that, R walks quickly out of the school building.

Akane goes over to Ukyo and Ran. She takes out a handkerchief from her schoolbag and wraps it twice around the rose that's pinned Ukyo's hand to the wall. "Brace yourself, Ukyo. I'm gonna try to pull this out of the wall. Ready?"

Gripping it by the part she's double-wrapped, Akane pulls R's rose dagger out, careful not to hurt Ukyo in the process.

"Ahhh…!" Ukyo gasps in pain. "Man, thanks Akane."

Akane smiles. "Hey, don't thank me. Thank Ran. She was the one who said we should come back to school. Good thing we did too. Can you move?"

"Y-yeah. I think." Ukyo tries to get up. But the rose that's sticking in her thigh hurts like nobody's business, so she's limping painfully. "Ahhhh!"

"Hey, Ran, can you give me a hand?" Akane asks as she helps Ukyo to her feet. "We gotta get Ukyo to Dr. Tofu's. He'll know what to do."

R's words still lingering inside her, Ran comes to her senses when Akane calls her name. "Oh… yeah. Right."

And so the three girls make their way to Dr. Tofu's clinic.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE - IN GRENADEMAN'S BUNKER:**_

Grenademan's trying to read a book given to him by Erick. Of course, he's not really into Literature, or reading for that matter, as he's having trouble understanding the book. The book he was reading is _Romeo and Juliet_, by William Shakespeare:

With an idiotic moan (a la Butt-Head), Grenademan reads, " …Uh, uuuuuuuuh, so he like, said to Juliet…-"My beloved Juliet, thy my love is for you only, as thy my soul, cause without you, I have no life… what kind of crap is this?", He's whining, "Oh man, this is getting me nowhere, and I don't wanna read! This is soooo boring! There's gotta be an easier way to do this."

He starts to think… uh oh. "Hmmm…what if I…I like, copy some of this mushy stuff and just put them like that and…"

Then Grenademan remembers the words of Erick: _Remember Grenademan, true poetry is when someone writes the words from the bottom of his heart. Only then, your words will speak true love and passion._

Grenademan groans, "Man, never thought writing Poetry would be this hard. Creating Bombs is easy compared to this. But…there's nothing wrong with… a little cheating just this once…right? OH YEAH…!"

Appearing behind him (out of thin air, of course!), Erick says, "You might be right… no one WOULD know… except you and the girl that you want to conquer, that is."

Scared stupid, Grenademan jumps, shouting, "WHAAAAAAAAAHH!…ERICK…! HOW…! WHA…DON'T DO THAT! YOU SCARED ME!"

"Sorry. Grenademan, I gave you that book, not so that you could cheat, but to read it for inspiration, so create your own poetry."

"But, what's wrong with copying a little bit of it?"

"Only that YOU won't be the one who's going to conquer that girl. Tell me, do you want to win the love of Ran, Yes or No?"

"Well, yeah, of course!"

"Okay. If you truly want to conquer her, then used it by your own means and words. By doing what you were about to do, is not only Illegal, but also deceiving the girl, cause you will not be the one conquering her, but the author of the book, and that would not be wise. So, I suggest you try to read the book and come up with your OWN words, got it?"

Next, he vanished into the shadows, leaving Grenademan alone.

* * *

Later, R's walking toward the Kuno estate, carrying with him a box of delicious chocolates and some roses. His plan was still to conquer Kodachi, so she can teach him her secrets of her Poison Arts. Of course…over the time he was spending with her, R began to feel more attracted to her…in other words…he was slowly falling in LOVE with her.

_Well, my plan is slowly working like a charm_, he thinks. _Soon, Kodachi will teach me her secrets of her Poisons Plans, and once I learn them…_ A wicked smile grows on R's face. _Ranma's defeat will be assured. But, I can't deny that I'm lucky to have such a lovely girl like her. Ah well, might as well hurry, Kodachi's place is just five blocks away._

So R, using the Speed of the Saotomes, dashes off like lighting.

Two blocks away from him…

We see Asuka Saginomiya walking and simultaneously pondering on how get the love of R:

With anticipation, she says, "Oh R, my love soars like a hawk when I think of you. I can't wait to see you, so that we can be together and…"

**WHAM!**

Asuka collides with someone turning the corner in a hurry.

At the same time, R runs into somebody with full force, knocking them down. When he clears his sights…he notices that he's bumped into an attractive-looking young woman with long blond hair.

R sees the girl's been KO'ed. Worried, he thinks, _Uh oh…. Aw man, I hit that girl. After the day I've been having because of Ran's little love drama, now THIS! Hope it's nothing serious. Maybe I'd better check her out, see if she's okay._

He picks Asuka up and takes her to nearest bench at the park.

Minutes later, when Asuka begins to open her eyes, she's greeted by the sight of a dashingly-handsome young man with long white hair…

Neither one says anything at first.

Concerned, R asks, "Hey girl, you' alright? Sorry for running into you like that! It's my fault…."

_He's handsome_, Asuka thinks. Aloud, she replies, "I'm fine, mister, thank you for asking… but, who are you?"

"Oh, how silly of me…the name's R."

"Ah! It's nice to meet you and…" Realizing WHO she's talking to, she gasps, thinking, _Wait a minute, did he say R…? THE R!_

Puzzeld by Asuka's odd reaction to him, R's like, "Um…Hello? You alright? Who are you?"

In a polite yet very seductive manner, Asuka introduces herself. "Oh how rude of me. I am Asuka Saginomiya, the White Lily, but you… you may call me anything you want, sugar," she giggles.

"Uhhhhh…!" R didn't like this a bit. This girl's throwing herself at him. This makes him nervous, so he decides to walk away – REALLY fast. Backing away from her, he says, "Um, look. I'm… glad that you're fine and all…but I must be going, so, uh… take care okay? Eheh heh heee…uh, BYE!"

Then he dashes away from her:

Running after him, Asuka shouts, "WAIT R, LET ME REPAY YOU…! DON'T RUN AWAY! COME BACK!"

R turns around and sees Asuka pursuing him. "Oh man! Is this girl crazy or something! I gotta get away from her!"

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	57. The Four R's!

CHAPTER 57

_**-"THE FOUR Rs!"-  
**__**(Regrets, Romance, A Rumble, and the Return!)**_

In the previous episode…

After school had ended, Ran confronted R about his actions at the dance Friday night, particularly his fight with Ranma. When she tried to apologize to R for hurting his feelings, when he'd found out that it was Ranma who Ran secretly loved, R refused to accept her apology, cruelly slapped her, and basically told her to get lost.

Ran ran away in tears, and R had a moment of regret over what he'd done. But before that went any further, Ukyo showed up and confronted R over the way he'd treated Ran. One thing led to another, and a fight took place between the okonomiyaki chef / ex-fiancée of Ranma / friend of Ran vs. the White Rose.

Ran, feeling something wasn't quite right, wanted to go back to Furinkan and convinced Akane to come along with her. They arrived to find Ukyo badly wounded after she'd been defeated by R.

* * *

_**LATER, AT DR. TOFU'S CLINIC…**_

**Crrr…CRACK!**

"OK, that should do it," Dr. Tofu says after resetting the bones in Akane's right hand, which got broken when she tried to intervene between Ran and R earlier at school.

"Ah!" Akane breathes in relief. "Thank you, Dr. Tofu." Then she asks, "How's Ukyo doing?"

"She'll be fine. You and Ran took a big risk bringing her here. I pulled all of R's roses out of her and managed to stop the bleeding. Miraculously, no permanent damage was done; she'll be sore for a week or two but once her wounds heal properly, she'll be up and about in no time. I've given her a shot for now, that should ease the pain some. Akane, may I please speak to you?" Akane follows the doctor into the examination room as Ran just watches them leave. She would have gone with them, but she chooses to stay by Ukyo's side.

Once they're inside, Dr. Tofu closes the door. He admits, "Akane, I've told you only part of the story. Judging from Ran's reactions to Ukyo's condition, what I'm about to tell you would just upset her more. You understand?"

Akane nods, "Well, yes, Doctor. I understand. Now what's this about?"

Dr. Tofu continues, "Well, it's about R. He's not who we think he is. And he's definitely not just another one of Ranma's rivals. If given the chance, with his level of skill, he could very easily hurt or even kill someone. In Ukyo's case… he missed."

Akane blinks, wondering what the good doctor meant by that. "Huh?"

First Dr. Tofu shows Akane the x-rays of Ukyo's injuries. "Okay, you see these puncture wounds?" he asks her, pointing to each individual picture. "These are where R's rose… daggers, darts, whatever you prefer… hit Ukyo." On his desk he spreads out a large map of the human body with the sections marked with figures and ideograms. "And THESE are where R could have struck her." he says, pointing to the spots he's marked on the chart.

"Only someone with an intuitive understanding of angles and trajectories, above-average hand-eye coordination, and near-superhuman precision could pull it off."

Now Akane's worried. "Doctor, you don't mean to say that R's a…"

"It's exactly what I'm saying, Akane," Tofu tells her, not mincing words. "He is what he is. Only a skilled assassin could control his aim like that. If R wanted to kill Ukyo, he could have done it right then and there. Incidentally, when you tried to intervene, he only broke your hand. But who can say if he has a working knowledge of pressure points of the human body, or if he knows how much force it takes to break bone with his bare hands? He could have done a LOT more than just break your incoming punch."

Akane's eyes grew round at the seriousness of what Dr. Tofu's saying. She'd thought about all the rivals Ranma's faced down past and present, from Ryoga all the way up to Saffron. And now R. She shivers, suddenly cold for some reason. She felt no fear when she attempted to take him on earlier, so why does she feel this chill up her spine now?

Of course, she wasn't there the first time R challenged Ranma; if she was, she'd known his intentions to kill Ranma right then and there. Then there was that time they came to school, and R tried to ambush Ranma from above. Had Ranma not moved her out of the way that day, she would have been on the receiving end of R's killing fist. Now that she thinks about it a little bit more, R HAS tried to kill Ranma on several occasions, not counting the fight they'd had last weekend, since R wasn't in his right mind then – or was he? And all those times, R's failed to achieve a decisive victory over Ranma, so as far as Akane was concerned, he was yet another loony challenger who'd popped out of nowhere, out to beat Ranma up over some real or imagined crime he'd committed.

Dr. Tofu notices Akane thinking it over. He says, correctly guessing, "Seems we're thinking along the same lines – that R's yet another one of Ranma's rivals. I'm wondering if that's what R wants us to think. Perhaps his grudge against Ranma (such as it is) is just a front for his real intentions. Maybe, for the moment, he's just biding his time, waiting for a chance to strike."

Akane's known Dr. Tofu ever since she was little; what he's saying, she's finding kind of hard to swallow. "That's kind of far-fetched don't you think?"

"Well, word does travel fast in this neighborhood. R's established a reputation since his arrival… and it's not necessarily a good one…." Dr. Tofu replies, leaving it at that. We have to wonder… aside from what the readers know about R - his attempts to kill Ranma and his association with the RED CAT GANG among them notwithstanding - just WHAT else has he been doing since his arrival in Nerima?

Tofu continues, "I wouldn't be surprised if R's been practicing _Hensoujutsu*_ (disguise and impersonation) techniques up till now. It's said theatricality and deception can be powerful tools. This R we've seen, his whole persona, this image of himself he's created, is just an act to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. Whatever it was that set him off today, caused him for one moment to drop the mask he's been wearing. And behind that mask, Akane, is the REAL R."

*[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hensoujutsu is just one of the eighteen Ninja disciplines (Ninja Juhakkei). Look it up on Wikipedia for more; it'd take too much time to explain 'em all here. On with the story!]

On hearing this, Akane has a flashback to about a week before last (see chapter 48). She, Ranma, and Ran arrived at school that morning when R sent one of his "calling cards" at Ranma, a single white rose with a note attached. Apparently the note was a challenge, judging by the way Ranma reacted upon reading it.

R hadn't changed his clothes or altered any particular thing about his appearance that day, and yet he was a different person. He'd seemed taller, straighter, somehow. His posture was not his usual cool, relaxed swagger but rather tense as if eager for a fight. And the cold and distant gaze in his eyes as if he were looking down on an insect about to be crushed, which should tell you what R thinks of those beneath him. _Maybe that's what Dr. Tofu was talking about?_

"And when you and Ran brought Ukyo in and told me what happened, it got me thinking. If he can't go after Ranma himself, then R will start attacking those close to him."

"Maybe…," Akane says aloud. "But aside from what R did to Ukyo, what proof do we have?"

Tofu sighs, admitting, "You're right, Akane. I suppose it's just a feeling I have, a sneaking suspicion, that's all. I know one thing. If those two ever come face-to-face, then Ranma may be in for the fight of his life." Noticing Akane's gasp, he says knowingly, "No… I don't think we've heard the last of this."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ran is still at Ukyo's bedside. Her head whirls with bits and pieces of the things that have been tearing at her up until now. Ranma. R. Ukyo. Akane. Her feelings toward Ranma. Her (broken) friendship with R. And most of all, what should she do about it all.

Bottom line, Ran's feeling miserable, folks. She wrings her hands, fidgeting in her seat, blaming herself for what's happened these past few hours, these past few days. _I could have stopped him and none of this would have happened! How could I let him do that to Ukyo, to Akane! _

But she's spending most of the time thinking about R….

"_That's the DUMBEST thing I've ever heard in my entire life! Did you REALLY THINK that by coming here and saying all that crap, that you could sway me? That we'd bury the hatchet right then and there, it's all water under the bridge, let bygones by bygones, and we're buddy-buddy let's get along again? THINK AGAIN!" _

"_Waah, waah, R doesn't like me anymore 'cause I'm in love with somebody else's fiancée, and he doesn't even notice poor little ol' me! Yeah, that's right. Bet you didn't think I KNEW your dream guy ALREADY HAS a fiancée. I might not have been at this school for a while, but news travels fast – we transfer students catch up pretty quick, don't you think?"_

"_So go on ahead and nurse that little hope of yours that Ranma's just gonna up and leave his fiancée, lay you out on a futon and deflower you. One day, he'll marry that uncute tomboy and leave you, all sad and pathetic, out in the cold. And he won't be thinking about you anymore AT ALL. You'll be all alone, with nothing but memories of your unrequited love. So GROW UP, will you?"_

"…_you sure screwed THAT up, didn't you?"_

"_The time to say sorry was BEFORE you came to ME for advice." _

"_I don't need your concern….! And I DON'T need YOU." _

"_I don't want you bothering me anymore, Ran. I mean it. So why don't you just GO AWAY and leave me alone. Please."_

It's his voice she hears over and over, his face she sees. She'd seen him raise his voice once or twice, but she'd never seen him THAT angry before. She'd realized then he was lashing out at her because his own feelings were hurt.

She wants to cry right then and there, but she can't. Something inside her just says to keep it together, to not give in to despair, to stay sane.

"I didn't know. I just didn't know," she says quietly. Didn't know her secret crush on Ranma would hurt R's feelings AND simultaneously put Ranma's life in danger. Didn't know her attempts to make up with R only made things WORSE instead of better, physically injuring two friends in the process. Didn't realize how deeply it would affect her and how much gratitude she felt for Ukyo right now. She wonders if she'll go insane from it all.

And was that someone else's wicked laughter she heard somewhere inside her head?

_Hee hee hee….! As stubborn as ever, _that familiar voice cackles._ You see? See what your folly has brought? Are you now ready to do as you're told? Or are you just going to stand by, helpless, as more of your "friends" get hurt…or worse? MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!_

_No, no_, she tells herself. _Not that old guy again. No more nightmares. NO MORE! Shut up! Leave me be!_

Alone by herself (since Ukyo's still resting and Dr. Tofu and Akane are talking in private), no one can see Ran's shoulders shake or hear the sobs that want to come out as she bends over in her chair, face in her hands.

It was around that time when Ukyo begins to stir. Ran quickly turns her chair around to face the other girl. "Ukyo?" she whispers.

Ukyo's eyes flutter open. The shot she'd been given made it difficult for her to focus at first. Slowly she focuses on the figure seated beside her. She recognizes Ran and smiles. "Ran? You still here?"

Ran breathes a sigh of relief. "Y-yeah, Ukyo. I'm here. I… I couldn't just leave… not after what happened."

"Heh," Ukyo snorts softly, touched. Then, her tone of voice becoming apologetic, she says, "Sorry about that, Ran."

Ran can't believe it. "What are talking about? I'M the one who should be apologizing, Ukyo, not you! Please… please don't do that again!" Calming down, she then asks, "Why did you fight with R? You didn't have to do that!"

"Saw you and R earlier today… saw what he did to you…. Told you I'd step in if he gave you any trouble."

Ran thought Ukyo was just kidding around, when she'd said that at lunch. It finally dawns on her that Ukyo was being SERIOUS, which just makes her feel worse about what's happened today. "No, no… if you hadn't seen me that day… didn't agree to keep that promise… you wouldn't be here right now…"

"Why?" Ran wanted to know. "Why did you do that for me?"

"Because we're friends. Don't you get it?" Ukyo says softly. "I'm just sorry I couldn't give R the beating he deserves. I'd fix it so he wouldn't mess with you for a LONG while, that's for sure."

"Yeah… but I'm a fighter too!" Ran objects. "I mean… If it came down to a fight between me and R, I could have…"

"But why didn't you?" Ukyo asks her plainly. "Remember when you told me what happened when R flipped out and attacked Ran-chan while he used "Cat-Fu"? You stood up to him then. So what happened?"

"That was different. R wasn't in his right mind back then. As for today, it wasn't a situation that I thought I wouldn't have to fight my way through with my fists. I didn't know he would react that way. All I did was try to make things right between us, that's all. But I just ended up making things worse. I know saying this now doesn't change a thing… but… I'm no good as a friend… and because of that I've gotten Ranma, and now, you and Akane involved because of my mistake. And I… I feel just horrible!"

_No, no! This can't be happening!_ She's shouting to herself. But it is. Her voice's choked with emotion, her shoulders are shaking. She's trying not to lose control. But it's no good. Watching Ran break down like this gets to Ukyo. She gingerly sits up in bed so she can face her troubled friend, and then puts her arms around her, hugging her.

That single gesture takes Ran totally by surprise. "Why? But I'm not..."

"It's okay, Ran," Ukyo assures her. "Go ahead and let it out. It's okay to cry."

Ran's shaking violently as her sobs wretch away from her. She feels Ukyo holding her and she blindly reaches out, trying to cry into the comfort she'd offered. "I'm not worth it!" Ran weeps. "R could have killed you!"

"But you ARE worth it, Ran….," Ukyo says, trying her best to console Ran. The poor girl's totally distraught.

"I mean, it's all because I love Ranma, right, that all this is happening? Up until that day, I thought R was starting to open up a little toward me. NOW, he hates me..."

"Stop it…"

"Ranma would have been killed if I didn't stop R last weekend…."

"Knock it off…"

"And you and Akane got hurt because of me…"

"I SAID knock it off!" Ukyo holds Ran tighter now. She looks her right in the eye as she says, "Now, look, I understand how you feel. You've probably already have cried a few times, and you'll probably cry even more. But I will NOT let you beat yourself up over this. And, plus, any friend of Ran-chan's is my friend too. I couldn't just stand by and let R treat you that way."

Suddenly Ran feels the urge to speak swelling within her and without knowing what she was going to say, she blurts out, "But it was my fault, Ukyo. You and Akane… Ranma… it was all my fault."

"Ran…"

"I'M the one who provoked R into attacking Ranma..."

Ukyo puts her arms around Ran. "Aw, no, no...!"

"If I didn't say anything to R that day…"

"No, Ran. Look. Nothing you did—nothing anyone ever did—can excuse that guy. It's HIS fault and his alone. Do you understand?"

Ran presses her face into Ukyo's chest and sobs. "I miss him, Ukyo."

"Yeah. Me too."

After several minutes of reckless, unrelieved, and shocking sobbing, Ran finally calms down. She exhales, saying, "Okay, Ukyo."

"What?" Ukyo asks.

"Did I… did I bring this on us? On you? On Ranma? Am I wrong to fall for him? Was R right?"

"Well, welcome to Nerima, Ran," Ukyo says, sarcasm tinged with sadness in her voice. "There's nothing wrong with falling for someone, or being in love. It's a wonderful thing. You love Ran-chan. I can see that. But, in doing so, you basically thumbed your nose at the chaos that usually surrounds him. You didn't think it'd come back and bite you in the rear? Things were going to have to get worse before they get better."

Ran hangs her head at hearing that; she feels as if she were being evaluated, and found wanting. Ukyo notices this, and then says, "Well… you know what you're up against. So… you sure you want to continue to pursue Ranma, considering all that?"

Ran nods – the answer's obvious. "Yeah… I want to…"

"Why?"

"Because somewhere in my heart, I still hold that glimmer of hope that someday... someday I'll succeed. Right now, I don't have the courage to tell him… well, you know. Just to be near him is enough to make me happy."

"Hmph, yeah. You tell yourself that." Ukyo snorts. "Take it from someone who's known him for a while; Ran-chan's a lot of things, but he's no mind-reader. How's he supposed to know about your feelings unless you come out and say so?"

Ran sits there pondering her situation, while Ukyo tries to get her out of her melancholy. "For now, I think the best thing would be if you could just try to forget all about R."

"I couldn't do that..."

"Huh? RAN! That guy's a creep with a violent streak." Something then occurs to Ukyo, "Now that I think about it, it's no wonder he and Kodachi hit it off so well – they're both psychos!"

This gets a giggle out of Ran.

Ukyo snorts, "Hmph! Well, I got you to laugh a little. Haven't seen you do that for a while. But joking aside, how did you get involved with a guy like THAT?"

Ran admits, "Because I have this feeling that I know R from somewhere. True, he's got his flaws…"

Ukyo mutters, "Don't we know it…"

"….but I think… well, sometimes I feel… that deep down, he's not really a bad person."

That causes Ukyo to stop and think for a moment. Then she says. "I'm not convinced. I STILL think you're making a big mistake by trying to make up with him. Why do it when all he's going to do to torment you just because you're in love with "you-know-who"? That's not right. That's not friendship. If anything, it sounds more like abuse. And you KNOW how he feels about Ran-chan. If you go back to him, you're just encouraging him to attack Ran-chan whenever he wants, because he knows you won't do anything to stop him."

"And that what bothers me the most," Ran admits. "Anytime Ranma and R meet up from now on, they're probably going to fight. And I don't think R will stop until he's killed him. I'm afraid, if Ranma gets pushed far enough like that night, that they might even kill each other. I don't want that to happen, Ukyo. I want to do something to prevent that, because if it did…." She doesn't dare think what about could happen, and the thought frightens her. Now she really starts crying, tears running down her cheeks.

Ran can't hide it anymore. She needed someone to understand her…to help her cope with what she's dealing with now.

They stayed like that for a while…Ran releasing her fear and her weariness while she flooded the room with tears and Ukyo comforting the crying girl the best she could although she knew only one person who could cheer her up… and he's still in the hospital.

_Man. Ran-chan, hurry up and come back already, will ya? Ran needs you right now_, Ukyo silently thinks. Then she hears someone coming. She nudges Ran. "Hey, Ran. I think Akane and Dr, Tofu are back. Dry your tears; you don't want them to see you like this, do you?"

A few minutes later Dr. Tofu came in to announce that visiting hours were over and offers to escort Ran and Akane out. The girls exchange quick goodbyes and promise to catch up at school when Ukyo is released.

"Are you going to be okay? I can stay if Dr. Tofu says it's okay." Ran offers.

Dr. Tofu gently placed a hand on Ran and Akane's shoulders. "Go home," he says. "Ukyo just needs to stay a day or two for observation. I'll release her before this week's over."

"Look, Ran, go home, OK? The doc says I'll be fine," Ukyo assures her. "Grab a bite to eat, get some rest, do anything to keep your mind off what's happened today. Don't let yourself get down, OK? Ranma'll be back, you'll see. Until then, you gotta just tough it out."

"I'll… I'll try."

She takes her by the hand, whispering, "Hey, don't worry, I'll keep the secret. Hang in there." To Akane, she asks aloud, "Say, Akane, got a minute?"

While Ran waits with Dr. Tofu, Akane and Ukyo can talk privately.

"So, what's on your mind, Ukyo?" Akane asks.

"I'll get to the point. I'm worried about Ran," Ukyo says. "She may be good at fighting like you, me, and Ran-chan are, but she's… well… different from us. She's sweet and innocent and trusting, and I'd hate to see her get hurt by R or some other jackass. We gotta look out for her. And when Ranma gets better, he should too."

Akane nods in agreement. Maybe the two of them together could take on R. But in reality, she's wishing Ranma were here.

* * *

_**KUNO MANSION:**_

After eluding Asuka, R FINALLY made it to the Kuno estate. Before going inside, he spends a moment reassembling his appearance, the image he wanted to portray, the role he was playing: he lets love flow through him, adding a charming sparkle to his eyes, let a glad smile come to his lips, let his youthful energy bring a joyous bounce to his step as he trots to the entrance.

He'd meet her outside, and he'd keep her outside. He had a feeling she wouldn't just let him into the house… not after the way he had ... behaved... at the dance.

As R enters and walks onto the grounds of the estate, a voice shouts, "FOUL VILLIAN! How dare you show your face here after your shameless treatment of mine sister! HAVE AT THEE!"

R groans, "Geez. Not THIS again…" He assumes a fighting stance as Kuno charges in swinging his bokken…

**THWACK!**

And R takes him out with a single kick to the face. "All right, Kuno, what's THIS about now?"

Regaining consciousness, Kuno tells him, "R, it has come to my attention that you were involved in an incident with my sister, the victim."

"What about it?" R asks impatiently.

"I have gathered the facts," explained Kuno. "At the dance this past weekend, you and Ranma Saotome were engaged in combat, when both of you began behaving most strangely. Afterwards, you abandoned my sister, who in turn pursues you to a time and place of your choosing, whereby you could inflict sufficient damage to her! Your involvement in this matter has caused me to take extreme measures to rectify it. R, I entrusted thee with Kodachi, and this is how you repay me!"

"Look, I'd rather NOT fight with you. I'm here to see Kodachi and to apologize for what happened, WHATEVER I did."

"Ah, so it was YOU who turned much of our noble dwelling into a veritable flower garden?"

"Oh? That's good, then. That means she got the flowers I sent. Tell her I'm here, would you? Have her meet me outside."

Offended, Kuno objects, "I am NOT your personal messenger! Why not enter the house and deliver your apology there?"

"Because," R explains, "it wouldn't be right, not after what I've done to her. Truth is I'd…" He WAS going to say "I want to…" but softens it by saying instead, "I'd like to see her, but she might not want to see me. If she comes, I'll formally apologize to her. But if not, then I'll leave this place and never darken your doorstep again."

Kuno considers it. Then he says, "On the contrary, Kodachi is most eager to see you…. I suppose it has to do with those flowers you sent earlier."

"Really? Great. Thanks, Kuno. I appreciate this. For once."

"BUT…" Kuno adds, "Though mine twisted sister is smitten with you, I am NOT as easily swayed. Still, your efforts to make amends for your misdeeds are commendable. Heed my words, R, and do not return to your villainous ways again, lest I be forced to deliver the punishment you rightfully deserve."

"Translation: I break Kodachi's heart (which won't happen again, I assure you), and you get to break me (which'll NEVER happen in a million years!), am I right?"

"Correct."

"Feh. All right. Fine. Now… PLEASE tell Kodachi I'm here?"

"Very well. Then wait here. I shall tell her that you will be waiting for her."

Time passes as R waits for Kodachi.

_Maybe she'll come. I hope she comes. Maybe she won't. No! Don't think like that, R! Have confidence! She'll come, and maybe we can… I don't know… get back together. But what if she doesn't want to see me? I mean, I want to see her… what am I saying! I'm just using her to learn her techniques! This was NOT how it was supposed to go down! But I didn't think chemistry would come into play, didn't think we'd connect at all. But.. No.. NO! I… I shouldn't have come. I should go now, yeah, that's what I should do. This feels really awkward. But she's attractive! Once you get past her eccentricities, she's not so bad. C'mon, R! Be a man! Pull yourself together! Aw man, I feel like an idiot…. and it's all that damn Ranma's fault! Oh, he's gonna pay for this…_

R's mood really darkens as his thoughts turn from making it up to the girl who he's grown fond of (though he's denying it otherwise) to his hated foe. He starts thinking of ways to inflict serious pain upon him, when a voice interrupts his musings.

"R?"

Hearing that voice brings R back to the present. He looks up to see her. _Well… here goes…_

Kodachi appears at the front door of the house. She walks over to where R is, and even then she still stands about several feet away from him. "R…. well, this IS a surprise. I wasn't expecting you so soon. I thought after last weekend, that... but thank you for your gifts, they were lovely. My dear brother has informed me that you were here. Is there…something you wish to say me?"

R steps closer, and she steps back in response, uncertain if he's going to attack or what. R sighs, hanging his head down. _Man, she won't even come near me. I must have done something really bad to her, but what? OK, R, don't blow this now_, he mentally tells himself. _Just apologize to her and really mean it. Make things right!_

R pauses for a moment, as if uncertain what to say, or even why he had come by in the first place. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "See… I should have come by and spoken with you MUCH sooner. I know a LOT's happened these last few days, and that's why I haven't been by for a while. But I... I wasn't sure what to say. How to start the conversation, you know." His smile begins to fade. "I guess... nothing ended up the way we hoped we would that night, huh?"

"Then… you remember?"

"Actually… no. I don't."

Kodachi looks sad on hearing this. But R continues, "And yet…"

"Yes…?"

"And yet when I came to my senses, I was in a dark and unfamiliar place. And you weren't there with me. But I'm all right now, see?"

R continues, on a roll, "I'm gazing into your eyes, and I see the fear in them. It's not your fear, I know; truth is, well… it's mine. I was afraid something like this would happen. Kodachi, I came to see YOU… but it appears that for all the effort I've made to make up for what I've done, even though I'm right here before you now, you do not want to see me." With a sad look on his own face, he then says, "And what really hurts is I can't remember what I did to you, to cause this distance between us. It's… well, it's tearing me up. Tell me, please. Did I do something so bad that you won't even TRUST me? At all?"

"Oh, R darling…" Kodachi whispers. She appears to be moved by R's words.

"Feh," R says, with some disappointment. "It's all right. If that's true, then I understand. I'm not asking you to believe me, I… I had HOPED in spite of what I'd done to you, that you would find it in your heart to forgive me. But I guess that won't happen now, huh?" He sighs. "Well, I guess it's goodbye then, Kodachi. Don't worry… I'll see myself out. But the memories of you, those few happy times we shared… I'll treasure them forever." With that, R sadly turns away from her, and prepares to leave.

"Wait!" Kodachi says, as he's about to go.

R stops, though his back is still towards her.

"R, don't go. I'm the one who should apologize to you. Oh, darling, I've been so frightened since that night! I was afraid to trust you. But I don't care now! We need not speak of it anymore, my darling. You're here, with me, and that's all that matters now."

R turns to face her, hopeful. "Then…. you forgive me?"

Kodachi looks at him, surprised that he even needed to ask her. "But of course, my darling!" She runs to R and embraces him tenderly.

R returns her embrace. "Thank you, Kodachi," he says sincerely.

"Oh, R, my darling…!" Safe in his strong arms, she shivers against his chest. "I've been so worried about you…!"

"Shh. Shh, it's all right now." He strokes her hair, comforting her until her trembling begins to fade, then he cups her chin and gently raises her face to look into his eyes. "Look, you don't need to worry about me. All right? No one can hurt me. No one will ever hurt either of us." Then, he says with as much conviction and sincerity he can muster, "And I won't let anything come between us like that again."

Kodachi wiped the tears from her face and looked up at R.

"All better now?" R asks, flashing her his best smile.

"Uh huh," Kodachi nods, returning a smile of her own. She removed herself from R's chest, as she explains, "It wasn't that, my love, it was—oh, R, such terrible things happened that night!" Kodachi would have poured out her heart further had she nor looked and saw something that takes her totally by surprise. "YOU!"

There, standing before them, is Asuka Saginomiya, who surprisingly looks none the worse for wear having chased R all over town all the way here. A VERY determined girl, isn't she? "Oho-hoho-ho…!" she laughs. "Why, Miss Kodachi! What a pleasure it is to see you again. It has been FAR too long…"

"Not long enough Asuka," Kodachi replies. "Just what do you want now?"

"Isn't it obvious? I've returned to finish our duel – and claim your new beau as my prize!"

"What?"

"Um…excuse me. You two KNOW each other?" R manages to interrupt.

"I'm afraid so, my darling…" Kodachi admits. "But fear not – I shall NOT allow this vile seductress to steal you away, not after you and I have been reunited!" She throws off her clothes, revealing the black gymnast's leotard she's been wearing underneath.

"Yeeeeah, right. If that's the case, then I'll just step aside and leave it to you."

As R is about to move out of their way and allow these two dueling debutantes to fight it out, suddenly he finds himself wrapped in heavy chains. "HEY! What the hell..!"

Asuka reels R in, like a fish that's been caught. "Ha ha! I've got you now, R-sama. After I defeat this witch, you and I shall be bound together for eternity!" The look in her eyes gives R the creeps – just what does she have in mind for him? Then to Kodachi, she taunts, "If you want him back, Miss Kodachi, you must come and face me now!"

Then Kodachi lashes out with her ribbon, catching R and pulling him back to her. "Let go of him! R belongs to ME!" She angrily shouts.

"NO! he's mine!" Asuka counters, pulling R back towards her.

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"MINE!"

"MINE!"

"Damn," R curses as he's being pulled back and forth. "This is just great. What am I? A frickin' human yo-yo?"

Here, on the grounds of the Kuno estate, Kodachi and Asuka resume their duel, violently struggling for possession of R, currently held between their clutches.

"Unhand him, Miss Kodachi! He's mine!" Asuka shouts, tightly gripping one of R's arms.

On the other end, Kodachi pulls with all her might. "Just give it up, Asuka! R will never be yours!"

"Ho-ho, that's what you think! Take this!" Asuka throws one of her exploding lilies at Kodachi – with R right in her line of fire! You can guess what happens next…

**BOOOM!**

"ACK!" R grunts as he's struck by the blast. Those lilies really pack a punch!

"NO! R-darling!" Kodachi cries out. Furious, she counters with her own assault, tossing a seemingly harmless (Pffh… please, this is KODACHI we're talking about here!) bouquet of black roses at her rival.

R, though a bit singed, is alive. Well aware of his girlfriend's prowess with flower-themed weaponry, skill which almost rivals his own, he reasons he's got just seconds before that thing explodes. Even though he's still bound up between Kodachi's ribbon and Asuka's chain, he somehow manages to roll clear of the incoming explosive.

A second too late…

**BOOOOM!**

The force of the blast would have blown him clear across the entire length of the Kuno estate, had Kodachi not pulled him out of the way. "Are you alright, my darling?"

"Yeah, just swell," R deadpans. "Now would you mind letting me go?"

"No! Don't go! Not after you've returned to me! Stay by my side, my love, where you'll be safe!"

"You call THIS safe!" In the back of his mind R thinks he should forget trying to woo her for her secret techniques and break with up her. But strangely enough, when she's like this, he's almost finds her attractive… and that tight leotard… oooh! _What am I thinking! I gotta get away from both of them before I get killed!_

"You know, Miss Kodachi, I applaud you having such a delicious specimen of a man," Asuka compliments. "He certainly surpasses that garbage you were with the last time we fought. Perhaps, after I take R from you, you should consider getting back together with him?"

Now maybe being with R these days has softened Kodachi a little towards the former object of her obsessions (Ranma). Or maybe not. We'll probably never know. But leave it to Asuka to hit below the belt like that - that remark really stings her. "HOW DARE YOU! The thought that I would crawl back to that treacherous deceiving betrayer Ranma Saotome is utter madness! Madness, do you hear! Perhaps I should commend YOU, for simultaneously showering my beloved R with such inappropriate praise, trashing the former object of my affections, AND insulting my pride! You've no right to say such things regarding my present and / or former lovers! Now… NOW you pay! Let the battle be joined!"

"Yes," Asuka says, hands at her side clenched into fists. "Oh my, yes."

Oh yeah, it's on now!

* * *

Meanwhile, at the hospital, a recovering Ranma is healing up nicely from his fight with R. Suddenly he sneezes loudly. "AH-CHOOO!"

Shivering slightly, he looks up from the manga he's been reading and wonders aloud. "Weird. I got the strangest feeling I've been dissed. And why does it feel like Kodachi's been around? Man, that girl still gives me the creeps."

Shrugging it off, he laughs, thinking, _Don't be silly - Kodachi's with R these days. I don't know how he puts up with her, but better him than me!_

He sighs, leaning back onto the bed. _At least I'll be getting outta here soon. I wonder how Akane and Ran are doing and what's been happening these days…_

* * *

_**AND BACK AT THE KUNOS…**_

The duel between the Black Rose and the White Lily plays out almost like their last two encounters. Most of it they spend throwing things at each other. Things that explode. Things containing gas or various paralyzing agents. Or combinations of the two. With someone caught in the middle of it all, in this case R.

There were no punches or kicks exchanged; no close-range combat at all, at least not yet. It was turning out to be a variation on the classic fireball fight, and it seems both combatants are evenly matched. As R observes, Asuka doesn't look like a fighter at all, and Kodachi's specialty is Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics in addition to her expertise in explosives and poisons, so he initially thinks Kodachi's got this one in the bag.

But like the old catchphrase goes, "Third time's a charm…"

This battle's going to be different this time around…

Kodachi makes the first attack. She charges at Asuka, intending to land the finishing blow that will end their longstanding duel. Pulling out a gymnastic hoop, she flings it at her like a boomerang. However, she strikes only air as Asuka leaps high and away. With a yank of the chain, she intends to take R along with her (and out of Kodachi's clutches).

But Kodachi, still holding the ribbon she's entangled her R-darling in from before, counters by pulling him back to her again, right into her arms. This does NOT sit well with Asuka; her reply to that is a cluster of her exploding lilies.

R sees the incoming projectiles and uses his body to move Kodachi out from the blast.

**BOOOOM!**

Kodachi's touched (in the head, this narrator observes). "Oh, R-darling," she gushes. "My hero, my savior!" She sweeps up her beloved in a crushing bear hug.

"Gack! Kodachi, air!" R manages to get out.

She gingerly releases him. R sweatdrops, then says, "OK this is gonna sound crazy coming from me, but who don't you and the blonde put down the hatchet already?"

"Never!" Kodachi firmly refuses. "Asuka started this, I shall finish it! After I defeat her once and for all, you and I shall have dinner together… then dessert… and perhaps breakfast in the morning!"

R groans. Normally, he'd be intrigued by the prospect of a romantic evening with a girl and waking up in the morning with her. But everything he's gone through earlier with Ran and Ukyo and now his chances of making up with Kodachi totally ruined by this lily-packing nuisance… leave R ready to give up. Unless he can blame it all on Ranma, and the very thought of him really darkens R's mental and emotional state. _So much for romance. Damn it!_

He sighs, "That'd be great, but… I'm just not in the mood anymore. Blondie over there messed it up. So why don't you just cut me loose and the two of you can beat the crap out of each other to your hearts content. I'm going home."

"NO!" Kodachi panics. "Say it isn't so, my love!" With that, she hammers the handle of her ribbon into the ground like a stake, and then covers it with a big rock for good measure.

"HEY!" R shouts. ""What do you think you're doing!"

"Wait for me, my love. I go forth to settle this!"

"WHAT! Have you gone insane! Let me out right now! This isn't funny!"

"Please, R, believe me," she pleads pitifully. "You have to believe in me. I won't fail. You'll see…"

The look in her eyes tells R how important this is to her. She truly wants his support. He knows he'll probably regret it later, but… "Oh fine…" R admits and stays put where she's left him. He then gives her a quick peck on the cheek. "Go kick her ass."

Emboldened by R's kiss, Kodachi draws out another ribbon, and leaps toward Asuka. Using the ribbon like a whip, she lashes out to strike…

Only to have Asuka block the attack with a shield she pulled out of nowhere. "My turn, Miss Kodachi," she says, and returns the favor with "Accept these in return!" throwing a bouquet of white lilies.

Kodachi manages to evade them before they explode, releasing a cloud of thick white smoke. It's difficult to see her opponent now; visibility's not that great. "*Cough, cough…* Where are you Asuka!"

The Black Rose gets her answer when her legs are swept out from under her and she falls on her backside. "Ahh…!" she cries out. Then, with fury in her eyes, "Why you devious...!"

Emerging from the smokescreen is Asuka, wielding a long staff, painted to match with the elegant cream-colored dress she's wearing. She grins evilly while twirling it. "Ah, so you're surprised? I've had plenty of time to study your technique since our last battle. This ought to level the playing field, don't you agree?"

Kodachi spits, "That has gained you nothing!"

"I despise having to resort to such uncivilized methods. But for you and you alone… I shall make an exception! Now… EEK!" Asuka's gloating is interrupted as Kodachi launches one of her signature attacks, Thousand Clubs Confusing Strikes (Senju Konbou Midare Uchi), a.k.a. the "Attack of a Thousand Clubs", delivering rapid fire blows with her gymnastics batons.

"Yeah! Go for it Ko-chan!" R cheers her on.

Quickly, Asuka twirls her staff, deflecting the blows while simultaneously advancing toward Kodachi. The girls have switched from throwing things at each to close-range combat now and they're getting closer to where R is.

From his rather unique position, R watches the battle unfold. It was unlike any he had seen before, rivaling his own fights prior to Ranma. The very air is filled with such an intensity, making it hard for him to breathe. Then again, it might have had to do with some low-potency stun powder he'd inhaled from one of Asuka's exploding lilies earlier. It wasn't strong enough to knock him out, just slow down his movement a little. He's still struggling to get out of the tangle of chain and ribbon wrapped around him.

_Geez, why didn't I think of this before?_ R mentally scolds himself. He then quietly ignites a purple flame on the tip of his finger, and goes to work on burning off the ribbons, then melting away the chains. Hopefully he can escape before either Kodachi or Asuka notices. Bondage has totally lost its appeal to R now; besides, he wasn't interested in that sort of thing away.

It was an indication of how important the battle was to each woman, fighting over the affections of one man. Nothing short of victory would satisfy them now, and they're both pulling out all the stops.

From an outsider's perspective, however, the fight looks like one big dust cloud, like one of those old-school cartoon-style brawls, where random hits are continually dealt out until one side loses.

On and on the duel rages, with R caught in the middle. And both Kodachi and Asuka barely even seem to be paying attention to him.

Pinned down under their relentless assault, R thinks, _I can't take any more of this. I'm outta here! I just wanted to make up with Kodachi, and now it's blown up into this farce. Time to use the Saotome Secret Technique again…_

Just as Kodachi unleashes her most famous signature technique: "BLACK ROSE PETAL SNOWFALL!" sending up a storm of her black roses.

"Popcorn, master Kuno?" Sasuke asks, passing a bucket of popcorn to Kuno as they watch poor R being caught in the crossfire of Kodachi and Asuka's duel.

"Thank you, Sasuke," Kuno says as he takes the bucket from his servant.

"Yo, pass the popcorn," R interrupts.

Sasuke looks surprised. "Why, Mister R! We thought you were…"

"What? Stuck in the middle of that catfight?" he replies, pointing to the area where Kodachi and Asuka are still fighting. "This is obviously between them, so I'm staying out of it."

"But are YOU not the one who brought Miss Saginomiya here?" Kuno asks pointedly. "All while attempting to gain back mine sister's favor? Spinning your spell over them even tighter than before, so that they are mesmerized by the sight of you… Pitting them against each other for your own amusement? Shame on your misdeeds!"

"HEY, hold up," R objects. "Before you even START up with those "foul sorcerer" accusations, I DIDN'T ask her to come here! She followed ME! Clearly, she's got the wrong idea. Besides, I'm dating your sister, not HER!" _Plus_, R thinks, _this whole thing smells like it's been pre-arranged, and I know ONE guy who'd pull this kind of stuff just for kicks. ERICK! Man…. I knew it! I KNEW I couldn't trust him!_

R decides he's gonna have a little talk with Erick along the lines of "butt out of my private life!" after this blows over.

* * *

_**TENDO DOJO - LATE EVENING:**_

Ran Hayami couldn't sleep. It's been five days since that terrible battle between Ranma and R at the dance, and only two days since everything that happened at school since that night. The memory of R's hurtful last words (and the slap that came with them!) still echoes inside her head…

"_I don't need your concern…and I DON'T need YOU…. I don't want you bothering me anymore, Ran. I mean it. So why don't you just GO AWAY and leave me alone. Please."_

She wakes up and reaches over for something by her bedside. Finding it, she pulls out her diary and begins to write….

_Dear Diary:_

_Man, what a week it's been so far._

_Even since I started writing, I've kept you up to date on what's been going on with me. About my life since coming here to Nerima, living with the Tendos and Saotomes, school, my friends…_

_About the fights I've gotten into…_

_About those dreams I'd been having… up until recently I could get a good night's sleep – I haven't had any nightmares. Sometimes I can remember them and other times I can't. But I'm ALMOST certain that they're somehow linked to my past. What was I doing before I came to Nerima anyway?_

_Right now, I can't sleep. I keep thinking about what's happened. I miss Ranma, who's still in the hospital, by the way. I want him to come back home; this house just isn't the same without him. I'm trying to carry on but… it's hard._

_And I'm writing to you, because right now you're the only one I can say all of this to. I can't talk to Akane or Kasumi about it, and although I like Nabiki, there's NO WAY I'm telling her (because who knows how much money it would take to keep her quiet?). Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome won't be much help. Maybe Mrs. Saotome? I could talk to her sometime. She might be able to help me, I think…_

_And then there's Ukyo… funny, I'd thought I'd be fighting with her, since she WAS one of Ranma's fiancées. I still owe her a visit (or two!) to her restaurant Ucchan's. I've told you about her that last time I wrote you. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could trust her back then. But when she said she understood what I'd been going through, what I felt, even promised to keep the secret… _

_She'll never know how grateful I was that day. I really should tell her thanks. Especially since she took on R(!) for me. She didn't have to do that. Really? What was she thinking! R could have killed her if he really wanted to. I felt really bad that she'd gotten hurt because of me, and because of my feelings for Ranma. _

_After all that, I'm just glad she's on my side, that I can see her as a friend._

_Maybe… just maybe… I could talk to her about this?_

_In any case I've got to do something… before my lovesickness drives me crazy._

_Something._

_But what?_

_Since that awful day when R… you know… I didn't see him at school. I know he's been there; I've seen his car parked not far away from the front gates. He's been avoiding me ever since. And then, yesterday we ran into each other. In spite of what he'd said and done to me, AND most of all, what he'd done to Ranma (even if he wasn't in his right mind when he did that – does that make sense?) I was happy to see him again. I was going to say something to him, but I think all I ended up saying was just, "Hello, R." He just stared at me for a while with this cold look in his eyes before walking away without a word. _

_But true to his word, R's kept the secret. He, along with Ukyo, and this diary are about the only ones who know._

_Now that I've had time to think about it, I'm starting to realize how much R's hurting. And I think that, deep down, he likes me, or he USED to like me anyway... I mean, I like him, but not in the same way I like Ranma. I think of R just as a friend, that's all. _

_Could R have been jealous of Ranma the whole time? _

_I've watched him, you know that. And I get the feeling that he desperately wants to be happy. R deserves to be happy. He deserves a girl who can love him unconditionally and wholeheartedly, with no pretense or ulterior motives. He's lived such a lonely life; it's the least he deserves._

_As for Ranma…_

_This… this is the first time I actually fell in love! The first time I actually met "him", I knew it was "True Love". True love is when you are comfortable with him/her. No matter what the situation is... _

_Whether it's needing to discuss something important, kissing (yeah, right – how I'd long for that to happen!), talking, laughing, or even just sitting besides each other not saying a word...Love is being there when he needs you the most... even if it takes a whole lot of effort on your part... so as long as you're there...Love is like climbing a mountain with him; to have so much faith in him that if you fall, he will catch you... Trust is the most important word when you want to love... If you can't trust... you can never love. Love is caring... sharing and happiness - no, not yours... but his happiness. Love is patience & forgiveness... No matter how things seem at times, you've got to take time to get it all back together, and let the past go. Love is the little things you do for one another in a relationship, to show that you care and appreciate them. To make them know and understand that you'll always be there for them, no matter what the circumstances, what the problems are, no matter how, when, why or where... _

_Love is him being the first thought on my mind when I wake up and the last when I go to sleep; it's the way my heart skips a beat when I hear his voice; it's getting the giggles with him until I can't stop; it's dreaming of being close to him, all the time with his arms around me; it's not wanting one day to go by without me telling him how much he means to me; it's knowing I would do anything for him...would die for him; it's looking into his eyes and seeing my future; it's feeling his happiness, his sadness, his fears; it's sharing every part of my life with him; it's knowing that in him I have found what I have been searching for my entire life..._

_It lights my heart with a flame of passion and I… I feel like I can do anything. I feel like I've finally found the missing piece of my life. *sighs*_

_Anyway, I love him with my whole heart & soul, and I don't think I'll ever be able to live without him... _

_He's a great guy, and does so much for me... he makes me feel loved & special. Not a day goes by when I don't think of how lucky, no, how blessed I am to have him in my life._

_And yet…_

She felt a wave of almost Shakespearian melancholy falling upon her. Adopting the appropriately grave demeanor, she turned to a blank page in her diary and wrote:

_I have been stung by fate. I am its prisoner. A prisoner of my own conscience. My love for the boy I want, always to be locked within me, in my heart._

Ran pauses for a moment, and then continues to write.

_With me, he's always in danger from those who fight against me. Without him, I travel a lonely road. _

_The truth is, I'm scared._

_Why?_

_Because the heart of the one I love belongs to someone else, who's also my friend! I'm afraid to give my love and heart to him because I don't want my heart shattered and crushed. And if I somehow get the courage to tell him how I feel, it would be devastating to our friendship, and what's worse it would ruin his engagement to her. _

_And from that day forth, I've had to feel that love grow and grow and grow within me. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed from carrying it around that I just… just break down and cry._

Ran stops writing for a moment, and looks up to see that the page she's writing in has been soaked through because of the very tears she crying right now. She wipes away her tears with the back of her hand, takes a minute or two to compose herself, then keeps on writing.

_They say that first loves will always stay with you. My story will always be about the loss of a boy. That boy. Ranma Saotome. And every day I ask myself, how long can I endure this loneliness?_

Ran exhaled a heavy sigh.

_I know, I know. More tears than you'd expect from me. Guess we all have our off days, though. So never you mind. I'll write again soon. Besides, I've got school tomorrow._

_Later,_

_Ran_

Ran closes her diary, turns off the light, pulls the covers over her head, and goes to bed. As this chapter closes, we can hear muffled sobs coming from under the covers.

It's Ran, crying herself to sleep.

Poor girl. Will she ever be able to tell Ranma how she really feels? And what should she do about R?

* * *

_**THE NEXT DAY…**_

"We're home!" Akane and Ran call out in unison, having returned home from school.

They both enter the living room, and get the surprise of their lives.

Never mind that Soun's reading his newspaper or that Genma (currently in his panda form) is casually sipping tea, or even the smells coming from the kitchen signaling that Kasumi's prepared a big feast for the occasion. For sitting at the table, eating, is none other than…

"Uh… hi, guys." Ranma says. "Pops, and Mr. Tendo came to meet me at the hospital. Just got home a little while ago. So, what's new?"

Seeing him before her, Ran's so grateful – and so relieved, so happy – that the tears start welling in her eyes. It takes her a few minutes to compose herself.

Ran tries to hold back, but she can't. Overcome with joy and relief, she runs up to Ranma and glomps him tightly.

**GLOMP!**

"ACK! Hey, Ran! Ease up, will ya? I'm still a little sore there… Huh…?"

"*sniff,sob*…huh…hic..hic..hic…Oh, Ranma… I… I'm so glad you're all right…Oh…!" Ran says, tears flowing down her cheeks, staining Ranma's shirt.

Akane blinks. This is the most emotion she's seen out of Ran in days. _Wow, Ran really must have missed him! I wonder though, why does Ranma mean so much to her?_

Nabiki takes in the sight of Ranma in Ran's tight embrace, narrowing her eyes. _Hmm… _If one were to listen closely, you can almost hear the sound of the gears turning in her head as she's thinking of ways she can make money off of this.

Ranma realizes that Ran's gone quiet on him all of a sudden. "Uh… Ran? You can… uh… let me go, OK?" he asks, gently tapping her to get her attention. When she doesn't respond, he begins to worry. "Ran?"

He lifts Ran up by her chin and sees her face's wet from crying and her eyes are closed. She's holding on to him, afraid that if she were to let him go, he might be gone again, that he'd be taken away from both her and Akane. But she has to, in order to keep up appearances.

Reluctantly, she looses her grip on Ranma. As she does this, she takes in the feel of his body in her arms, his scent, the sound of his voice and holds on to them until they're locked away in her memory. Taking in a deep breath she relaxes, allowing those sensations to flow through her body like rain, leaving her feeling nothing but gratitude for this moment... and all her troubles with R swept away

"Oh! Umm… oops, sorry about that, Ranma," Ran apologizes, laughing it off. "Got carried away there for a moment, heh heh heh…"

It's then that Ranma noticed something different about Ran. Something that was wrong. On the surface, she's obviously glad to see him. He can understand that. But those pretty green eyes of hers draw him in and he examines her closer now, the look in her eyes telling him what she could not say openly. Obviously there's joy, but there's… relief? Yeah, that was it. But there's something else there, too. If he didn't know any better, there was some pain and… sadness? Yes.. it was.. Her gaze tugs at Ranma's heart. And he wonders if something happened to Ran while he was away recuperating from his injuries. And why does he have the feeling R had something to do with it? Never mind that her cheeks are extremely red from blushing, as if she's embarrassed about something.

But the warmth in her smile puts him at ease somewhat. So he decides not to press the issue for now; however, he makes a mental note to himself to talk with Akane later on; maybe she can get him up to speed on what's happened since his fight with R.

"Oh my…" Kasumi remarks. "Well, everyone, now that Ranma's home, let's celebrate, shall we? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Everyone cheers, "Hear, hear!"

Akane joins Ranma at the table, sitting beside him. She takes the opportunity to mess with her fiancée a bit. She looks in his general direction, notices Ran being so close to him, and hmph's like back in the day, saying, "Pervert."

Ranma rises to the occasion, pretending to be insulted. "Oh yeah? Mind saying that a little louder, tomboy?"

"You heard me," she says, giving him a secretive wink.

"Man, you're so un-cute," he shoots back with a grin.

"Heh," Akane says, relieved. Underneath the table, she reaches out and takes Ranma by the hand. "Welcome home."

"Yeah." Ranma just nods.

Soon Kasumi arrives with tonight's dinner and everyone chows down.

Ran looks over in Akane's direction, and Akane looks back at her.

And both of them smile.

Two girls, for VERY different reasons, each in love with the same boy, the object of their affections sandwiched in-between them once again, where he belongs.

And all's right with the world.

Well… for now, anyway.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	58. Lights, Camera, Fight!

CHAPTER 58

_**-**__**"LIGHTS, CAMERA, FIGHT! RANMA VS. FEI-LONG!"**_-

Today's just another day in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo. But, as always, it's not a normal day.

* * *

_**A PARK IN NERIMA, 3:00 PM.**_

Ranma's coming home from school late, because it was his turn for Cleaning Duty, so he was forced to clean his classroom. Once finished, though he's a little tired, he decides to head home.

While he's walking through Nerima Park...

-"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA! HELP ME!"-

That gets Ranma's attention. "Huh! What the...?"

It's the sound of a woman screaming for help. He looks around to find the source of that yell... And behind some bushes, he sees something that makes him gasp.

A cute brunette woman is on the ground, scared and helpless. Why?

In front of her are five thugs, armed with clubs and melee weapons.

Ranma sees the scared and desperate look on the woman's face and the evil smirks of the thugs.

"NO, GET AWAY, SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!", the woman cries.

With an evin grin on his face, the Thug Leader says, "He he heee. NO use calling for help baby. No one's gonna come to your aid."

A second thug mock-laughs, "You're gonna be for us now to have some fun! Hehehehe!"

-"GUESS AGAIN YOU JERKS!"-

Both the woman and the thugs blink. "Huh!"

In the blink of an eye Ranma jumps down, and delivers a strong front kick into the Thug Leader's face...

**POW!**

"OOF! UWAAAAHHH!" Away he goes flying and lands on the ground, K.O. The other thugs don't know what hit 'em, for Ranma goes and knocks them all out in five seconds flat. After that...he goes to help the woman.

With genuine concern in his voice Ranma asks, "Hey, are you alright lady? They didn't hurt you?"

He's expecting the woman to thank him for saving her life...but... her reaction is...

She's pissed off? "HEY! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU BRAT!"

Ranma blinks, confused, "Um...saving your life ma'am?"

"NOOO! YOU'RE RUINING EVERYTHING!"

Ranma's even more confused. "Huh? Ruining what?"

"CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"

Before Ranma knew it, lights began to shine all round him and many people show up. Ranma sees crew members, some cameramen, and a fat man walking toward him in a VERY pissed-off mood. It's the movie director. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU KID? AND WHY ARE YOU RUINING MY FILM!"

"Film?" Ranma asks, taken by surprise at this new development.

"YES! WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF FILMING THE MOVIE "AVENGING DRAGON", AND YOU JUST WALTZED IN HERE AND LAID THE SMACKDOWN ON MY ACTORS!"

"You mean...she wasn't in danger and those people…" Ranma points at the pile of beaten thugs (who are actually actors!), "… aren't bad guys trying to hurt her?"

The Director sarcastically replies, "Oh, gee, I don't know…." Then he suddenly shouts, "YES!"

Ashamed, Ranma admits, "Geez, I didn't know." He bows, and apologizes, "I'm sorry you all."

Calming down, the Director sighs, "Ah, don't sweat it kid. Just… just don't do it again, okay?"

"I won't, and thanks a lot, I mean it."

The Director brushes him off, "Yeah, yeah, no problem kiddo. Now get outta here." Then, directing the cast and his crew members, he says, "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, TAKE FIVE AND WE'LL CONTINUE IN TWO HOURS."

The whole movie staff rests up for the next set of shots. However... SOMEBODY was watching Ranma very closely throughout all of this. He's a Chinese guy, with short dark-brown hair, wearing black Kung Fu pants and a matching shirt...

Who's the guy, you ask? None other than the Kung Fu Master and world-famous action star...

_**FEI-LONG.**_

Fei-Long has a smirk on his face when he sees Ranma leave the set.

* * *

_**LATER, AT THE TENDO RESIDENCE…**_

The day in the Tendo House begins as always...

Soun and Genma are playing Shogi.

Kasumi's making lunch.

Nabiki's reading a manga.

Akane and Ran are watching anime on TV.

Ranma's just relaxing, until he breaks the ice... "Hey guys, guess what. They're filming a movie here in our neighborhood."

This gets everyone's attention. "Say what! Filming a movie here? Are you sure, son?" Soun asks.

Ranma nods, "Yep."

Genma perks up. "Wow! That is so cool. I've always wanted to see a movie being filmed."

Akane asks, "Hey Ran, what do you say if we go there and see it?"

Ran replies, "Sounds cool to me." She's happily squealing, "Oohh! Maybe we can see REAL movie stars!"

Akane smiles, sharing Ran's excitement, "I know."

Nabiki looks up from her manga. "I'm coming too." Being Nabiki (of course, what did you think!) she's already thinking and plotting: _Maybe__ I can get some shots of the lead and make big bucks off it. Bigger bonus if I get an interview!_

**-"Ding Dong!"-**

Kasumi hears the doorbell. "Oh dear! We have someone at the door. If you'll excuse me." The eldest daughter of the Tendo family goes to open the door. She comes back and addresses Ranma. "Ranma…"

"Yeah Kasumi, what is it?"

"Um, there's someone who wishes to see you."

Ranma blinks. "See me, who?" Worried, he's thinking: _Oh man, I hope to __Kami-sama__ that it's not another rival or the rest of my enemies. _Aloud, he asks Kasumi, "It's not Mousse, or R, or some other rival, is it?"

"Not that I know of; I've never seen him before. He's waiting for you in the Dojo."

"Oh, very well then."

* * *

_**AT THE TENDO DOJO:**_

When Ranma enters the Dojo, he sees a person waiting for him. He looks at the stranger, was Asian, had short hair, he was wearing Black Kung Fu Pants, similar to Ranma's, Shaolin sandals and has a black Chinese shirt draped over his shoulders. Ranma sees that the man's wearing nothing underneath the shirt, revealing his lean and compact yet muscular build.

Ranma asks the visitor, "Who are you? Why do you want to see me? Are you another rival, or maybe someone collecting on the tab my Pop owes you?"

He then looks over accusingly at his father, who's conveniently turned into a panda and feigns innocence. Genma holds up a sign that says, [Don't look at me. I'm just a peace-loving panda.]

"First of all, I'm not any rival that you speak of, nor am I here to collect money. I'm here…" he then points his finger at Ranma, "…to challenge YOU. As for who I am...call me Fei-Long."

Ranma blinks. "Fei-Long! And why do you want to fight me?"

Fei Long explains, "I saw your little act during the movie shoot today, and frankly, I'm a little upset about the loss of time and money that you've caused."

"Hey, I said I was sorry."

Fei-Long stops him. "Enough. Such actions cannot be forgiven. Now, you'll fight me."

"What the...why do I have to fight you? It's unnecessary."

"Either you pay me with a fight...or you pay me with money. Your choice. Refuse, and I'll have to sue you for property damage of behalf of the studio."

Ranma's in a tight situation here, folks. Like Fei Long says, if Ranma refuses his challenge, he'll have to pay up a HUGE sum of money. So, he choose to accept. He sighs, "Very well then, guess I don't have much of a choice. So let's do it."

"I knew you would." Fei Long gets into his fighting stance. "Alright kid, show me if you have talent, show me your might! Or are you a coward?"

Ranma puts his up his own defense. "Oh I'll show you alright; show you I'm no coward."

On the side lines:

Genma groans, "Awww, what trouble did the boy get himself into? Now he must fight that man, or he'll be sued?"

Soun nods, "I know Saotome. But now is not the time to think that; do you think Ranma will be able to handle that Fei Long guy?"

"Of course he will! I didn't spend 10 years of training him just so he could lose to anybody! Ranma will win!"

Ran sighs, worried for Ranma's sake, "Oh man, why is it that Ranma can't catch a break in life. No matter how much he tries, trouble's always looking for him."

Within the Dojo...the fight begins!

"HYAAAAAAA..." Fei-Long yells as he dashes toward Ranma. Once close, he launches a forward kick, follow by a hook punch; Ranma blocks the kick and dodges the punch. Then Fei Long quickly throws a snake-chop hitting Ranma in the stomach and nails him with a head butt.

Ranma feels those blows and hits the ground. He gets up and sees Fei Long taunting him...now Ranma attacks him with fast punches and kicks...during one, he strikes Fei-Long with an elbow in his left ribs following a spinning kick to his face... and now it's Fei Long going down.

Fei Long gets up and stares angrily at Ranma "WHA-CHOOOOOOOOU…!" Once again he goes for a series of punches and kicks; Ranma does likewise, returning his strikes. Fei Long tries to surprise Ranma with a Axe Kick to his face, but Ranma sees it coming and counters it by slamming into his opponent's elbow and knee, catching the foot...Fei Long yelps in pain as he backs away, massaging his right foot.

Impressed, Fei-Long smirks, "Very good, you have talents, but I have more. Get ready boy, cause I'm about to show you one of my special moves! Prepare yourself!"

Next, Fei Long leaps up, raising his left foot high in the air, and start spinning around fast; then, his foot is cover in flames, causing Ranma and company to gasp.

"SHIENKYAKUUUUU…!" (Kindling Blaze Kick)

**POW!**

The flame kick hits Ranma in the face hard and sends him flying away.

Akane and Ran, both horrified, cry, "RANMAAAAAA"

Ranma open his eyes and sees that Fei-Long's in the air, ready to deliver a kick to end the match...

Fei-Long declares, "IT'S OVER BRAT...! HAI-YAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Guess again." The heir of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes dodges the attack, causing Fei-Long to gasp at the speed his opponent has. Now, Ranma's right in front of Fei-Long, in perfect position for a counterattack! "Now to show you one of MY special moves...-"KATCHU TENSHI AMAGURIKEEEEEEEN!"

Unleashing over 270 punches at rapid speed, Fei Long can't block them all in time, for Ranma's hands are a literal blurry of motion. Fei-Long's feeling like he's been hit by a Machine Gun. And to end the match Ranma punches Fei-Long in the face and the actor-fighter goes spinning around and lands on the ground, not getting up. Ranma has won the match.

Akane cheers, "WAY TO GOO RANMA!"

Ran does likewise, letting out a whoop of joy, "YEAH, YOU RULE!"

With a proud smile, Genma says triumphantly, "Way to go m'boy! I knew he could win! Hahahahaha!"

Soun nods in agreement, laughing, "That you did Saotome. Hahahaha!"

* * *

30 minutes later Fei-Long wakes up, and Ranma, as well as his friends and family, is waiting for him to respond.

Fei-Long sits up, groaning, "Ugh...man...what hit me?" He then notices Ranma and realizes, "Oh yeah, it was you! Hehehe."

Ranma's like, "Okay, now can you tell me why you wanted to fight me?"

Fei-Long admits, "You're very good, kiddo; you were able to beat me. It's been some time since I lost to anyone."

"Um...thanks. But...why all the fuss and threats?"

"Ah, don't worry kiddo, I was just joking around. The truth is...there's been quite a shortage of fresh blood, of true warriors these days. I've been craving to face a strong opponent, cause the guys that I've faced lately were all rookies or didn't have what I was hoping for. But you...you've proved that you have the skills of a true Martial Artist. For someone as young as you to able to beat me...you're gifted."

Ranma blushes and humbly says, "Oh come on. It's not that big of a deal, but thanks anyway."

Fei-Long observes, "Humble and modest, the signs of a true warrior." To the rest of the family, he apologizes, "And I'm sorry for the way I ranted about suing you and all."

Soun smiles, "If you're sorry, then it's okay. Hehehe."

Fei-Long then gets up. "Well, I'd better get going. Say, Ranma, could I have a word with you please."

Ranma nods, "Uh… Sure."

Once outside, they walk in the streets...

Striking up a conversation, Fei-Long decides to ask, "You're very good in the Martial Arts. You ever thought about using those skills of yours on the big screen, in the movies? You could make it big."

Ranma appreciates the offer, but shrugs, saying, "Nah, not my gig."

"Say Ranma, do you know where's a restaurant around here? All that fighting gave me quite an appetite."

Ranma smiles, "As a matter of fact, I do. I'm hungry myself. C'mon, I'll take you to a place where they serve the best noodles in town!"

* * *

_**AT THE NEKO-HANTEN:**_

Both of them stand in front of the restaurant where Shampoo works...

Fei Long blinks at the name. "Um...Neko-Hanten? Cat-Cafe? Pretty weird name for a restaurant. But...let's go inside."

Once they enter inside, they find a table and sit down. Then, they are greeted by two cute waitresses...the twins Ling Ling and Lung Lung.

Ling Ling cheerfully greets them. "Welcome to Neko-Hanten, I'm Ling Ling..."

"..and I'm Lung Lung...," Lung Lung continues.

"...WE TAKE YOUR ORDER YES?" they both finish simultaneously.

"Yes, um…" Fei Long says, looking over the menu. "I'll take the Noodles Special, the Lo Mein and the fried Peking Duck."

Ranma then place his order. "I'll just take the Noodles Special."

"Very well then, we bring your meals." Ling Ling, accompanied by her sister, then goes back into the kitchen.

* * *

20 minutes later, they came back with their food...

"Here's your order sir," Ling Ling says while handing Fei Long his order.

"Thanks."

Then...the Amazon sisters look closer at Fei Long and simultaneously gasp...

Ling Ling can't believe it. "HUH!" She nervously asks, "Um, excuse kind sir...but...are you by any other chance...*gulp*...are...Fei Long?"

"Why, yes," Fei Long responds.

On hearing that, Shampoo's sisters began to squeal in delight and blush...

Fei Long asks concernedly, "Um...are you two alright?"

Lung Lung catches her breath. "The Kung Fu Master...and famous actor?"

"That's right."

The girls couldn't control themselves anymore and explode:

Ling Ling squeals excitedly, "EEEEEK! OH MISTER FEI LONG, WE YOUR BIGGEST FANS!"

Lung Lung agrees. "WE SEE ALL YOUR MOVIES. YOU ARE HERO IN CHINA. EVEN IN AMAZON VILLAGE!"

Fei Long blinks, in awe. "I am?"

Ranma's like, "He is?"

Ling Ling sighs, "OH...IT WAS ALWAYS OUR DREAM TO ONE DAY MEET YOU! AND HERE YOU ARE!"

Lung Lung adds, "DREAM OF US FINALLY CAME TRUE...WE ARE HAPPY!"

As famous as Fei Long is, even HE is humbled by the girls' genuine praise. He blushes. "Oh come on girls, I am not THAT great, okay?"

Then, very shy and nervous, the girls take out a piece of paper, a poster of him, and a pen, and approach the actor...

All nervous, Ling Ling tries asking, "Um...Mr. Fei Long...could you...*gulp*...would you….?"

Lung Lung tries to support her sister, though she's just as nervous. "If you can...*gulp*...if not to much to ask..to...*gulp*..."

With a sweet smile, Fei Long says, "Sure, I'll give you my autograph, it's not a problem."

Needless to say, the Twins are happy beyond belief. "OH YOU WILL. OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU"

They gleefully hand over the paper and the poster to Fei Long who, in turn, signs them with...-"_**To my biggest Fans with all my love, Ling Ling and Lung Lung, work hard and follow your dreams. Fei Long"-**_

The Amazons Sisters were jumping with joy, able to meet their biggest idol. Ranma can only sweatdrop at the sight of them. Who would've thought that the terrible but cute Amazon duo could be so childish, yet, mature at the same time?

During their jumps of joy, a notebook fell from Ling Ling's hands. Fei Long spots it. "Hey girls, you dropped something. What is it?"

Ling Ling, nervous, replies, "Um...it's like this...it's a story that me and my sister wrote."

Lung Lung adds, "Yea...*gulp*..."it's a story of you...*gulp*..."an adventure where you take place."

"You see...we like to write stories...and...this one is like a...*gulp*..."dedication for you, cause we your fans."

Fei Long hmmm's. "Is that so? Mind if I have a look at it?"

Ling Ling eek's, surprised that he'd ask. "WHA..! Su...sure you can!"

After they hand over their script, Fei Long begins to read it. The sisters are nervous and anxious to see what he thinks of it. 10 minutes later, Fei Long finishes reading...

"Well...how...did...you find it?" Ling Ling asks.

"Did you really write this down?"

Lung Lung's afraid. Fearing the worst, she answers, "Ye...yeah we did." _Oh no...he hates it. Our story no good! _She thinks.

Fei Long smiles, complimenting their work. "This is a most interested story you girls did, I love it."

With hope in her eyes Ling Ling says, "You...you mean it Mr. Fei Long?"

"Course, it's definitely has a plot, adventure, fighting and good script. You've outdone yourselves."

Happy, and with tears in their eyes, Ling Ling & Lung Lung both express their gratitude. "We thank you."

Finishing his meal and getting up, Fei Long says, "Well, I must be going now, my boss is probably waiting for me. Love the meal; best one I've had in a while."

Ling Ling nods. "Thanks."

"Say, since you made a good meal, as a token, why don't you come with me to the set where we're shooting my latest film here in Nerima."

Lung Lung gasps as if she's seen a ghost. "WHA...COME WITH YOU TO SET OF MOVIE?"

Ling Ling's equally surprised. "YOU...YOU REALLY MEAN IT SIR?"

Fei Long confirms, "Yeah, if you want to, of course."

"Oh Lung Lung, THE Fei Long is asking us to come to set, to see him live. Oh...please, pinch me to see if I'm not dreaming."

"Only if you pinch me…!" Lung Lung tells her. "This happy day!" She's crying joyfully, "HAPPY DAY!"

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, AT SHADOWLOO HQ – BISON'S THRONE ROOM:**_

Bison is discussing future plans for the Phoenix Stone with his followers...

"Things are going smoothly so far. And once the Phoenix Stone is found, I shall take it and add its tremendous powers to my Psycho Power." With his own trademark "Evil Laugh"(tm) he declares, "Then, I'll be supreme, and I shall rule this world! Mwahahahaha!"

With stars in her eyes and bubbles floating in the background, Tron Bonne says, "I'm sure you will Boss. I believe in you!"

During Tron's time with Shadowloo, she begins to earn Bison's attention, cause of her hard work and dedication to his cause. And since Bison liked that kind of attitude and loyalty, he rewards her by promoting her to a High-Ranking Officer in Shadowloo, and as his own Right-hand Girl and confidant.

Many of Shadowloo's agents and fighters began to like and respect her...but some of them didn't. They were jealous of her, because she was getting the attention and approval of M. Bison himself.

People like...

Birdie, who points at Tron and whispers in a low voice to Zangief, "Hmph. Teacher's Pet."

And Zangief, who nods, whispering back, "Da. Butt-Kisser."

Unfortunately for them, Bison heard them and glares hard at them. "Do NOT insult her. Tron Bonne has been a loyal and hard-working girl, a model of loyalty and dedication to Shadowloo, unlike YOU two slackers."

This alone shuts them up good and makes them ashamed. Then the monitor screen open up and Erick's face appears. Bison greets his ally. "Erick, so nice to see you again. What can I do for you?"

On screen Erick replies, "There's something very interesting happening in Nerima. They're filming a movie there..."

Bison shows his lack of interest. "And what does THAT have to do with me? Like I care."

"But this will interest you...the main actor is a Kung Fu fighter by the name of Fei Long."

"What! Did you say Fei Long?"

"That's right. Sounds like you know him very well."

"Indeed I do," the leader of Shadowloo confirms. "He's also a Street Fighter, who witnessed my defeat during the second tournament. He is a friend of that wandering warrior Ryu. I hate him too."

Erick chuckles. "You don't say. Say, how's about if we eliminate him there? I could send some of the Cat Soldiers to take care of him, and you could bring some of your fighters to back them up. What do you say Bison?"

Bison's pleased at the chance to eliminate one of his many enemies. "Oh yes, that sounds VERY interesting. Yes, you send those Cat Soldiers. I'll send Birdie and Zangief to help them kill Fei Long."

"Then it's settle, send them there Bison. Good Day." With that, Erick logs off screen, ending the transmission.

* * *

_**A PARK IN THE NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:**_

Ranma and Ran, along with the Tendos and Genma, and Ling Ling & Lung Lung were on the set of the filming of Fei Long's movie. For Ling Ling and Lung Lung it was like a dream come true. There they were, watching Fei Long acting for the cameras; it was so real to them. Of course, being polite, they remain very quite during the shooting of the film. Genma and Soun, on the other hand, were another case entirely, since Genma sometimes burped out loud getting scolded by Ranma, while Soun cries and wails, saying stuff like –"Oh! It's so real!"-, and getting scolded by Akane. But no troubles were made.

After 5 shots, they director gave the final cut for the day. In the meantime, the Tendos and Saotomes went and tour the whole set. Genma and Soun went to the buffet and ate - (no surprise there) -, later Genma got splashed by some of the actors by accident and changed into a Panda, getting looks from all the staff, and a lot of attention from the children, who surround and try to play with him; this annoys Genma. Nabiki went to talk to the director about offering her services to distribute the advertisements of the movie in the neighborhood. Akane and Ran wanted to see and meet some of the actors. Of course, the star, namely Fei Long, told everybody that he was heading for his Private Trailer and didn't wish to be disturbed for a while.

In Fei Long private trailer, Fei Long was having a small chat with Ranma and the Twins.

Excited, Ling Ling says, "WOW, that was very awesome. Those moves were great."

Lung Lung nods, agreeing, "Uh huh...all looks so real. Acting out of this world."

Fei Long chuckles, "Yeah. All part of the ol' Hollywood Magic..." Changing the subject, he then says, "So girls, Ranma tells me that the two of you are very good in Martial Arts. Is that right?"

Ling Ling says with pride in her voice, " Yes that's right. We best of Amazon Village."

Lung Lung furthermore puts in, "We been fighting with many strong warriors and gain skills. We best."

Fei Long proposes, "In that case... How's about a sparring match with me?"

Now that shocks them big time. A sparring match against their great idol? Could life get any better for them?

Lung Lung can barely contain her excitement. "You...you mean...match with you?"

Same with Ling Ling. "Do...do...do you mean that?"

Fei Long means it when he tells them, "Yeah...unless you're not up to it."

The Twins response is unanimous. "YEA...WE HAVE MATCH. THIS SO COOL!"

"Then let's go then, shall we?"

Watching them, Ranma has to admit, he's looking forward to this himself. So he offers, "In that case, I'll be the Referee."

* * *

A couple miles away from the set...a transporter landed...and several RED CAT Soldiers step out, followed by Zangief and Birdie. All of them ready to fulfill their mission...to find Fei Long and kill him.

"Yeah, now let's go find that Chinese wuss, and bake his butt." Birdie says, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Zangief nods, "Da. Bison will be please if we crush puny Chinese actor." To the Cat Soldiers, he orders, "All right men, move it!"

The RED CAT Soldiers shout their obedience, "YES SIR!"

* * *

In the meantime...

In the open field...Fei Long stood against Ling Ling & Lung Lung...all 3 of them are kinda tired and had small bruises on their bodies.

Their sparring match turn out to be great for the girls. The dream to fight with their idol. Of course, they fought hard...the 3 of them were all tired:

As the referee, Ranma makes the call, "Since all fighters are unable to continue...I'd say it's a tie. The match is over!"

Fei Long's panting hard – these girls gave him a serious challenge. "Gotta hand to you girls. You two are really something else, and have true skills."

Ling Ling's panting too, "Same to you. You fought like true fighter. We were honored."

Lung Lung grins, playfully warning, "Good think that Amazon Law didn't apply in this match…" She blushes at the thought. "…or you end up marrying us."

Ranma's eyes bug out – remembering what happened with Shampoo and the misunderstandings Amazon Law can cause, he wouldn't wish that on anybody else. He intervene, "Whoa, WHOA, easy there girls. I don't think that's such a cool idea."

Fei Long lets out a small gasp. "Whoa...! that would NOT look cool, two small beauties like yourselves married to ME?" He's flattered though. "Sorry... buuuuuuuuuuut, if you were older, or i was younger, then..."

Ling Ling and Lung Lung can only blush and giggle, while Ranma laughs nervously, thinking of poor Fei Long married to THEM.

Fei Long then says, "Let's go back, I'll treat you two to some ice cream, okay"

The twins happily agree. "Yes, thank you!"

Ranma realizes. "And I need to get back to the set to inspect if my Pops or Mr. Tendo haven't caused any trouble."

_**-"You're not going anywhere."- **_an ominous voice threatens.

Fei Long's like, "Huh!"

Suddenly, many Cat Soldiers spring out from hiding and surround them, all ready in battle pose... and chanting their favorite word. "NnnniiiI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI!"

Ling Ling wonders, "What! Who are they?"

Lung Lung replies, "Don't know. But be funny peoples, with kitty hats."

Ranma had a worried look on his face, at he somehow remembers them: _Those warriors, they look like...but it can't be _them_!_

Then...two figures walk toward them, Birdie and Zangief...Fei Long knew them too well; he snarls, "YOU!"

Zangief smirks, "Da comrade. It's us."

Lung Lung tugs on Fei Long, wanting to know, "Um...Mr. Fei Long, who are they? Do you know them?"

Fei Long grimly admits, "Unfortunately, I do. Those two guys are Zangief and Birdie, agents of Shadowloo?"

Ling Ling blinks, as she's never heard that name. "Um...Shadowloo? Are they bad peoples?"

"Oh yeah, kiddo. One of the baddest criminal organizations in the world, and those two work for it."

Lung Lung's angry now, concluding, "Then in that case, they our enemies."

Ling Ling nods, "That right."

Fei Long wastes no time with pleasantries, so he questions the two Shadowloo stooges, "What do you two want NOW?"

Birdie tells him, "Oh that's easy mate, we're here on orders of M. Bison to kill you."

"Hmph. Is that a fact?"

Zangief nods, "Da. Now prepare to be crush by the hands of the Mighty Red Cyclone."

One of the RED CAT Soldiers notices Ranma. "HEY...IT'S HIM...THAT CURSED BOY WHO DEFEATED OUR BOSS!"

His comrade says, "MYA... YOU'RE RIGHT. GRRRR...LETS FINISH HIM TOO!"

As they face down their enemies, Fei Long whispers, "Hey Ranma, you know them?"

Ranma confesses, "Unfortunately I do. They're soldiers of the RED CAT GANG, who used to work for a villain called The Cat Ghost King. Me and my friends fought them some time ago and I banished their leader. Guess a few of them are still hanging around, and still want my blood."

"Then lets take care of our enemies, what do you say, kiddo?"

With an evil smirk, Ranma says, "Oh yeah, let's."

Fei Long and Ranma assume fighting stances, ready to fight them. Then, Ling Ling and Lung Lung stand by their side, with weapons in hand, ready for combat as well.

Fei Long can't believe this. "Girls, what are you doing?"

Ling Ling declares, "We will fight by your side. Unfair for you two to fight all alone."

Lung Lung agrees. "Ling Ling and I shall assist you in defeating enemy."

Fei Long WAS about to tell them to go away...but after his sparring match with them, he rethinks and nods at them...all four of them were ready.

Zangief sees the girls in battle postures and just laughs hysterically, "HAHAHAHA...WHAT'S THIS...LITTLE GIRLS WANT TO TAKE US ON, BWAHAHAHAHA...SO FUNNY!"

Birdie laughs, mock-wondering, "YEAH! JYAHAHAHAHAHA...AND WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO TO US? THROW THEIR STINKY DIAPERS AT US. DEAFEN US WITH THEIR CRIES AND WAILS?"

Zangief tells the girls, "Why don't you little babies leave before you hurt yourselves hahaha, this only for Real Men."

"Big muscle man better think before talk!" Ling Ling smirks. "Oh wait, guess you can't!"

"What!"

Lung Lung giggles. "Yea...Lung Lung heard that man with lots of muscle, have small brain, and small penis."

Oooh yeah. Zangief's MAD now. "So, little girls think they're funny, like to talk a lot, eh? Zangief will spank you HARD!" He commands the RED CAT Soldiers to "GET THEM!"

With a battle cry of "MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the soldiers charge at the quartet.

Ling Ling turns to Fei Long and says, "Fei Long-sama, you and Ranma take care of weird Cat Soldiers. We take care of muscle giants."

Worried, Fei Long says, "Are you sure you can do it?"

Lung Lung assures their hero, "Trust us, we face same men like them back in China, and we always beat them."

Ranma confirms, "Trust me Fei Long. They may be small, but I'm telling you from personal experience, they're very good fighters."

Fei Long gives them the OK. "Very well...good luck."

So, Fei Long and Ranma face the Red Cat Soldiers, and were doing good.

RED CAT Soldier #055 declares, "We will take you down for what you did to our great and beloved leader, the Cat Ghost King!"

Ranma gets in his battle pose. "Well, bring it on, I'm ready."

RED CAT Soldier #053 yells, "RANMA, PREPARE TO DIEEEE! ATTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

- (Insert BGM _Kingdom Hearts II -"__**Tension Rising**__" - _) -

Two Cat Soldiers jump at Ranma and swing their swords at him, trying to slice him...but...inches before hitting him, he vanish from sight, gasping the Cat soldiers, only to Ranma appeared above them and kick them hard...-"Better be quick about it boys."-...one Cat Soldiers tried to stab Ranma from behind...only to Ranma turns around fast and grab his weapon...-"Attacking from behind, I don't think so."

**SMACK!**

Out the Cat Soldier goes, flying away.

"WATTAAAAAA...!" Fei Long yells a fierce battle cry as he kicks three Cat Soldiers hard and knock them out... "Come on boys, you're not even making me break a sweat. At least try a little harder then that."...he taunts them good. He grabs the hand of one, lifts his leg and kicks him in the face 5 times and with a

**SMACK!**

Delivers a hard spin kick and out he goes!

Meanwhile...

The cute Amazon Sisters were facing the muscle duo...

Zangief laughs, anticipating his victory. "Hahaha...guess Zangief will have to teach you puny babies a lesson in manners and talking too much."

Birdie combs his Mohawk, taunting, "Don't worry babies, we won't hurt ya...much."

Ling Ling hmph, "Less talking, and do fighting muscle jerk."

So it begins...

Ling Ling takes on Zangief. while her sister Lung Lung faces Birdie...

"I'm about to put your lights out baby, so..." Zangief launch his big fist at the girl...but...she evades them easy and fast. Ling Ling's speed prove to be very beneficial for her. Zangief's trying to hit and/or grab her, but he can't. He's starting to get annoyed, so he curses, "Damn, little girl, she move so fast. STAND STILL LITTLE BRAT!"

Ling Ling taunts the Red Cyclone, " Hee hee heee...lots of muscle on you only make you slow. It's no use then!"

In one miss, she dodges one of his fists aim for her and it smash the wall behind her. Even though she's fast, she has to be careful NOT to get hit by them. Worried, she the thinks, _Ling Ling must be careful. He might be slow, but he very strong. If I get hit by his fist, it be over for Ling Ling!_

Lung Lung's thinking the same thoughts as her sister...as she evades Birdie's Bull Head smash attack; his head butt misses, and strikes a rock poster, destroying it.

After being on defense, Ling Ling decides to go for offense... "Okay Muscle man, now it Ling Ling's turn! Get ready."

Zangief humors his opponent. "Hahaha...and what might a baby like you do to me? I have body of steel; you won't do anything to me!"

Ling Ling dashes toward him. Zangief sees her dashing at him and laughs, thinking she's gone mad. When close, Zangief tries to grab her, but she ducks, and using her weapon, she hits Zangief in the knee caps, and the giant yells in pain, dropping to his knees. Next, she nails him in the face with a jumping flip kick. Zangief falls back, only to get up again, with a little blood coming from his nose. And BOY, is he pissed.

"YOU LITTLE RUNT! NOW ZANGIEF MAD! I SHALL SQUASH YOU LIKE LITTLE ANT!"

Like a mad bull, he dashes at Ling Ling throwing lots of punches. She's doing okay...but unfortunately, Zangief stomps the ground, shaking the earth under Ling Ling's feet a little, stopping her movements for just a second...but that's all Zangief needs. He grabs her...

"OWWW...! LET...GO!" Ling Ling yowls in pain, struggling in Zangief's iron grip.

"Ha...! Now I got you. Say good night!" Zangief then grabs her with both hands, turns her upside down, and jumps high in the air. He's ready to deliver his deadly move...

THE SPINNING PILE DRIVER.

Ling Ling sees her world spinning around, upside down that is, and falling down hard. She knows what he's about to do, and needs to think fast. For if she hits the ground, she'll die.

Panicking, she's thinking, _OH NO, LING LING MUST DO SOMETHING FAST! IF SHE NO BREAK LOSE, IT WILL BE MY END. AMAZONS, PLEASE LEND ME STRENGTH TO BREAK FREE!_

Mustering all her strength, Ling Ling yells and is cover in a white battle aura...then...using her legs, she kicks Zangief in the jaw, and the muscle man's forced to release her. Moving fast, Ling Ling wraps her legs around his neck and turns HIM(!) upside down, with her on the back...

In a choked voice, Zangief can barely utter, "HUH! WHATS GOING ON?"

"NOW WITNESS MY MOVE...-"REVERSE MOVE PILE DRIVER"-

Now the shoe's on the other foot...now Ling Ling's holding Zangief, then...

**SLAMMM!**

And it's Zangief who hits the ground hard with his head, while Ling Ling lands on top of him, making a huge crater in the earth. Then she jumps away...moments later, Zangief gets up, dizzy and staggering from the hard impact, but he's up.

Zangief groans, "Urg...How...how could have been...you only...little brat...it was not...possible!"

Ling Ling taunts, "Muscle man might be strong as an Ox...but also dumb as one too, and slow as well!"

"DONT YOU DARE MOCK ME!"

Lung Lung was also having the same luck as her sister. She too was handling Birdie fine...there was one part, though, in which Birdie wanted to hit her with his Bull Head Charge Attack, but... just inches from reaching her, Lung Lung splits open her legs, ducking down...and delivers a deadly chop to, - (Oh the pain!) – Birdie's testicles. On impact, his eyes bug out to twice their size! Poor Birdie can not even scream, from the pain he's right now, and was holding his wounded crotch in pain.

The two sisters meet up...

Ling Ling checks in first. "Lung Lung, how your match doing?"

Lung Lung replies, "Pretty good, but getting kinda tired. Mohawk man is stubborn."

"What say we use our Special Technique on them?"

"Ooooh...I like it! Let's do it!"

Fully recovered from having his own move reversed on him Zangief calls his partner. "HEY BIRDIE. STOP WASTING TIME AND LET'S GET THEM."

Birdie croaks, "YEAH! PUNY GIRLS MADE A MOCKERY OF US! LET'S SHOW THEM!"

Ling Ling pooh-pooh's the very idea of those two being able to defeat them. "You guys not do anything. Prepare to face our most powerful technique!"

Lung Lung continues for her, "Technique created 3000 years ago by the Gods themselves..."

"...which you now see it..."

Then...they pose together, side by side... shouting, **"**_**DANCE OF THE GREAT FIRE DRAGON!"**_

Hearing that makes Zangief stop in his tracks. "Dance of the what!"

"I don't like the sound of that, man!" Birdie says, wondering just what they're up against.

The girls are now covered in an aura of flaming red Ki...suddenly...a intimidating-looking fiery dragon emerges...Zangief and Birdie look up in awe and gasp big time.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Fei Long and Ranma finish off the last of the RED CAT Soldiers... they are all lying on the floor, knocked out.

Ranma dusts off his hands, triumphant. "And that's that. Ha! They weren't so tough after all...like before."

Fei Long breathes, "Phew...that was the last of them?" Now worried for the Twins, he says. "Now we better go to see if those girls are alright. They might be good, but are they good enough to face them in combat?"

"You worry too much. Those girls can take on anything and anyone, regardless of their size. Trust me okay?"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Fei Long gasps, " HUH! That was a scream...!" He panics. "Oh no...The girls!"

Running as fast as they could, Fei Long and Ranma rush to where the scream came from, scared that it might be the girls.

* * *

When they arrive, they see something that Fei Long can not believe...

On the ground are Zangief and Birdie; KO'ed and toasted, as if they were burned alive. In front of them were Ling Ling and Lung Lung, a little tired, but okay.

Fei Long's relief is obvious. "Girls, Oh thank God you're alright. I was very worried for you."

Lung Lung smiles. "Didn't need to, but we thank you."

Ranma just plainly says, "See Fei Long? All worried for nothing."

Looking at the unconscious Zangief and Birdie, Fei Long asks, "Did YOU do that, girls?

Ling Ling happily replies, "Yep. Told you we could take care of them."

"Just what DID you do to them? Whatever it was, it must have been one powerful move."

"We use Ancient Amazon Technique, created 3000 years ago by the gods themselves."

Lung Lung finishes, "Famous "_**Dance of the Great Fire Dragon**_"."

Fei Long steps back, genuinely impressed. "Wow. That sounds like a powerful skill. And by the look on those two Shadowloo goons, I believe it. You girls are really true Martial Artists, and, next to Ranma, for someone so young like you girls to be that great, I must say that you two are gifted."

To hear those words from their idol Fei Long, the girls were honored and happy.

Crying happy tears, Ling Ling says, "Oh Fei Long-sama, we very happy that you think that of us."

Lung Lung nods. "It great honor for us to be recognized by you. We train hard, so that one day, we be powerful warriors, just like you."

Now Fei Long felt touched by the words of his fans... "Geez, thanks. Well, we better get going, it's getting late. I'll treat you two to dinner. Wanna go?"

Ling Ling gasps, "WHA...you take us out for dinner Fei Long?"

"Sure. So...do you girls accept?"

Ling Ling and Lung Lung jump with extreme joy and hug each other screaming... "AIYA! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

Hiding in the corner of the grounds... one of Erick's Zero-drones caught it all on tape, sending the feedback to Shadowloo and Red Cat Secret Base.

- (Uh oh...someone's gonna get in TROUBLE…..!)-

* * *

And so, Ling Ling and Lung Lung hang out with their idol all day; they still couldn't believe that they were hanging out with Fei Long. It's too good to be true, but it WAS true. They saw more of his filming, and, even more...Fei Long put in a good word to the director during a break and showed him the story script that the girls made to see what he thought about it.

Another big surprise for the girls came when the director walks up to them and asks, "You wrote this script girls?"

Lung Lung nervously admits, "Um...hai."

With a huge grin on his face (partly because he's thinking of the money that he'll rake in!), he says, "I LOVE it! It's got it all. Drama, Romance, Fighting, a plot and a climax! Perhaps later on, when we finish shooting, maybe we could talk some more to make THIS into a movie. Cause I smell another blockbuster! Okay girls...? Um...girls?"

It's a funny scene...the girls had fainted out of joy.

With a small chuckle, Ranma says, "Now THAT'S something I never imagined coming from them. Hahahaha."

Yes…it was a day that they would remember forever.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE…. BACK AT SHADOWLOO HQ:**_

When Zangief and Birdie check in, they were ordered to report to M. Bison.

When they arrive there, they see Erick and his fiancée Delia there as well. Bison wanted to have a friendly chat with them...NOT! He'd proceeded to beat the crap outta them and scold them simultaneously.

Zangief pleads, "Please Lord Bison sir! We're sorry that we lost, but we..."

A seriously pissed-off Bison cuts them off. "OH, SHUT UP!" He then chucks a Psycho Shot at them, which shocks them on impact.

"UWAAAAHHHHH!" Zangief and Birdie scream as they are struck by the Psycho Shot.

"Not only did you IDIOTS FAIL, but you LOST. EVEN WORSE, you lost against two twelve year old girls!..." Bison raises his voice even more, screaming, "TWO TWELVE-YEAR OLD GIRLS! YOU'VE HUMILIATED MY ORGANIZATION! WHAT STUPID EXCUSE WILL YOU MORONS GIVE ME NOW, HUH!"

Poor guys, they were THIS close to peeing and crapping on themselves...

Birdie cries, "Please boss...w-we...underestimated them...but they used a strong and powerful move on us, and we couldn't defend against it."

Erick then speaks up, chuckling, "Oh yeah, we saw THAT move...you mean this move? Okay guys, we'll all see the powerful move those girls used to defeat you."

Erick presses a button, and a screen comes up, showing what the Zero Bot recorded. What they see, make them laugh and leaves them in awe...

The mighty Fire Dragon was nothing more that a robotic cartoon look-alike that the Chinese use for Chinese New Year, being carried by the girls, and with music playing in the background.

- (Special Note: The song is the Song -"Jajauma ni Sasenaide"-, the First Opening Song of Ranma 1/2) -

As the music was playing...Zangief and Birdie are...DANCING TO THE BEAT OF THE SONG...all goofy and clumsy.

To end it...the mechanical dragon opens its mouth and unleashes a blast of fire at them, burning them up and knocking them out.

End of Transmission...

Tron Bonne and B.B Hood are laughing hard, the rest had smirks on their faces...Bison, however, is furious! In an ice-cold tone of voice, he questions, "That...that was the technique those girls used to defeat you?"

Zangief replies in a squeaky voice, "Um... yeah."

Bison's response to that is, "YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED. GIVE ME **ONE** GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T HAVE YOU TWO EXECUTED!"

Erick reasons with him. "Oh, come on Bison. Killing your underlings as punishment for their failure is too childish and a waste of ammo. I have a much BETTER punishment for them."

"Oh! Do tell me then."

Erick whispers to Bison about his idea. At the end...Bison smiles REALLY evilly, flashing his big grin, teeth and all, scaring Zangief and Birdie.

With an evil chuckle, he says, " Mwahahaha...! Oh yes, THAT is a fine and horrible punishment for them! I LIKE IT!"

As for WHAT that punishment was...? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell….

In the dining hall of Shadowloo HQ, a stage was set up. People were wondering as to why. Boom boxes were there as well; there were also Loudspeakers and large screens distributed all around the base, so everyone can see it and hear it.

Then...walking onstage are Zangief and Birdie, dressed as...FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS.

That's right...they were dress in Japanese schoolgirl Sailor outfits. And...to add to their humiliation...Zangief has on a blond wig, while Birdie wears a brunette wig with two pig-tails.

-(The Horror, THE ULTIMATE HORROR) –

Many Shadowloo Soldiers see it and laugh their butts off; while others are so grossed out they vomit at the sight of the cute Muscle Duo. Then...a song is played over the loudspeakers, and the duo begin to sing and dance to the beat - (and horribly, this humble narrator might add) -, Karaoke style.

The Song they sing is...

Brittany Spears' -"OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN"-

Poor guys...on the inside they were crying, not only over the humiliation, but for the way they're dressed and how they dance.

They're wishing that Bison HAD killed them. Getting shot by the firing squad, thrown into a volcano, or tossed into a tank of hungry sharks would be preferable to what they're facing right now.

Such is the punishment worse than Death.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	59. Ran's Secret Admirer, Part I

CHAPTER 59

_**-"RAN'S SECRET ADMIRER"-  
**__**(PART I)**_

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:**_

When classes ended, Ranma, Akane and Ran decided to go home, but not before paying a small visit to Kuno's.

When they arrived at the Kuno Mansion, they rang the bell. 10 minutes later, Kuno (in his Kendo uniform, as always) opens the door and greets them with a happy wave. "Ranma Saotome and the fair Akane Tendo and Lady Ran. To what do I have the pleasure of your visit?"

Ranma explains, "Just paying you a little visit. So how're you doing man?"

"Oh I'm doing just fine, thank you for asking." Embarrassed, he realizes, "Ah where are my manners! Please, do come inside."

"Thanks," Ran says as they step inside

When they enter, they see some changes inside the Kuno Mansion...

In the garden near the lake, there's a small shrine, with a full suit of samurai armor on display, some cherry trees surrounding the area, an arena floor and some Japanese Light torches. The place resembles an ancient samurai Training Ground, as the petals from the Cherry Blossom trees rain down upon it.

Akane in awe of the new renovations Kuno's done. "WOW! Kuno, is that a shrine and a practice dojo?"

Kuno replies, "Why, yes. I had it built recently, so that I could train and practice, as well as meditate."

Ranma congratulates him, "Gotta hand to you Kuno. You've really did good there. I'm impressed."

Ran's nodding in agreement, "Yeah, that Samurai Armor looks cool and adds some style to the place."

"I thank you all for that," Kuno says, accepting the complements of his friends. In the back of his mind, he is amazed at how different things are these days, being able to count Ranma and Akane (and yes, even his beloved Pig-Tailed Girl – no, Ran, he had to remind himself that was her name!) as his friends. In the past, he would have been on the receiving end of a well-placed kick or punted into the friendly skies by either one of them.

His reminiscing about the old days is interrupted when Ranma asks, "Say Kuno, where's your sister Kodachi? Haven't seen her lately."

Kuno frowns a bit, remembering the last time R came by to see Kodachi. He was out practicing in his new outdoor training area, when Sasuke arrived, informing him that there was a delivery man at the door. The faithful ninja servant was insistent that his master come outside and see "what" was being delivered. Puzzled (since he'd wasn't expecting anything else being brought to the mansion since the remodeling of the grounds), he decide to humor Sasuke and go see what the man was babbling about. Imagine his surprise (and that's putting it mildly, folks!) when he saw the eighteen-wheeler parked outside the estate and not one, but several delivery men, each man bringing huge arrangements of flowers into the house proper. When Kuno found out that all those flowers were for Kodachi, he'd suspected that R(!) was behind it. His thoughts on this were: _What is the meaning of this! Has the foul sorcerer R literally bought out the entire florist? First, his transgressions against Kodachi and now this! Does he intend to invade mine noble dwelling, turning it into an elaborate garden? But for what purpose? Hmm… there is much madness behinds his methods! _

Thinking about R and his eccentricities puts Kuno in a bad mood; he'd rather not think about him right now. So he just hmph's, saying, "Oh… that! Well...she's been hanging out a lot with that R fellow."

This last part took them all by surprise, especially in light of recent events…

Ran blinks, not believing what she just heard, and yet… she's not surprised. "WITH R! You don't think that...oh, you know...R and Kodachi...are, *gulp*… falling for one another? Do you?"

Ranma's confused. "R...with KODACHI?" He snorts, "Yeah right, like THAT will ever happen."

"Ranma!" Akane lightly scolds her fiancée. "That's not a nice thing to say! Sure, Kodachi's crazy, a hypocrite and a sneaky girl, but she's still a girl. And can too fall in love."

Ran admits, "Yeah, she's right. And look on the bright side Ranma...If Kodachi falls in love with R… then she'll leave YOU alone."

On hearing that part, Ranma thinks it over and agrees. "You know what Ran? That IS a good idea, if not great."

Changing the subject, Akane decides to asks, "So Kuno, what adventures did you have in your training trip up in the mountains?"

Kuno replies, "I wouldn't have call them "Adventures", but rather 'gaining' experience and knowledge. At any rate, I had plenty of time to train my Kendo and Samurai Skills. But this time, I've really learned many Techniques that I thought I could not master."

Ranma's like, "Is that so. That's cool, for you I mean."

Kuno's voice turns serious as he continues, "However, there was this...incident that happened to me in the mountains."

Listening to the story, Ran's interest is piqued. "What happened, Kuno?"

"Well..."

* * *

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

_**IN THE MOUNTAINS OF OKINAWA, JAPAN - 9:40 pm:**_

Kuno is seated in the Lotus position, meditating in front of a fire. His eyes are closed and he's deep in concentration…

Then again, this IS Kuno we're talking about…

However...he was not alone.

Hiding inside a tree, is one of Erick's Zero-drones spying on him. With its single camera-eye lens mounted in its head, it's recording all of Kuno's movements and stuff.

The flames in front of Kuno suddenly die out. He somehow senses that someone is watching him. Opening his eyes, he gets up and scans the area around him. In a commanding voice, he says to whoever might be out there, "I know that you're watching me. Come out from wherever you are. I do not appreciate being spied upon. So show yourself now."

Total silence...

"So...you won't come out then...in that case...!"

Grabbing his sword, he swings it fast, releasing a Ki-charged blade of air toward the trees.

**KLANG!**

Seconds later, something drops to the ground hard...

**THUMP!**

Kuno sees it getting up slowly and looks at it. It was the Zero-drone. On its chest there was a huge gash, courtesy of Kuno's newly-developed Kokuuzan (Arc Air Slash). The mecha-minion covers up the damage to its body with its metal hand, as sparks came out of it. Kuno didn't know what it was...

"Who...or what are you? What kind of warrior are you?"

The Zero Clone didn't say anything and teleports away, leaving Kuno shocked and confused.

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

After Kuno's finished his tale, Akane says, "That sure was weird! So what do you think it was Kuno?"

Kuno answers, "To tell the truth...I have no idea. I couldn't get a good look, because of the darkness of the night."

With concern in her voice Ran asks, "But...you're alright, right?"

"Yes. But...enough dramatic stories. Not all of them are awful, for I've also met another warrior of the Art."

Ranma's like, "Really, you don't say?" Truth be told, he's secretly interested. Who could Kuno have met up there in the mountains?

"Indeed," Kuno nods. "Her name was Tsuruko Aoyama. Like myself, she was a Samurai who practices the Art of Kendo. And she was very excellent. A true warrior of the Art."

Akane's pleased to hear that. "That was so nice to meet another fellow fighter, Kuno. You ought to go out more, and meet more people."

"I will. I, Tatewaki Kuno, thank you for your concern and wise advice Akane Tendo."

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE:**_

We see the happy-crazy Mad Bomber Grenademan trying to write poetry for his 'lovely' Ran. But so far...he's not doing well...

"Lets see, this..." He clears his throat. "Ahem...Ummm...Roses are Red…" Then with an idiotic Butt-Head-style moan, he continues, "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmm...Violets are like Blue, or something, your eyes are cute, and, so like you...NO NO NOOOOOO!"

Then he tears up the paper and tosses it into the garbage, frustrated. "Oh man, writing poetry is more complicated than I thought it would be. Making bombs is easier then this. But I have to do this,...but how?"

Then...Grenademan gets a devilish idea...

"I know...there is nothing wrong with, oh I don't know...copy some stuff off it and use that instead? YEAH! I mean, no harm's done, right? No one would know right?"

"Only you, and the person you want to conquer."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHA!" Grenademan jumps out of his metal hide, as Erick appears behind him from the shadows. "ERICK...! *Huff, huff…* Where did you come from! How do you DO that, that sneaking behind thing!

Erick chuckles, "Like I ALWAYS say to everyone…" Yep, you guessed it; here comes the signature Xellos-schtick catchphrase. "THAT is a secret." Becoming serious, he then says, "Grenademan, I gave you that book, not so that you could cheat, but for reading and inspiration in creating your OWN poetry, understand?"

"Yeah, but…." Grenademan starts whining, "IT'S SOOOO BORING. Why can't I just, you know, improvise?"

"Because, if you do that, you'll be cheating; there's no reason to do that. And besides, do you want to conquer the heart of the girl Grenademan?"

Grenademan so happy, his reply's obvious. "DO I...! YES! OH YEAH!"

"Good, if you do what you were about to do, copying the info that is, you won't be conquering her, but the author of the book. If you really want to win her over, then I suggest you READ the book and create your own poetry. That way, it will be YOU and your words that will conquer her, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah...but...it's soo hard man."

Erick chuckles again. "Of course it is. If everything were easy, then anybody could do it. But, only the dedicated and passionate person can achieve and create true poetry. So, my advice to you is... " His voice suddenly shifts to a menacing tone. "GET TO WORK AND READ. You've had MORE than enough time to prepare, so unless you want to face the Cat Ghost King and Wily's wrath step on it...okay?"

The Blast King fearfully complies. "*Gulp*….Okay."

And now Erick's all happy and smiles. "Good. I will leave you to your work. Good luck." Then he vanish into the shadows, leaving Grenademan worried.

Grenademan shudders, as he says, "Man, I don't know who's more creepy, that Cat Statue, or Erick!"

So, once again, he resumes his task of reading the book given by Erick in order to compose poetry for conquering Ran.

* * *

_**SHADOWLOO HQ – VEGA's QUARTERS:**_

Vega is in his room admiring two things...his own beauty (no surprise there!) and... a picture of the Darkstalker Morrigan.

"Oh Morrigan, your beauty is only matched by your dangerous spirit. I wonder, wonder if you will take up my offer for a date?"

Why did he ask that question? Weeell…

-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-

After the battle between Shadowloo and Demitri's Darkstalkers (see chapter 39), Vega brought Morrigan to the base after his triumph over her when he fought her. He is carrying her in his arms like a groom would carry his bride. Once he reaches his room, he gently puts her in his luxurious king-sized bed.

Standing away from the bed to gaze on her, Vega's in awe at her beauty. Even as she slept (actually, she's been unconscious the whole time), she looks beautiful in his eyes. He sighs happily, "Morrigan, through our hard battle, I was able to win you. But now, I will try to win your heart."

Just then, Balrog and Tron Bonne happened to walk by and see him, and the guest he's having over.

Balrog gets his colleague's attention. "Yo Vega, whassup? How did your battle go?"

Vega replies, "Marvelous I must say. I, naturally, came out victorious."

Tron spots Morrigan on his bed. "Vega...what in the world is SHE doing here? Most of all...in YOUR bed?"

"Easy. She is gonna be my date."

Needless to say, Balrog and Tron reactions were simultaneous. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!. YOUR DATE?"

Vega's so happy, he's squealing in delight. "Yes! Isn't it marvelous guys?"

Tron decides to set Vega straight; 'cause apparently, in her opinion, he has NO clue what he's doing. She calmly says to him, "Okay...I know this is gonna sound crazy, but..." then shouts, "JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BLONDE AIR-HEAD!"

Balrog, likewise, agrees with Tron. "She's right man. She's like the enemy. Won't that cause trouble?"

"Not to worry my friends. You see, I made a bet with her..." Vega then proceeds to explain all about the proposal he'd made to Morrigan during their fight, that if he won, she would go out with him.

Vega finishes his story, "And so, when I won, I decided to bring her over here to ask her out."

A moment of total silence passes before anyone says a word...

It's Tron who breaks the silence. Sarcastically, she asks, "So tell me Vega. What makes you think that she will honor that bet? I mean, come on, she's the enemy, like Balrog says. What's gonna stop her from going back on her word?"

Vega replies, "Easy. I have a good feeling in my guts."

Tron Bonne snorts, "Yeah... IF she doesn't rip them out of you, that is."

"That was VERY rude of you. Now if you'll excuse me, she will wake up soon, and I want to be there for her."

"You got it. I really DON'T want to be here when she wakes up. Cause I'll bet you that she won't be happy to see YOU. Let's go, Balrog."

A scared Balrog nods. He thinks Vega's lost his marbles if he goes through with this. "Don't need to tell me twice."

After that, both of them leave Vega's room...

Just in that moment...Morrigan began to moan softly. Slowly, she opens her eyes, and sees that she's in a bed in a large room. She mumbles, "Ummm...where...where am I?" Then, as she comes to, she notices her surroundings. " Huh! What is this place?"

"You're in my room my dear Morrigan, here in Shadowloo," a male voice says.

Morrigan gasps and looks everywhere, and then she sees Vega... "YOU! WHY AM I HERE? WHY DID YOU BRING ME HERE? ANSWER ME NOW!"

Vega had wisely removed his claw earlier. He waves his hand to calm her. "Easy there. I brought you here cause you were injured and he passed out. And as for why...don't you remember our deal?"

Morrigan gasps when she remembers her battle with him...and the bet she made with him to go on a date if she loses. That part did not like her a bit. "Wait a minute there! I remember, but...you're not… SERIOUS about that, are you?"

Vega counters, "And why not my Lady? You DID promise to date me if I defeated you, and I did, fair and square."

"But...but.. I didn't think that you could...well...defeat me."

Feeling it's safe, Vega risks approaching her while saying, "Its because you underestimated me, you let your ego cloud your judgment. So...um…" He blushes. "Will you go out with me as we agreed?"

"But...why would I go out with you? Because of a stupid bet? I...I don't think so."

Vega sighs, a look of defeat on his face. "I see...so your word means nothing. I thought you were a person who valued honor. But perhaps, I was wrong."

OK, now THAT Morrigan objects to. "WHAT! HOW DARE YOU! I AM ROYALTY IN MAKAI, SO DONT YOU DARE QUESTION MY HONOR!"

"I am not. But, you're doing so by not holding on your end of the bargain."

Morrigan's a bit deflated here. "Look, um..."

"Call me Vega." He gallantly bows to her, Matador style, as he introduces himself properly. "Vega Fabio de la Cerna."

"Riiiiight. Listen Vega, WHY do you want to go out with me? I don't know you, and you don't know me."

Vega nods, admitting, "I know. But, I want to know YOU, a lot. And I want YOU to get to know ME."

"But why? Why with ME? I don't understand."

Vega's answer is simple. "Because...I find you very attractive, so beautiful. And...well…I...like you very much."

This took Morrigan by surprise, a lot. A mortal telling her she's beautiful. For her, it's been a long time since someone's told her that. She couldn't believe it. She's blushing as she says, "Me...beautiful? Please, you're joking right? Why would you say that about me?"

"Because it is the truth. You've set my soul on fire. My heart burned with passion when I first saw you."

Morrigan's cheeks are bright red now as the loony matador attempts to woo her. "Stop that! Look, you're a nice and cute guy and all, but, you're asking for the impossible. Why would you want me? I am a Darkstalker, and you're a human! It could never work, because we're too different."

Vega calmly objects, "False. A French Revolution-era philosopher once said -"True love knows no boundaries, no age, no size. And those who truly love one another don't care what other people would say" - So what if you're different from me! You bleed like me, you weep like me, you laugh like me, so there's nothing wrong."

"You don't understand. I'm not even a human being...just how could you love that?"

"I see only the beauty within, of the soul. THAT is what I love. You may be from another race, but.. it doesn't matter to me. So Morrigan, I ask you if you would do me the honor of a date with you?"

Morrigan was thinking this over hard. No one has EVER wanted to get to know her, let alone go out with her. It was a very difficult choice to her...to go out with him, or kill him where he stood? _What...what do I do? No mortal was ever interested in me, and usually I'M the one who seduces men! But him, there's something I can't just put my finger on. But...he's right, he did beat me fair and square, so..._ _I suppose that I must oblige him. I have nothing to lose, right?_

Then, she turns her focus on Vega, who was anxious to hear her answer...

Sighing in defeat, Morrigan says, "Alright, you win. I'll...go out with you. BUT...just for one time only, got that?"

Vega's delighted. "YOU WILL! Oh thank you, thank you so much, my lovely rose. I promise you that I will give you a great time, just you wait."

"Whatever. So...where's the exit here, I need to return to Makai, so if you don't mind…"

"Oh yes, of course. Walk this way and I'll show you out."

Once she left the base, Vega was left there, watching her as she flies away toward the night sky... "My dear Morrigan, you fly like a beautiful eagle soaring toward the sky. I will wait for you, that I will."

Then he goes back inside. While walking down the hallway, he bumps into Tron, who's actually surprised to see him. "Vega! My, oh my, you're STILL alive. I would have thought that woman would have skinned you alive by now. So how did it go?"

Vega laughs, "Hm hm hm...as I wished. She accepted. I'm going on a date with her."

Tron gasps excitedly, "WHAT! NO WAY, REALLY! SHE DID!"

"Of course. No woman, mortal or demon, cannot resist my charms. I will win her heart, and I'll give her mine."

-(END FLASHBACK)-

* * *

Alone now in his room, Vega regards the photo of Morrigan. "My lovely Morrigan. I don't care if you are a demon. I don't care what the others will say. You shall fall against my charms, just as I have fallen to yours."

Umm… wow folks, this is certainly gonna be one interesting, if downright BIZZARO, love pairing.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH…**_

(Sorry, couldn't resist using that one!)

_**RED CATS' BASE – GRENDAMAN'S BUNKER - 10:00 pm:**_

After many tries and tries and fails, Grenademan looks at joy at the paper he's holding in his metal hands...why...?

With tears in his eyes, Grenademan says, "At...at last. After all my hard work and dedication, its finished...!"

We switch to a scene outside the RED CATS' Base...

-"...I DID IT, I DID IT! MY GREATEST WORK IS DONE WOO HOOOOOOO!"-

It's Grenademan's voice we hear, his shouts of joy so loud, they can be heard from even outside the base.

What work could the Blast King be so happy about?

What work is he referring to?

* * *

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:**_

Another day, another day of mayhem and chaos at Furinkan High School, just the typical day at this school...but...today, it will be one wild day for someone. ONE girl will receive quite a surprise...the girl...?

Ran Hayami.

It's P.E. Ran's with Akane doing morning exercises, running around the track, and playing volleyball. After they're finish, they hit the showers with the other girls.

Afterwards, Ran heads to her locker to grab some books for her next class. When she opens it, she finds an envelope, with a flower attached to it. "Huh! What's this? A rose, and a letter. Hmmm, what could it be?"

Next she opens it and begins to read...the letter says this...

-"My lovely Ran...

I have seen you, and, words cannot describe how I feel for you. No words would ever describe your figure, for you have a body of beauty. NO. You are beauty made flesh. And, because of that...you dazzle me. I would do anything to even feel your body, for I am not worthy of that pleasure. I hope that I can...

Signed...

Your Secret Admirer.-

Ran was in awe and gasp at what the letter said about her. She feels butterflies in her stomach, as she blushes lightly at what she's read. "Oh dear, this, this, this is a love letter, and from an admirer? Wow, it's...it's so beautiful. I wonder who could have sent it? There's no return address or something."

Day 2.

Once again Ran found a letter from her secret admirer, this one says:

-"My Dear Fireflower:

You hair is as shine as the blue night that radiates my heart. Your eyes are my torches of light that illuminates in the dark. Oh would thy give me passage to your heart, then I would crave to the night to obtain that key to your heart I might. For my love is like a bird that soars in the sky, waiting to reach you."-

Ran's squealing happily, "Oh, that is so cool! But i want to know who's sending them."

Day 3.

Again, she finds another letter, this time, the poem's a little different.

-Lovely Ran:

If you were a newspaper, then I would be your ink

If you were a piece of doo-doo, then I would be your stink

We go together like Abbott and Costello

Bill Cosby and Jell-o, peeing and yellow

If you were a face, and love was a fight

Then I would rearrange you, oh yes I just might

Lady you look luscious let me lick you like a dum dum

Just let me get to know you, and show you where I come from

I pump you like diesel, pop you like a weasel (Vanilla Ice)-

Ran blinks, briefly confused. This one's not like the last two she's received. She's like, "Oooookay… that was weird. But I guess it's the thought that counts. Then she reads it again, and softly giggles, "Well, it's a little funny (and definitely weird), but lovely though. Oh oh, who could it be? How can I know?"

Then...a crazy idea occurred to the Ranma clone...

"Could...could it be...*gulp*...from Ranma!"

That part got to her good. Part of her, her heart side, wanted to be from Ranma, since she started developing strong ties with him over the course of time, while her other part, her logical side, brushes it off. She knew very well that Ranma's heart belonged to Akane, but it was a loooong shot to her, wishful thinking, that maybe Ranma might like her. But she has to be sure, for if she's wrong... the consequences could be severe for her.

Determined to find out the truth, she embarks on finding out the identity of her secret admirer.

* * *

_**RED CATS' BASE – GRENDAMAN'S BUNKER:**_

The happy-bomber robot was working on his latest explosive masterpiece, and in the same time, his most lovely poem for Ran.

Grenademan's singing (badly, this narrator adds), "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiii've been working on this boooomb all the freaking day, iiiiiii've been working on this booooomb, cause i'll blow that Ranma away! OH YEAAAAAH!"

Before him is a sophisticated bomb, a big and dangerous one. Why did he build it? To use it on Ranma Saotome, of course!

"Almost finished. My baby's almost finished. Once it's done, it will definitely take down that cursed sex-changing freak Ranma Saotome, and once that's over, I'll have lovely Ran for me, FOR MEEEE! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

From the shadows, Erick fiancée Delia appears. Grenademan sees her and gasps, "ACK...! Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

Delia tells him, "I've came to deliver a message from Erick. He wants to see you in his chamber right away."

"Oh, well, tell him that I'll come by later. I got work to do and..."

Delia eyes shine all white with no iris like Bison's, but even scarier... In a hard voice, she says, "HE wants to see YOU in his chamber NOW."

Grenademan eep's, scared into submission. "ACK...! Okay okay! No need to do the scary face!"

Delia smiles. "Good. Now come with me."

Next, Grenademan follows Delia into the shadows, he's a bit scared, but even more so of disobeying Delia so he enters the shadows and vanishes.

* * *

_**WITHIN ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:**_

Erick is sitting on his throne watching several monitors floating in front of him; he's reciving the latest reports from his Zero-drones. Just then, Delia and Grenademan show up. "Erick-san, Grenademan is here as you requested."

Grenademan's amazed at how fast they got here. "Wow, you definitely gotta show me that trick of the shadows, girly How do you do it?"

"Enough," Erick interrupts. To Delia he says, "Delia, sweetie, could you leave us alone for a minute. There's a matter I gotta handle with Grenademan, okay."

Delia respectfully nods. "Of course my love."

Then she vanishes. Grenademan wonders what could Erick want to talk about with him... "So um...what could I do for you Erick? Why have you summoned me?"

Erick wastes no time; he gets right to the point. "Tell me Grenademan, how are things going with your plans to eliminate Ranma?"

"Oh? That? I'M JUST FINISHING THE FINAL PARTS OF MY CREATION THAT WILL DESTROY RANMA ONCE AND FOR ALL! OH YEAAAAH!"

"It better be, cause your deadline expires tomorrow. So, for your sake, you'd better accomplish it. Otherwise...you'll be heading on a way ticket to the junkyard. Do I make myself clear?"

Grenademan responds with a nervous laugh, trying not to show his fear. "Y-yeah, yeah...no...p-problem! Hehehehe!"

"See that you do it. Leave my sight. NOW," Erick commands.

* * *

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:**_

Still puzzled about her secret admirer, Ran seeks advice and clues...she decides to go to Kuno.

At the Kendo Club's dojo, Kuno was in the middle of training and teaching with his fellow club members. Ran enters and sees that he's kinda busy for the moment and agrees to wait.

Two hours later, Kuno finishes practice and spots Ran waiting for him. He approaches her, happily waving to her. "Ah, Lady Ran, hello. What brings you here? Do you need something?"

Ran reluctantly says, "Um...kinda. You see, I've got a...situation that has me intrigued."

"Oh? What do you mean by that? Why don't you explain it to me. Perhaps I can help you.?"

"Well, it's like this..." She clears her throat, then tells him, "Ahem...I have...a...secret admirer."

Kuno seems delighted to hear that. "You do? Marvelous." Flashing a wicked smile, he teases her, "You sneaky devil! For a beauty like yourself to obtain someone! So tell me, who's the lucky guy to obtain your heart?"

"Well, the thing is, I don't know."

"You don't know? How?"

"Like I said, it's a secret admirer. He's been sending me love letters and poetry, and they're cool and all. Kuno, you know about poems right?"

"Why, of course, it's one of my hobbies."

"Well, could you tell me what you think of these poems, and give me your opinion?"

"I don't see why not. Very well, let me take a look."

Ran hands over all her love letters to Kuno, and he begins to read them...7 minutes later, she asks him, "Well Kuno, what do you think of them?"

Kuno looks up from reading. "I must say Ran, whoever your secret admirer is, he's very dedicated… but not very creative in his verse."

"Really! Why do you say that?"

"Whoever wrote these poems, does not quite have an originality all his own. I mean, judging by the way he wrote them, it appears he does not know much about it. Clearly, this is the work of an amateur, as if he only copied the info and wrote it down, and I should know, since I know about the poetry he supposedly wrote here."

Hearing this makes Ran a little sad. "I see."

"But cheer up Lady Ran. On the bright side, he is very determined to impress you. Though he lacks the poet's soul, it does not hinder his noble pursuit of winning your affections." Kuno then hands the letters back to Ran, who takes them and places them in her book bag.

Ran smiles at that. "I guess you're right. Well, I'd better go, thanks for your time and help Kuno. I really appreciate it."

"The pleasure was all mine. And good luck with your secret admirer."

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	60. Ran's Secret Admirer, Part II

CHAPTER 60

_**-"RAN'S SECRET ADMIRER!"-  
**__**(PART II – You're my WHAT!)**_

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE – GRENADEMAN'S WORKSHOP:**_

As Grenademan's working on the final touches of his Secret Weapon for Ranma, he's also writing more Love Poems for Ran. So far, he's inspired by the poems he's writing.

- (Okay folks, he's not REALLY writing based totally on his own inspiration. Some of his poems are, as he once said, improvised; in other words, taking someone else's poetry and modifying it a little.) -

As he's writing, Grenademan says with anticipation, "OH YEAH! This is another masterpiece I've done. Can't wait to send it to my Lovely Goddess - (Ran) -, I'm sure she'll love it like the rest I've sent her. And as for that pig-tailed FREAK Ranma, I'm sure that he's gonna love this little baby that I've made for him! HAHAHAHAHAHA! And once he's outta the way, we will be together forever!"

In that moment, Onekomaru, loyal retainer of the Cat Ghost King and aide to High Priest Erick Genryusai, enters his lab. "Yo, Grenademan!"

Interrupted, Grenademan vents his frustration on the cat-person-creature-thing. "Grr...what do you want ya walking hairball? Cant you see I'm busy here!

"The Cat Ghost King wishes to see you in his chamber."

Grenademan's like, "Now...? Ahhh… Tell him that I'll go later."

Onekomaru continues, "Lord Erick also wishes to see you, and he's waiting for YOU there, along with his hot babe Lady Delia."

Grenademan gasps "ACK!...E..Erick!"

Now if ERICK wants to see YOU, folks, you do NOT tell him you'll do it later. "The Cat Ghost King AND Erick wish to see you" is code for "Get off your fat metal ass and get down here right now or ELSE!"

With a nervous laugh, Grenademan changes his tune REAL quick. "Uhhh… heh, heh… Well, then, why didn't you say so! Let's go, we don't want to keep Erick and the Cat Ghost King waiting, do we?"

* * *

_**AT THE SHRINE OF THE CAT GHOST KING…**_

The Golden Statue of the Cat Ghost King, along with the rest of his followers, is there. Erick, his fiancée Delia, and Dr. Wily are waiting for him in the chamber. Grenademan enters and address them. "You...you called for me?"

Erick smiles. "That we did. So Grenademan, are you ready to carry out your plan to eliminate Ranma Saotome?"

"OH YEAH! I just need to put the final touches on it, and BOOM Ranma will go! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The Cat Statue hisses a warning. "You'd better not fail Grenade-jerk. Or else we'll use your parts as a toaster, do I make myself clear?"

Erick grins. "Well, His Majesty has spoken. Now it's MY turn. You best not blow it...you do NOT want to know what is your destiny is IF you fail, are we clear?"

Grenademan's shaking in fear. "Um...Yea...yeah I do. Don't worry, Erick my man, Grenademan will not fail! Laughing nervously, "Well gosh, look at the time, I'd better go if I want to put my plans into action! See you guys!"

And he leaves the place in a hurry.

When he's gone, the Cat Statue inquires of his right-hand man, "Do you think that robotic moron will succeed in his plan? Personally, I think he will fail"

Erick's response to that, "Well, we just have to have a little faith in him. He KNOWS what will happen to him if he doesn't win. So I say, let's wait."

Dr. Wily snorts, "Hmph. Whatever plans that bot has, I'll bet you that there's gonna be lots and lots of explosions."

Erick chuckles, "Well, it IS his hobby isn't it? To blow up things, after all, he is a War Machine, built and programmed to destroy, right Wily?"

* * *

_**TENDO RESIDENCE:**_

Ran, a girl who's got a secret admirer, is right now very nervous yet happy, to find out her mystery admirer. She's wondering who could he be? Was it someone she knew? Or perhaps some new student that she didn't know. She was determined to find out...

However...

Deep in her mind and heart, she has this crazy idea...

We see Ran outside the Dojo, in front of the pond, wondering if her admirer could be...

She whispers, "Could...could my secret admirer be...be..." The though causes her to blush. "Him?"

Who could Ran be thinking about...? She looks around and sees into the window of Ranma room, where he's reading a book...

Ran's blushing turns deeper. "Could Ranma be my secret admirer...can it be?" She shakes her head. "No no nooo...it can't be him...I mean...he's my best friend, nothing more. But still...I'd better be sure."

Later, she goes to Nabiki for advice...she finds her in the kitchen drinking a glass of milk. Nabiki sees her enter. "Hey Ran, come to get a drink or some food?"

Ran replies, "Um...not quite...Um Nabiki...can...can I ask you something. I need some help."

Nabiki blinks. "Help? With what?"

"Um...its like this..." So Ran told Nabiki about her secret admirer, and even showed her the letters she was getting. Nabiki looks at the letters and read them. In the end...

Nabiki grins knowingly. "So Ran, you got popular so soon, and now you have this secret admirer, way to go girl."

"Thanks...I think...but listen. About my secret admirer…" Ran blushes, then says, "I have this...crazy idea...um...who could it be..." Her cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. "Um...oh I don't know...but..." She whispers, Maybe...Ranma."

"Ranma?" Nabiki's not surprised; she's seen how Ran behaves around Ranma even when Akane's around. But it IS the first time Ran's said it out loud. She laughs softly, then seriously says, "I doubt it Ran. And I'll tell you why. First of all, Ranma is very loyal to Akane, so he would never do that to her or to you."

Ran starts to say, "I... " and then sadly whispers, "I knew that."

"And second...Ranma might be one of the strongest Martial Artists in the world, and a powerful fighter…" Then she chuckles, "…but he SUCKS at writing poetry, let alone reading it. I mean, he couldn't write poetry if William Shakespeare himself taught him."

Ran giggles, admitting, "Yeah, you're right."

"So, if I were you, I would find out who's sending those letters."

"I tried Nabiki, but it's not so easy. Could you..." Ran blushes again, twiddling her fingers. "….like help me a little...please?"

"You want me to help you? Well... I suppose I COULD…."

Just then Nabiki feels something in her hand – a thick roll of yen bills. She opens it up and thumbs the bills, counting them. In total: Ten thousand yen, double her usual fee. She then looks up at Ran and sees the hopeful look in her eyes. _Hmm… this girl's serious. All right then. _Aloud, she tells her,"Very well, I'll see what I can do."

Ran's grateful for this. "Oh thank you so much Nabiki."

* * *

**_RED CATS H.Q. - CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:_**

Another meeting was held for briefing of the mission. Everyone was there, even Bison and his crew. Erick then starts the meeting. "Gentlemen, I'm happy to report that things are going according to schedule. And, it's only a matter of time before we find the Phoenix Stone. Then...we WILL be the rulers of this world."

A lot of claps were heard, as everyone applauds the news.

"Purrrrrrrrrfect," the Cat Statue purrs. It was then, that he (as well as the rest of the RED CATS Army) noticed BB Hood. "Meow. Say... who's that blonde girl with the Red Riding Hood costume?"

M. Bison introduces her to the group. "This is Baby Bonnie Hood, A.K.A B.B. Hood. She's my new Enforcer, and Hitgirl, as well as my Bodyguard."

A round of laughter erupts from Wily's Bots and the RED CAT Soldiers. The idea of a little blonde girl as an assassin was hilarious.

Dr. Wily's laughing, "HAHAHAHAHA...THAT LITTLE GIRL, SHE'S YOUR ENFORCER? THAT'S SO FUNNY!"

Likewise, Bass laughs, "BWAHAHAHAHAHA, AND JUST HOW CAN SHE BE DEADLY! I MEAN...WHAT'S SHE GONNA DO? AWE HER ENEMIES WITH THAT CUTE FACE OF HERS?"

B.B. Hood's got an annoyed look on her face, ready to take out a gun from her basket and bust a cap or two into the scientist and the robot. But Erick beats her to the punch, warning with a slight chuckle, "Word of advice, Wily and Bass, as well as the rest of you all…?" He motions to all of the RED CAT GANG's soldiers and followers. "Never, EVER, judge things by their looks alone, or you'll suffer the consequences. BB Hood may look cute and fragile, but she is anything but. SHE is a deadly and skilled fighter and assassin, with extraordinary skills in weapons and tactics."

B.B. Hood happily accepts Erick's complement, all smiles now. "Thanks Erick."

A nervous Bubbleman raises his hand, asking the question, "Um...but how? She is just a human girl. Cute, but still a girl."

Erick smiles. "How about if she shows you her ability? Would that satisfy you all?"

The Cat Statue replies with approval, "Hmmmm! I think I would like to see that."

"In that case, B.B. Hood, would you like to demonstrate your skills for us?"

BB Hood happily nods, "Sure."

"Very well then. Slashman, Swordman, come forward now."

Slashman and Swordman step forward from the assembled crowd. Slashman asks Erick, "What? What is it?"

"Simple...I want you two to attack B. with all your might."

Now Swordman likes to think of himself as a noble gentleman-knight type kind of guy, behaving as such. Offended by Erick's command, he gasps, objecting, "WHAT! Attack a girl! Surely you can't be serious!"

- (Special Note: Swordman acts more like a Gentleman, and talks and act like a British.) -

Erick's tone is serious. "I mean it. If you don't, then she will attack you. So...assume your positions."

B.B. Hood stood before them, taking out two combat knives, and assumes a battle stance, like a Green Beret.

Slashman extends his metal claws, while Swordman has his Sword-Arm ready.

Erick acts as the referee. "Fighters Ready...Set...HASHIMEEEE!"

With an evil smirk Slashman says confidently, "Ha! This fight won't take long...GET READY TO LOSE THAT LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD!"

When close, he launches his Slash Claws, with the idea of striking her. But...inches away from her, she blocks them with one Knife, while she blocks Swordman's sword with the other one at the same time, gasping the two bots, and jumps and delivers a hard spinning kick, knocking them away.

Slashman rubs his iron chin, sore from that attack, He can't believe it. "What the hell just happened? That girl blocked both our attacks and nailed us! How!"

Swordman regards their opponent. "Methinks that the little girl is quite good at this."

"Bah. So she got lucky that time. This time, I'll cut down her dress, you watch me!"

And once again they resume their attacks. Slashman tries to claw at her, but she's too fast and block or dodges all his attacks. She had the reflexes of a cat, as well as the agility and response time. Sparks fly when she blocks all of Slashman and Swordman's attacks.

From ducking, crouching, jumping, B.B. Hood was doing well...

The audience was awe at her Skills in Combat, especially Dr. Wily. "I...I dont believe it. How can that girly be so...*gulp*...great? Slashman's supposed to be one of my greatest warriors. How!"

Gogandantess comments, "My oh my...such a wonderful warrior, for someone so young. Indeed, she has the fiery will of a mighty warrior, like me!"

The Cat Statue's impressed. "Myaaa... She is indeed quite the fighter."

Erick agrees with his boss' assessment. "I know. It is just as I've said to you all. DON'T underestimate her."

Back in the fight, Slashman's getting irritated. A human's giving him a hard time, and worse, a human GIRL. Mad, he's thinking, _What is this girl made of? I'm supposed to be one of the greatest claw warriors, and yet, I can't beat this girl! I will NOT be made a fool or worse, a rookie in front of everyone!_ "That's it little girl! Now I'M MAD. GET READY!"

B.B. Hood says with a cute giggle, "I'm waiting Claw-Bot. Come and get me...if you can! Tee hee hee heee!"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Angered by her taunting, Slashman dashes toward her with his claws extended, with the intention of ripping her apart. She just stands there waiting for him to come to her.

Inches from hitting her...she moved so fast it looked like she teleported. While she moved, she extends her right foot, tripping up Slashman...-"WHAT THE…! WAAAAAA…!"

**THUMP!**

Down he goes to the floor. When he got up, he's seething with rage at the Darkstalker Hunter.

"Prepare yourself, Slash-Jerk, cause now..." B.B. Hood flashes him an evil smile. "It's MY turn. HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Now she dashes toward him, with her blades behind her. Once she closes in on him...

**SLASH!**

**SLASH!**

**SLASH!**

In a X attack, she nails him and jumps back.

Slashman open his eyes and inspects himself, and sees he's okay. "HA HA!" he taunts back, laughing. "You missed me, you missed me, you missed me! Hahahaha!"

Until...

His claws split in half, casing him to gasp in disbelief, then, his robotic arms fall off...followed by the rest of his body falling to pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle.

Erick slowly claps. "Well done girl." Addressing the crew, he questions, "Well...now what do you all have to say about B.B. Hood?"

His question is met with a standing ovation of cheers and applause from everyone!

**CLAPCLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP!**

The Cat Statue glows, purring with delight, "That was just Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrcet. She has skills."

"That girl truly has the soul of a fighter. Makes me wanna cry with joy." Gogandantess says proudly.

Looking over in Dr. Wily and Bass' direction, Erick asks them, "So Wily and Bass, what do you think of her now? Does she still look worthless to you?"

Dr. Wily nervously admits, stammering, "Um...I...the thing is...that is...what i'm trying to say is...um...like...that...and..."

Bass shuts Wily up by covering his mouth. He snorts, "Well, I'M convinced. The kid's definitely a wolf in sheep's clothing, or a riding hood, in this case." He then points to Wily, saying, "As for the Doc's stupid vocabulary, I think what he meant to say is 'Yes, we are impressed', and 'We were wrong'."

Erick chuckles at his apprentice and Wily's antics, satisfied by their response.

The Cat Statue gives his complements to Bison, "Wow Bison. I must say that she's proved me wrong. She, indeed, is a lethal enforcer."

Bison smirks, proud of B.B. Hood's performance. "I told you all. Like with Tron Bonne, she will be a fine soldier of Shadowloo"

Erick gets everyone's attention. "Now that the little demonstration is over, there's matters that need to be addressed. Furthermore, you'll have to be very careful. I have found out that some fighters have arrived here in Japan. Some of them you already know...here..."

**CLICK!**

A Screen materializes, showing images of...

"I believe you all know them..." Erick continues. "This is Chun-Li from Interpol, Cammy from Delta Red England, Guile and Charlie from the U.S Air Force…" Erick notices the look of anger on Bison's face. "…Ryu from Japan…."

Akuma eyes shine red in anticipation of facing Ryu again.

"….Sakura, also from Japan. Be on the lookout for any of them. For any of them is a threat to our plans. That is all."

That was the end of the meeting. Everyone went to do their own stuff.

Slashman, unfortunately, was still in pieces on the floor, his severed head talking...

"Um...hello...a little help, here...please?"

* * *

Ran was getting impatient. She wanted to know the identity of her admirer, but with no such luck.

Even Nabiki couldn't find any leads, and she was a past-master of getting information. So, in the end, she went to seek advice from Kuno.

She told him to meet up with her in the School Cafeteria. Once there...

"So Lady Ran, to what can I be of help to you?" Kuno asks her.

Ran explains it to him. "Kuno, its like this...i want to know WHO my admirer is. All the letters that I get from him are beautiful, but without an address. How can I do it?"

Kuno's thinking it over. "Hmm...let's see...you could write back and tell him that you want to meet him. Tell him that if he really likes you, then he must come out from the shadows and meet you. It is the only way."

"You...really think so Kuno?"

Kuno nods, "Indeed. To hide from love, is the act of a coward. So...my advice is for you to write him back."

Ran considers it. "Hmm… Not bad at all, I'll do it. Thanks Kuno, you really helped me a lot."

So, following Kuno's advice, Ran began to write a letter for her secret admirer. After some heavy thought, she writes...

_Dear Secret Admirer:_

_Your love letters really have turned me around. I like the poems that you've sent me, I really do. However...I want to meet you. Because I think that the mystery guy in the shadows kills the mood, don't you think? So please...could I see you in person?_

_I'll be waiting for your respond...don't take too long._

_Love..._

_Ran._

Then she sticks it in her locker so that if her admirer sends another message, he'll find it.

* * *

It didn't take too long, for two days later, she gets a letter from him. She reads it:

"Dear Lovely Ran:

I too, would to meet you face to face. But I fear that you might not like the true me. I'm...different from the guys that you know. However...I would like to talk to you.

Here is what you must do...

Log into a computer, log into the school's Chat Room, and I'll be there for you...

My nickname will be...G-MAN 123."

So...the next day...Ran went to the school's Computer Lab, grabs a PC, and enters the Chat Room.

So many users were there, she's thinking it's gonna be hard to find him...when...

-"G-MAN 123 has Log In"-

Ran gasp and happily she texts him, tapping on the keyboard: "G-MAN 123, it's me Ran."

G-MAN 123: My lovely Ran. At last I can speak to you. How're you doing?

"I'm doing fine. I just wanted to say that I was honored that you like me so much."

G-MAN 123: I only spoke from me heart all those words that i send you

"G-MAN...listen...um...I want to meet you. I want to meet my Secret Admirer."

G-MAN 123: Nothing would please me more, then to see your lovely face. But...what if you don't like the REAL me?

Ran smiles, then types: "What's there not to like about you! You must be one special guy to write those such poetic love letters. Hard to see guys do that nowadays."

G-MAN 123: I am please that you think that way about me.

"So...can i see you. I really wanna do it, getting to know you."

G-MAN 123: I too wish to meet you my lovely fire flower. But for the moment, you'll have to wait a little longer. But rest assure, we WILL meet. Until then...think of me, as I always think of you

-"G-MAN 123 Log Off"-

* * *

The next day, Ran went to talk to Nabiki, hoping that she'd found any leads to her admirer...

"Nabiki, please, tell me you've got something. Anything regarding my admirer."

But...the search came up empty:

Nabiki, with sorrowful eyes, responds, "Sorry Ran, I couldn't get anything. My sources have searched the whole school, investigating everyone, but we've turned up nothing; even I'M surprised at this. And you KNOW that I take great pride in my work, but...it's like...this secret admirer of yours, is really a SECRET admirer. Sorry kiddo."

Ran lets out a sad sigh. "Oh…. That's okay Nabiki, but thanks anyway."

As they pass by each other, Nabiki slips something into Ran's hand. She opens it to find a note with 2500 yen attached – one-fourth of what she's paid Nabiki for information on her mysterious admirer. The note reads thus:

_Consider this your change. _(An arrow points to the money.)

_Please don't hesitate to ask for my services in the future. Just for you, I'll give you a special discount on my usual fee._

_Don't get TOO excited; I'm only doing this because I'm interested in seeing how this love story plays out. And if you tell Ranma or Akane about this, I'll deny it completely. _

_Nice doing business with you._

_Nabiki._

Ran hmph's smiling. "Thanks, Nabiki," she says quietly.

* * *

_**RED CAT GANG'S SECRET BASE:**_

We see Grenademan walking in the halls of the base, smiling and singing a tune...

"I'm in the money, I'm in the money, I'm in the money and there's nothing I can't do! Bum-Bum-bum! I'm in the money, yes in the money...!"

Some of his fellow robots see him and wonder:

Stoneman comments, "Well, looks like SOMEONE's in a good mood."

Geminiman's confused. "Grenademan's happy? And singing? Is this for real or something guys?"

Crashman wonders the same thing. "I'm as confused as you. I can't believe this."

Stoneman calls him out. "HEY, GRENADEMAN! Why the happy attitude? That's so not you."

Grenademan tells them, "Oh guys, it's just that I'm SO happy, because my plan to eliminate that cursed gender-bender Ranma is all set! AND...soon, I'll have someone's love! OH YEAAAAAAH!"

Needless to say...his friends are all confused and gasp simultaneously. Having gotten over the initial shock, Stoneman asks, "Um...did he just say that...he'd have someone's love?"

Crashman's snickering, "Looks like all those blasts he's taken over the years have scrambled his CPU."

Geminiman just shakes his head, somewhat creeped out by Grenademan's unusual behavior. "The more I know about him...the more I DON'T wanna know about him."

* * *

_**FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL – AFTERNOON:**_

Today was gonna be a special day for Ran...why?...well…

As classes ended, Ran stayed behind, because it was her turn for cleaning their classroom.

As she was cleaning the desks, Akane's friend Sayuri came in. "Oh hey Ran, I've got something for you."

Ran puts the broom down. "What is it Sayuri?"

"Well… I got this letter for you."

Ran's heart skips a beat. "A Letter! From who?"

Sayuri shrugs. "Beats me. I didn't read it. All the envelope says it's from a guy, who's nickname is...um...oh yea...G-MAN 123, or something."

"WHAT! G-MAN 123! GIVE IT TO ME SAYURI!"

Ran's reaction startles Sayuri, who quickly hands it over. Once Ran got the letter, she opens it and reads it:

_Dear lovely Ran:_

_As every moment I think of you, is torture for me not being with you._

_For different we may be, my love for you tis not. Tis real._

_We are like two sides of a coin, like the Yin and Yang._

_I want to see you, see you I must._

_Therefore..._

_For if you care for me, as much as I care for you...meet me tomorrow, at the playground._

_I'll wait for you, to show you my true self, for I've been in the shadows far too long. Its time to come out to your light._

_I can't wait to see you...until then...MY LOVELY FLOWER._

_G-MAN 123._

After that, Ran stops reading. The look on her face is a mix of awe and surprise. "No way...no way. I'm finally gonna meet him…" Happy, she's squealing, "Oh man, I'm finally gonna meet my secret admirer! This is SO cool! Hehehehee!"

* * *

_**TENDO RESIDENCE:**_

Ran bursts right into the house...Soun and Genma are playing Shogi - (Come on, that's all they do!) -, Kasumi's making dinner, Nabiki's reading a newspaper, and Ranma and Akane are together watching the TV in the living room.

Seeing Ran bursting with happiness, they ask her:

"Hey Ran, why the happy face?" Ranma wanted to know.

Akane asks, "Did something happen at school?"

Ran grins at them. "Sure did." She's squealing with joy, "I'M FINALLY GONNA MEET MY SECRET ADMIRER!"

Ranma blinks, surprised. "You are? Um, that's great…. I think." _That's odd_, he's wondering. One would think he'd be happy to hear that Ran has someone who's interested in her, but for some reason he's not. Why?

Akane's delighted though. "You are? Oh Ran, that is so cool."

Soun and Genma look up from their game, overhearing the conversation and intervene. "What's this about a secret admirer, Ran?" Soun asks her.

Genma adds, "Yeah. You'd better tell us."

"Well...um...it's like this Mr. Saotome…" So Ran tells Soun and Genma about the letters she's been getting from a secret admirer. Needless to say, they were confused at first...then worried...but finally, they're happy.

Soun gushes, "Oh, isn't it wonderful? Ran's obtained an admirer, a secret admirer. Oh, love from someone you don't know but wants to love you, it's so romantic. Wouldn't you agree Saotome?"

Genma nods. "Quite so. We sure did get many of those in our young days, eh Tendo!"

Soun laughs, "Indeed. We were devils on demand for love! HAHAHAHA."

"So Ran, what's with the joyous face and all?"

Ran tells them, "Oh you guys...guess what...MY SECRET ADMIRER WANTS TO MEET WITH ME TOMORROW!"

Nabiki's just coming in as Ran says this. "You don't say…. Man, now you'll have the chance to meet him in person." _I still can't believe I couldn't find him. Guess I'm getting rusty at my job._

"Oh Ran, I'm so happy for you," Kasumi says, "So, what are you going to do? What you do want to wear when you meet him?"

Ran's a bit nervous though. "I...I really don't know. And to tell the truth guys, I'm nervous."

Ranma's like, "YOU? Nervous? Why, Ran?"

"What if he doesn't like me? I mean...what if I'm not fit for him? Or too cute? Or..."

Akane's quick to support Ran. "RAN, DONT EVER SAY THAT ABOUT YOURSELF!" Calming down, she then says, "YOU are cute, Heck, you are gorgeous. If he doesn't find you like that, than HE"S the one who's not worthy of you!"

"...*Gulp*...You...you really think so?" Ran asks.

It's Ranma who confirms, "Akane's right Ran. Look at you; you've got a body that makes the boys go ga-ga. If he can't see that, he's either blind or stupid! To reject you would be really dumb on his part."

That little bit of encouragement is just what Ran needs. "That's so nice of you, guys. But...i don't know what to wear. Come to think of it... I really don't have much of a wardrobe."

Akane smiles, offering a solution. "Don't worry Ran. I have the right clothes for you, and some that you can have. So c'mon, let's go to my room to choose them."

A happy and teary-eyed Ran says, "Gee…thanks Akane, you really are a friend." She turns in Ranma's direction and is about to say something to him, something she's wanted to for a while now. But Akane's here, so she can't. She takes a deep breath, and allows herself to just feel that love she has for him for a moment. THEN, she just says, "You too, Ranma."

Ranma jokes with her, "Oh enough with the mushy stuffs. Go."

During the afternoon, the Tendo Sisters are helping Ran to pick out what clothes to wear for her date. After looking through so many clothes, they find the right combination.

When Ran looks at herself at the mirror, she's in awe. She was very pretty indeed.

Now the question was...

Was she ready to meet HIM?

* * *

_**AT A PLAYGROUND IN NERIMA…**_

Ran, wearing a lovely dress provided by Akane, was waiting for her admirer to appear. She's nervous, no, petrified. Many thoughts race inside her mind. Would her secret admirer be what she dreamed of?

Would it be her platonic love, namely Ranma?

Or...

Would it be someone's idea of a cruel joke?

Worried, Ran's thinking, Oh_ man! I'm getting goose bumps. Wonder when he'll come? Man, oh man, this is hard for me. I've never had someone care for me. I must embrace my feelings...still..._

Her mind's on a peculiar Pig-Tailed Boy, whose name is Ranma. Even though it was a wishful dream...she still has that little hope.

Aloud, Ran says to herself, "Oh well...nothing to do but to wait for him. Hope he doesn't take too long or I'll..."

"My lovely Ran. I am here," someone calls for her from behind.

Ran gasps in happiness; for it was real...HER SECRET ADMIRER HAS ARRIVED.

"My god...he's here..." She turns around to face him. "I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU CAME AND...HUH!"

What she sees causes her to gasp in shock...

It was NOT a human being...but a Robot in the shape of a Grenade, with a bouquet of Roses in his Metallic Hands.

Ran blinks. "Um...like...who are you? Or better yet, WHAT are you?"

Grenademan's in heaven. He finally gets to meet Ran. "Oh my lovely Ran. It is I...your secret admirer."

Okay...that part shocks Ran big time. "Say what? YOU...YOU'RE MY WHAT!"

"Um...your secret admirer! That's what I said."

Ran shaking her head, not believing what she's just heard. "But...But...But that can't be. You're telling me that IT WAS YOU who sent me all those love letters!"

With joy, Grenademan nods, "Yeah...yeah I did. And for your information, I put a LOT of effort in them. Did you like them? Please tell me."

Ran's in a pickle here. How should she respond now? "Um...well...yea, they were lovely and..."

"YOU DID! OH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH BABY! SO THAT MEANS THAT YOU'LL BE MY GIRL!"

"Hold on a second there. First of all, I don't think that what you're asking for will work."

"W-WHAT! Why not?"

Ran tries gently to tell Grenademan the bad news. "One...it would never work out between the two of us."

Grenademan looks he about to cry. "BUT WHY! You said that our differences didn't matter. You said that!"

"Yeah, but there's a BIG difference between us. I mean, I'm a human girl, and you're a ROBOT for crying out loud."

Grenademan defends himself. "Well...um...what do those boys have that I don't have, eh! Tell me that!"

"Um...a pulse!"

Grenademan snorts at that. "Bah! Big minor details."

"Um..skin!"

"Bad for the sun and U.V rays and all."

"Blood!"

Grenademan's reaching for straws now. "Um...will you settle for machine oil? I mean its RED and liquid and all."

Ran groans, thinking, _God, he's so dense. Okay, so maybe the nice approach isn't getting through to him; guess I'll have to be a little rough._ Aloud, she tells him, "Look, it's not gonna work okay? So I'm leaving."

Grenademan panics as Ran walks away. "WAIT! DONT GO! JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE TO PROVE MY LOVE TO YOU!"

Ran keeps on walking, not even bothering to look back, as she says, "N-O, no."

If she could only see Grenademan now. His eyes are all big, wide, and wet, a sad puppy dog look on his metal face. With a sad sigh, he says, "I see. Could you at least accept this from me?"

Not wanting to hurt him even more, Ran sighs in defeat, "Oh very well…"

"Here, for you." Grenademan tosses a small black ball towards her. She catches it and is about to look into it when suddenly...

**!**

The ball delivers an electric shock to Ran, stunning her, knocking her down AND out. Grenademan walks toward her fallen (and twitching) body.

"Oh yeah! How did you like my Stun-Electric Ball Ran? Shocking, wasn't it? Haahhaha."

Next, he picks her up and slings her over his shoulder. Oddly enough, he's noticed how soft and squishy Ran's bottom is. That pervert.

Grenademan assures her, "Don't worry my love. Once I finish Ranma, I'll win your heart - that's a promise! OH YEAAAAAAAH!"

Oh no!

Ran's been captured by Grenademan!

Who will save her?

Will she survive Grenademan's stupid speeches?

Stay tuned!

TO BE CONTINUED…


	61. Ran's Secret Admirer, Part III

CHAPTER 61

_______****_

_-"RAN'S SECRET ADMIRER!"-  
_(PART III – RESCUE RAN!)

_**RED CATS' SECRET BASE**:_

Grenademan arrives in a happy mood.

"Why?" you ask?

Because he's just captured Ran and has her hidden away somewhere, while he returns to the base to pick up his secret project to eliminate Ranma for good.

Upon heading to his workshop...he's intercepted by High Priest Erick Genryusai, who appears from the shadows. "Well well, looks like SOMEONE's in a good mood. Care to explain why?"

Grenademan jumps, greatly startled by Erick's sudden appearance. "GACK...! Geez, Erick, you gotta tell me how the hell you do that trick! Anyway... it's 'cause I've got the one thing that will lure Ranma Saotome to my trap...and BAM! OUT HE'LL GO GUAHAHAHAHA!"

Erick cocks an eyebrow, curious as to what the Blast King's up to now. "Oh really? And what might THAT be?"

"Oh, as you would put it, "THAT's a secret!" Ehehehehe!"

Erick hmph's, "Is that so? For YOUR sake, you'd better not fail. Or else, you will not see the light of the next day."

Grenademan gets the message. "*Gulp*...got it got it, no problem. Say Erick, can ya help me out with something?"

"Help? With what?"

Grenademan proceeds to explain, "It's like this...*ahem*...I want to lure Ranma out, but I want to do it by leaving him a riddle. You know...something to make him think hard about where my secret place is."

Erick's initially confused. "By riddles? I don't see why not. Okay, I believe I can help you in that. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Grenademan eagerly shakes his head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"So be it. I'll see you later with your request."

* * *

_**NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO, JAPAN - TENDO RESIDENCE:**_

As time is going by, with no word from Ran, the family is getting kind of worried for her. Kasumi's looking at the clock. "Oh dear. Ran is sure taking her time. It's been five hours now, and we haven't heard from her since."

Soun's trying to ease her worries. "Don't worry Kasumi, I'm sure that she's getting to know her secret admirer. Isn't that right Saotome?"

Genma grins at his friend. "Of course. Bet you that they're having a great time. Hahahahha!"

Ranma on the other hand, is outside the dojo, looking up at the moon. Akane comes out to join him. "Hey Ranma, dinner's about to be served, wanna come with me?"

Without turning around, Ranma replies, "Uh! Oh… no Akane, thanks."

Akane's concerned. "Are you alright Ranma?"

Ranma then reveals what's on his mind; he asks his fiancée a question. "Akane, am I the only one who's worried about Ran?"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's just that...I got a bad feeling that something's happened to her. It's like I can feel it. I don't know why, but I know she's in trouble."

"Now that you mention it, you're right. I'm also worried too. And like you, I know that something happen to her. Why...I don't know."

A worried Ranma thinks, _Weird. Why is it that I KNOW that she needs my help? It's like...we're connected or something. What's up with that feeling?"_

Unaware that...they're not the only ones with that bad premonition.

* * *

**_REAL BOUT MARTIAL ARTS BAR & GRILL:_**

As THE MCD (a.k.a Michael Angelus) is working on some paperwork on his office...a ping of fear rushes through him. It's not HIS fear that he feels, but rather someone else's. And his "Angel Sense" has gone off in response to it.

"This is bad," he says aloud to himself. "Something BAD has happened to Ran. I'd better go out and check it out."

In that moment, Yukime walks in and sees her boss changing clothes to go out. "Hey, D…. um...where are you going?"

"ACK!" Angelus is startled by her appearance; he wasn't expecting anyone to enter his office. He quickly covers up the reason for leaving early. "Oh! I...need to deliver some papers. Yeah. I won't take long, and...I'll be back soon, okay?"

Yukime nods, "Yeah… okay, boss."

Once she leaves, he breathes a sigh of relief. "Whew. THAT was close." Getting serious now, he says, "Very well...I must find Ran. And hurry. But first...a change of clothes is in order, I think."

He goes over to his walk-in closet, which coincidentally, is the same one where he keeps his hidden stash of weapons (see chapter 52!). Normally used for storing things like spare uniforms for the employees and miscellaneous office supplies, it comes in handy should danger threaten while he's on the clock.

Pushing a secret button, the stationary shelves on his right-hand side slide out of the way, revealing another hidden door. Angelus opens this door, and inside is his "other" suit… a VERY special white one.

He's smiling as he removes it from storage. "It's been a while since I wore this. Today is a great day as any to wear it."

* * *

**_RED CATS' SECRET BASE:_**

Erick has just summoned Grenademan to his Dark Chamber. Delia in turn brings him over to meet with Erick. Once there, Erick gives him the news. "Grenademan, regarding the help you've requested for your riddle – I've brought you a solution."

Eager to hear it, Grenademan shouts for joy, "You're gonna help me! OH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Not quite."

"HUH! Not quite...then what?"

"You see, I'm not much into riddles. HOWEVER...I've brought you someone who knows a LOT about riddles, who loves riddles. In fact...Riddle is his second name hehehee…." Erick then clears his throat and says, introducing, "Grenademan, I want you to meet...Edward Nigma...also known as THE RIDDLER."

From the shadows, a person walks into the room. He's dress in a weird green jumpsuit, had green lines on his face, and long dark hair, green lips, and carrying a golden staff with a question mark on top of the cane.

[Special Note: Apparently, THIS take on the Riddler is the one seen in _The Batman_]

The Riddler dramatically bows. "Good evenings, folks."

Erick makes the introductions quick. "Riddler, this is Grenademan, the one I talked to you about. Could you assist him in his...um...effort to create a riddle?"

"Hmph. Sure. Why not."

Grenademan's confused, thinking, _THIS person's gonna help me? Ah well, if Erick thinks he's cool, then I can't complain._

Riddler gets his pupil's attention. "Come along my robotic friend, we have work to do."

Grenademan wakes up from his thinking. "HUH! Oh yeah, sure." Then he follows the Riddle out from Erick's chamber.

Once they're gone...an incoming message beeps on one of his floating screens. When Erick answers it, Brightman's face appears on screen. "Ah Brightman. What's the reason for this call? And it'd better be important."

Intimidated by Erick's veiled threat, Brightman reports, "ACK...! Yes. Umm… I've been working on a device that might lead us to the Phoenix Stone."

Erick's like, "Oh? Do tell?" In reality, he's thinking, Ha! I seriously doubt that, but let's hear it anyway.

"I have assembled a machine that will pick up high energy waves. Like a scanner, or a metal detector. The point is...ahem...by tapping into the Phoenix Stone's energy source, my machine will lead us right to it. Well, do you like it? What do you think?"

Erick sweatdrops, sighing and shaking his head. Brightman's considered the smartest of Dr. Wily's robots – which is probably the reason Wily made him his assistant – but when he does things like THIS, it proves he's about as smart as his master.

Does this narrator need to elaborate further on this? No? Okay then.

"Err... it sounds good and all. But...there's just a little problem with your invention."

Brightman can't believe it. He'd theorized and done the research, ran the possible scenarios, so HOW could there be a problem? "HUH! A problem? What? WHAT!"

Erick then spells it out for the genius robot. "In order to even GET a lick on the Phoenix Stone's whereabouts, YOU must have the Phoenix Stone's source energy. And since we DON'T have THAT, your little device would be, well… practically useless. Don't you think so, Bright-Boy?"

Poor Brightman. That was something even HE did not foresee. 'D'oh'-ing it like Homer Simpson, he smacks his head. "D'OH! I forgot!" Now humiliated, he shrinks away, saying "Back to the drawing board."

_That was a given, my genius idiot colleague._ Erick thinks; aloud, he says, "Yes. Back to the drawing board. But DO keep up the good work."

Brightman logs off after that. Too bad he'd hung up before Delia said, "Oh well, at least he's trying, wouldn't you agree, my love?"

Erick nods, "That he is, sweetie, that he is."

* * *

_**IN GRNADEMAN'S WORKSHOP:**_

The Riddler has just heard Grenademan's idea of using riddles to lure his prey (Ranma!) into a trap. "So my metallic friend," he asks. "What kind of Riddle would you like to use?"

Grenademan explains, "Well…um… I was thinking of using this kind that's confusing, y'know, where he's really gotta think hard what the solution is. Those kind."

"My, my, IT can think. Hu hu hu hu...Ggg…ACK!" Riddler's chuckling at Grendeman's expense was stopped as Grenademan lifts him up, clutching his throat with his giant metal hand and begins to choke him. He's suffocating, gasping for air, as his face changes several shades of blue.

In a pissed-off voice, Grenademan threathens, "Yeah, well this "thing" can also crack your head like a walnut IF YOU KEEP INSULTING IT! UNDERSTAND! HUH!"

The Riddler's just seconds away from unconsciousness, or worse, getting his head squished into a pulpy mess. "Yea…" he can barely squeak.

"Good." Grenademan then releases him and the resume working. Riddler massages his throat and recovers the breath to his lungs, making a mental note not to insult this robot's intelligence; after all, he likes living too much.

After 10 minutes...Grenademan explain to him the riddles he would like to use. Riddler heard him out (this time!); analyzing his problem, and then concludes, "It comes to my attention that you need some kind of plan to make this riddle. After all, you'll need lots of knowledge to come up with interesting riddles."

Grenademan rolls his eyes, responding back, "Geez…I KNOW that...but I wanted your help. I need them to lure my Arch-Foe Ranma into my trap and destroy him. Come on man, lend me a hand here!"

For some strange reason, Riddler's touched by the robot's stubbornness and dedication. It was the same dedication he once had to destroy his hated enemy the Batman. So...he decides to help him. "Ah, such a fire of dedication you have. Even though you're a robot, you possess what every human has..."

"Oh! And what's that?"

"The dedication to pursue your goal. And most of all...the dedication to get rid of your foe." The Riddler sadly sighs, "As I had against Batman."

Grenademan blinks, confused by what he's just heard. "HAD! What do you mean HAD! You mean you no longer hate this Batman...?" Then he laughs, "BATMAN!GYAHAHAHAHAHA...THAT'S A FUNNY NAME FOR A GUY! WHAT'S NEXT...CATMAN, DOGMAN...COWMAN...BIIIIIIIIIIIIIRDMAN! BWAHAHAAAA!"

Riddler finds himself laughing too. "Yes, I too thought the same thing. But enough humor...let's get to work on your riddle. Okay?"

"OH YEAAAAH!"

* * *

**_RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:_**

Erick is delivering his reports on the quest for the Phoenix Stone. The Cat Statue inquires of his right-hand man, "Meow...I hope that you have good news regarding the Phoenix Stone Erick!"

Erick replies, "Indeed. We are now using some of my Zero-Bots to locate it. Do not worry Cat Ghost King, the Stone will be found. It's just a matter of time."

"See that they do, meow. I can't wait to hold its tremendous power. Then...I WILL BE SUPREME MEOW! I WILL RULE THIS WORLD NYAHAHAHAHAA!"

Erick laughs, thinking, _Ha! That's what you think furball!_ "I know you will your highness."

"Oooooh, things are going so smooth so far. And I have you to thank, Erick. You have been a great help."

"Oh, you give me too much credit, your Excellency. Well...I must be going. There's still many things I must do. Adieu."

Once outside the Shrine...Erick heads for the Control Room, when he sees The Riddler and Grenademan walking toward him. "You guys. So...how did things work out with Grenademan, Riddler? Did you help him?"

The Riddler tells him, "Indeed. We've just finish the riddles that he wanted. And I must say...for being a robot, he sure has quite an imagination. A little dull, perhaps, but good enough."

"That's nice. So Grenademan...now that you have what you wanted...I suggest that you get a move on in destroying Ranma...FAST."

Grenademan's full of all-out 100% confidence now. "Oh yeah!...Now that I've got my riddles...ITS TIME TO LET 'EM LOOSE! AND RANMA WILL DIEEEE! GYAHAHAHAHA OH YEAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Erick stops him, commanding, "ENOUGH. Just go now."

"Whoops! Sorry! See you!"

Then Grenademan runs off for his destination. Erick turns around and talks with Riddler. "Thank you so much for your help Edward."

The Riddler bows, pleased at hearing that. "Oh, it's the least I could do. After all, I owe you a lot for the second opportunity you gave me. And for that, I'll be forever in your debt."

"No problem, hehehehe….," Erick chuckles. "So... Are you enjoying your new job and life?"

"Yes. It is the best job that I ever dreamed of. I love it. It's the job that I was born to be in. And all thanks to you and your gorgeous fiancée Delia."

Dr. Wily walks in to deliver a message to Erick. "Hey Erick, M. Bison is calling for you. He says that..." When he spots The Riddler, he snickers, "Like… hehehe, who's the Goth guy in green?"

Erick tells him, "This Wily, is Edward Nigma, also known as The Riddler."

"Riddler? That's a weird name." Then Wily gasps, remembering, "Wait a minute. I think I've heard that name before." He rubs his chin as he's thinking. "Riddler, Riddler...wait! Isn't he that villain from that city called...um...yeah...Gotham?"

The Riddler chuckles – he's impressed that Wily recognizes him. "Why yes. I do have a reputation. So I guess it's true about you Wily, "Wisdom comes with Age"-"

Dr. Wily sweatdrops, confused. "Huh? What's THAT supposed to mean!"

"Or… maybe not."

* * *

**_TOKYO TOWER:_**

Grenademan arrives at the Tokyo Tower, carrying Ran on his shoulder (she's still passed out) as well as carrying many electronic gadgets and explosives.

"Yeah. This is the place. Once I set up all this stuff, I'll lure Ranma here...GYAHAHAHAHA...HE WONT KNOW WHATS WAITING FOR HIM!. HE'LL GO BOOM, AND I'LL GO OH YEAAAAAAAAH! AND RAN WILL BE MINE! OH YEAAAAAAAAAH! BUAHAHAHAHA!"

Just as he's about to proceed...he hears some music coming his way. When he looks up, he sees a van coming his way. It's a rather weird van, like a commercial one. It was white, had weird beer logos on it, as well as beer inside, with the words –"DUFF BEER"- painted on either side.

"What the heck is that?"

When the Van stops...the doors open up and many cute girls step out of the vehicle, dressed like cheerleaders, carrying pom-poms, and cheering for Duff Beer.

Next, a guy steps out.

When Grenademan gets a look at him, he laughs.

The man's dressed in a peculiar, yet hilarious, costume. He has blue and white tights, a red cape, blonde hair, dark glasses, and a red cap, following by many beers around his waist, and on his chest is the Logo of Duff Beer.

Grenademan chuckles at this caped loony, "Like, who's he? A Superman-wanna-be, with Beer?"

The person was none other then the goofy hero of beer from the Simpsons...

"Hello there. I'm DUFFMAN! And I've come all the way from Springfield to face you, you Metal Fiend!"

Grenademan blinks. "Um...to face me? TO FACE ME! HAHAHAHAAAA! What for!"

"Duffman has found out that you yell -"OH YEAH!"-. That is MY line, and my company phrase. And I cannot allow you to use it. So I'm suing YOU for copyrights!"

"Suing me! You nuts!"

"So, Duffman gives you this choice...Either you stop using my line -"OH YEA"-. Or Duffman will drag your Metallic Butt to Court. What do you think of that baby! OH YEAAAAH!" he says, and then strikes a pose, flexing his muscles.

The Duff-Cheerleaders cheer him on. "YEAH, YOU'RE THE MAN, DUFFMAN!"

Duffman hmph's, grinning, "Dont I know it."

Grenademan's seen enough. "Here's MY choice...CATCH!"

Next...he takes out a Flash Bomb, and then tosses it at Duffman. Duffman grabs it, panicking as the Bomb begins to glow. "OH NOOOOO...! mommy…"

**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The blast sends a burnt and charbroiled Duffman flying high in the friendly skies. He cries out as he goes airborne, "DUFFMAN WILL BE baaaaaaaaaaaaaack…!"

Concerned for him, the Duff-Cheerleaders shriek, "OH NO! DUFFMAN!" Then they get in the van and drive off after Duffman.

Grenademan's pretty pleased with himself afterwards. "Heheheh... guess I showed that jerk not to mess with me...OH YEAH! Now to leave Ran here, set up my trap and head to the TV Station for phase two of my plan."

* * *

**_TENDO RESIDENCE - 9:00 PM:_**

It was getting very late, and the Tendo and Saotomes haven't heard a word from Ran since she went to meet up with her secret admirer. Now Ranma's more than worried. Their families are also worried by that time.

With concern in his voice, Soun tells Genma, "I'm getting very worried Saotome. It's getting very late, and Ran hasn't shown up, nor called us."

Genma agrees, "Tell me about it Tendo. It's not like her to be this late. I know she wants to have fun, but at this hour? It is not right for her."

Kasumi worries, "Oh dear. I hope that she's alright. She's been gone since this morning. Do you think she's okay?"

Nabiki shrugs in her sister's direction, "I really don't know now. But, I'm also getting worried too. Maybe I should go out and look for her."

Soun agrees, "Yes, that's a great idea Nabiki. We will ALL go out and search for her."

At that moment, the evening news was on the TV. The newscaster is on screen giving coverage on the usual news and upcoming events. He's about to remind the viewers at home about the latest weather forecast ...when something big was gonna happen...

_"...and in the weather, we have reports of a possible rain storm coming tonight. So people, we..." The newscaster's eyes go wide for some strange reason, a look of surprise on his face. "Hey! Who are you! What are you doing here!"_

Ranma and company see what's happening on the news station... as they see and hear noises in the background, of someone entering the studio. They see a robot appear on the TV. Not just any robot...but someone they knew too well...especially Ranma, Genma and Soun.

It was Grenademan, who's entered the TV Station and interrupted the broadcast.

The newscaster demands of this unexpected (and unwanted!) guest, _"HEY! WHO ARE YOU! GET OUT OF HERE BEFOR...UCK!"_ But he couldn't finish his sentence, for Grenademan's just grabbed him by the throat and lifts him up...

Grenademan brings the man face-to-face with him. _"Listen, is this the News Station?"_

_"..Y-yeah...,"_ the poor newsman can barely utter."

_"Oh, uh, right."_ Grenademan releases him, and then says, _"Ahem... Listen buster. I came to deliver a message. Can you tell me when we'll be on the Air?"_

Everybody in the TV studio sweatdrops at his stupid question. Even Ranma.

The newscaster tells him, _"...um...we ARE on the Air."_

_"We are...?"_ Grenademan blushes, realizing his mistake. _"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh...so we are. Silly me! Hee hee hee hee!"_

Scientists at the National Geological Survey had reported a small earthquake in Tokyo and the surrounding wards. Later, they would realize it wasn't an earthquake, but rather the sounds of millions of people facefaulting simultaneously.

And all the while, the cameras are still rolling as this is being broadcast LIVE on national TV. Many people see Grenademan, including….

* * *

**_AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE:_**

The Cat Statue, Erick and Delia, as well as everybody else see him on the big screen TV at the Cat Ghost King's shrine.

Dr. Wily is furious. "What in the world does that MORON think he's doing!"

Bubbleman guesses, "Um...maybe he's trying to get a job there?"

Bass has his arms crossed as he stands behind and to the left of Erick. Watching the Blast King's antics on screen, he just shakes his head, saying, "Oh yeah, Grenademan's FINALLY gone off the deep end. Maybe he's lost it. Hahahaha!" Then he realizes, "Oh, wait, what am I saying? This is GRENADEMAN we're talking about here. That bot's lost his sanity a LONG time ago. Sheesh!"

Erick, surprisingly, is quiet as all this is happening. But the look on his face clearly says he is NOT pleased with the way Grenademan's handling things right now. He's thinking, _Just what IS Grenademan up to? Appearing on national television could jeopardize our mission! For his sake, his little plan MUST NOT fail!_

* * *

**_AT DR. LIGHT'S HOUSE:_**

The scientist Dr. Light, along with his children and Lan Hikari, is watching the news that evening.

Megaman gasps when he spots the Wily bot. "Hey, that's Grenademan! What's he's doing at the TV Station?"

It's hard to tell since he's always wearing his shades, but Protoman's equally surprised. "Good question, bro. We must wait and see."

Already Roll doesn't like what's going on. "Whatever he's doing there, it can't be good."

Dr. Light nods, agreeing with Roll. "Roll's right. I wonder what Wily sent him there for?"

* * *

_**AND BACK AT THE TENDOS':**_

Soun's the first to recognize their old enemy from before. "Saotome! Isnt that the Robot we fought a while ago?"

Looking closer, Genma realizes, "It is Tendo! It's the same one!"

Ranma, upon looking at Grenademan, begin to have a terrible feeling. A feeling of danger.

_Oh man. It's that robot that tried to blow me up! What's he doing there? I got a bad feeling about this…_

_

* * *

_

At the TV Station, Grenademan has knocked out all the security guards in the building with some of his Stun Bombs. A few brave fools thought they could take him on, but he'd had to 'enlighten' them by smacking them silly. Next thing...he's in front of the camera, but also looking for something on him.

"Where is it? Where is it? I know it's around here somewhere...!" he's whispering as he searches the compartments in his body armor. Finding it, he takes out a piece of paper. "Alright, here it is!" Out loud to the viewers, he announces, "_ALRIGHT...*AHEM*...IS THIS THING ON? COOL. OK. NOW...I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR RANMA SAOTOME! I, THE MIGHTY GRENADEMAN, HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO YOU. "WHAT IS THAT?" YOU MIGHT SAY?...THIS...!"_

He then takes out a remote control, clicks it, and a video shows up of Ran tied up to a machine.

* * *

Ranma gasps, anger and shock on his face. "NO! THAT'S RAN! THAT BASTARD'S GOT HER!"

Akane's wearing a horrified expression. "RANMA! THAT'S RAN. WHAT'S THAT MONSTER DONE TO HER!"

Soun's in full hysterics, wailing away, crying, "THIS IS TERRIBLE. THAT CRAZY ROBOT'S KIDNAPPED RAN!"

* * *

At the Light compound, Megaman can't believe how low Grenademan's stooped this time. "I don't believe it. Grenademan's kidnapped that young girl!"

Roll is saddened by this. "No way! Why would he do that? That's cruel!"

Protoman just says, "Tell me about it. But then again, this IS Wily's Bots we're talking about."

* * *

Back to Grenademan at the TV Studio...

_"AS YOU CAN SEE RANMA, I GRENADEMAN, HAVE TAKEN YOUR FRIEND RAN AS MY P.O.W. IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN...AND ALIVE..COME AND RESCUE HER! IF YOU CAN THAT IS...GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

_

* * *

_Oh yeah, Ranma's angry now. He clenches his fists as he mutters, "Oh you bet I will you jerk. And you'll be sorry for that."

* * *

Grenademan continues, _"IF YOU WANT TO FIND HER, YOU'LL HAVE TO SOLVE THIS RIDDLE OF MINE. LISTEN CLOSELY..._

_-" I AM TALL, FOR I REACH THE SKY..._

_I AM STRONG FOR I'M HARD AS STEEL.._

_I AM LOVED BY ALL AND VISITED BY ALL, YET I DON'T MOVE..._

_I AM OLD, YET I DO NOT SHOW IT..._

_FOR I AM AS TALL...AS MY FRENCH SISTER IS"-_

_"And that's the Riddle Ranma...solve it and you'll find Ran. And me. So hurry up. You have 3 hours to do it. Fail to show up...and Ran will be sorry. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

_"And that's a wrap people! OH YEAH!"_

Grenademan ends the evening news with a bang - literally! – by tossing a Flash Bomb into the camera. The explosion takes out the cameras, leaving viewers watching static on their TV screen for about five seconds, and then a sign appears:

EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAND BY

* * *

**_AT THE TENDOS':_**

Seeing that, the Saotome and Tendo families are now in a state of unrest. The reactions of everyone in the room vary from shock to panic to worry and anger. Grenademan has just laid down an ultimatum!

Akane holds on to Ranma for support; she's distraught over what's happening to her best friend Ran. "OH NO! RANMA! THAT METAL ROBOT HAS RAN. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING! WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!"

Ranma hugs her back for comfort. "I know Akane. But we gotta solve that riddle. It's the only way to know where he's hiding her."

Kasumi poses the question, "But...what does that riddle mean?"

Soun considers it. "Hmm…. Good question, Kasumi. Tall to reach the sky…."

Genma adds, "…And hard as steel?"

Nabiki might be on to something. "Hey guys. I think it's a building. Maybe that whacko has Ran inside a building."

Akane catches on. "She's right. Now if we could find it, we..."

Ranma snorts, "Hate to break it to you...but Tokyo has many buildings. Ain't no way we'll be able to search them all in time."

Nabiki sadly sighs, "Oh yeah, you're right"

Kasumi encourages, "Everyone, we cant give up now. Ran needs us. We have to think harder."

And so the whole family works to figure out the Blast King's riddle. It's a hard time they're going right now, for attempting to solve it was driving them all nuts. When they were about to throw in the towel...something happens...as Ranma's thought about it long and hard...

_What could it be as tall and made of metal? Who's known to all…. and as tall as its French sister is?_ He gasps. _Unless it's... _Aloud he tells everyone, "THAT'S IT!"

Akane wonders, "What's it Ranma?'

"I've solved the riddle. I know where Grenademan is keeping Ran."

Soun brightens up on hearing that. "You do? Well tell us, son! Hurry!"

"What's the name of that famous tower in France, where it's visited by all the tourists?"

Nabiki's response is, "Well, it's the Eiffel Tower, of course. But what's your point Ranma?"

Ranma explains, "Because Japan's got a building like that, too. Can any of you guys guess?"

After some thinking...it hits them all.

Akane gasps, "Ranma...you don't mean...?"

Ranma nods affirmatively, "Oh yeah, Akane. Grenademan has Ran and is hidden in Tokyo Tower. That's where she is."

Nabiki's speechless about Ranma's logic. "My god. I don't believe it. Ranma thought of something and solved it. Miracles CAN happen I guess."

"Hey! I can think too, y'know! But that's not important right now. I gotta go and rescue Ran before that metal moron hurts her."

Worried for her fiancée, Akane pleads, "Ranma, you can't go alone to face him! It's too dangerous!"

"I know that Akane. But would you rather abandon Ran to her fate? I gotta do it...for her sake."

Soun supports his son-in law. "Ranma's right Akane. We can't leave Ran at the mercy of that whacko. You have to have faith in him."

Nabiki adds, "He's right you know. Ranma is more then capable of doing it."

Akane nods, remembering the rivals Ranma's faced as well as the times he's saved her life. "You're right. Please Ranma. Save her. I know you'll do it."

Ranma smiles genuinely at her. "Thanks Akane..."

From the Tendo Compound...Ranma runs out the house and dashing fast...when he's out, Akane comes out after him and yelling out to him, "PLEASE RANMA, SAVE RAN! YOU ARE HER ONLY HOPE!"

* * *

_**TOKYO TOWER:**_

On the top level of the tower, we see Grenademan fiddling around with some electronic parts as he walks about the room, while Ran is still unconscious.

As he's assembling the trap he's set for Ranma. he's singing, "Blowing up by daylight! Making out in the moonlight! Killing everything in sight! I am the one called... Sailor BOOM! OH YEAH!"

It was around the time he'd finished with that horrible off-key singing that Ran begins to stir. She has a big headache and everything's all foggy from her perspective, so much so that she doesn't recognize where she is. When she tries to clear her sights...

Ran weakly groans, "Man...What happened?" Slowly coming to, she realizes, "Oh yeah, that robot got me."

"You're awake I see. That's good," a familiar voice says.

She then sees Grenademan in front of her. But she's not happy to see him. "YOU! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! WHERE AM I!"

Grenademan covers his ears from the shouting. "Hey hey, no need to yell. I'm not deaf you know. So cool down," he tells her calmly.

"Cool down? COOL DOWN! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME! WHERE AM I! WHAT IS THIS PLACE!"

"Easy. You're on the top floor of Tokyo Tower. As for why I brought you here, and doing this...Heh…heh…heh...simple...Ranma."

Ran's heart skips a beat. "Ranma? What about him?"

Grenademan spells it out for her. "Ranma beat me. AND I DONT LIKE TO LOSE TO ANYBODY, ESPECIALLY TO A HUMAN! So...you're gonna be the bait."

Ran warns him, "YOU'LL BE SORRY. RANMA WILL FIND ME. YOU'LL SEE!"

"Oh I know that. In fact...I'M COUNTING ON IT!. CAUSE WHEN HE GETS HERE...THIS WILL BE WAITING FOR HIM! MWAHAHAHAHA!"

When Ran sees Grenademan's work...she sees something that makes her skin pale...

And it frightens her so much that she can only whisper, "No. You can't….!"

Grenademan's already gloating, "Can't? OH YES I CAN! THIS BABY WILL ELIMINATE RANMA FOR GOOD! GYAHAHAHAHA! Whaddya think of THAT, girlie!"

A worried Ran thinks, _Ranma...please. Save me. I need you. You're my only hope!_

* * *

- (Insert Music...

***** HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO ***** by Bonnie Tylor.

Ranma is running fast as lightning through Nerima. He's worried and angry...

Worried for Ran's safety. And angry with Grenademan for kidnapping her.

Ranma says while running, "Ran, please, just hang on. I'm coming. That robot bastard...I'LL MAKE HIM PAY DEARLY FOR WHAT HE'S DOING TO YOU!"

_**Where have all good men gone**_  
_**And where are all the gods?**_  
_**Where is the street-wise Hercules**_  
_**To fight the rising odds?**_

_**Is not there a white knight upon a fiery steed?**_  
_**Late at night I toss & turn & I dream of what I need**_

(A scene where Ran has her eyes close, sad, with a tear running down her face.)

Change where Ranma is running toward Tokyo Tower.

**_#chorus#_**  
**_I need a hero_**  
**_I am holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night_**  
**_He has have got to be strong_**  
**_And he has have got to be fast_**  
**_And he has have got to be fresh from the fight_**  
**_I need a hero_**  
**_I am holding out for a hero 'til the morning light_**  
**_He has have got to be sure_**  
**_And it is have got to be soon_**  
**_And he has have got to be larger than life (larger than life)_**

Images were flashing inside Ranma's mind as he's running. Images of Ran smiling at him. Images of him with her, in sparring or having an ice cream with her and Akane.

He was determined to save her, no matter what.

_**Somewhere after midnight**_  
_**In my wildest fantasy**_  
_**Somewhere just beyond my reach**_  
_**There's someone reaching back for me**_

_**Racing on the thunder & rising with the heat**_  
_**It is going to take a superman to sweep me off my feet**_

Up in the skies, Megaman's flying on Rush-Jet. Then he looks down and spots Ranma running fast. "Hey, that looks like Ranma. Yeah! It IS him. Where he's running to? Rush, let's go down."

Ranma's still running, when...

-"Hey Ranma!" -

Whoever it is makes Ranma stops in his tracks. "HUH! Who's there!"

Next, he sees what looks like a kid in blue armor, hovering on some sort of jet-board with the looks of a robot canine, landing in front of him. "What the? Who are you?"

The Blue Bomber quickly introduces himself. "Hey there. My name's Megaman, and this is my companion Rush."  
Ranma blinks. "Uhh...Hi. How do you know me anyway?"  
"Easy. I'm a friend of Ran's. She told me about you."  
Now THAT gets Ranma's attention. "Ran…." He whispers. Then, raising his voice in excitement, "YOU KNOW HER!"  
"Yeah. Met her a while ago. Say...where are you going?"  
"I'm going to save her. She was kidnapped by that crazy robot Grenademan!"  
Megaman gasps, "That's right. Do you know where she is?"  
"Yeah. He's got her hostage in Tokyo Tower. I gotta get down there."  
"Wait! I'll come with you. You're gonna need my help, since I know how Grenademan fights. And, believe me; I've tangled with him before many times."

Things are really looking up for Ranma now, folks. Now he's got a partner to help him take down Grenademan and save Ran. He puts out his hand to Megaman, and they shake hands, confirming the team-up. "Okay then. And thanks!"

**_#chorus#_**

**_Up where the mountains meet the heavens above_**  
**_Out where the lightning splits the sea_**  
**_I'd swear that there's someone somewhere_**  
**_Watching me_**  
**_Through the wind & the chill & the rain_**  
**_And the storm & the flood_**  
**_I can feel his approach_**  
**_Like a fire in my blood_**

**_#chorus#_**

Our duo of heroes, Ranma and Megaman have reached Tokyo Tower. Thanks to Megaman's canine pal Rush (in Rush-Jet form) they made it there with time to spare. Ranma looks up at the tower. "Well, this is it. Tokyo Tower."  
Megaman nods. "Sure is. And that girl Ran is in the top floor. We'd better get a move on."  
"Yeah. I'm gonna make that robot pay big time for what he's doing. LET'S GO!"

Just as they're about to make their move...

-"Hold it right there Ranma Saotome!"- A voice from above commands.

Ranma looks around. "HUH! Who said that? Show yourself!"  
Megaman points upward. "Ranma! Look up there."

The team looks up and sees someone. Standing atop a street lamp, is a ninja dressed in white, with his arms crossed across his chest. His face is covered by a mask, and a long shinobigatana (Ninja sword) is strapped to his back. He's striking a cool pose, as the wind blows his long blue scarf around him.

Ranma's got no time for this. Glaring angrily at the newcomer, he demands, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"Do not be afraid of me Ranma," the stranger quickly deflects. "I'm not an enemy, but an ally and friend. As for who I am, let's just say I'm a shadow that serves the light. You may call me "Gekka no Hakuryuu" or simply, "Gekka". It will have to do for now."

Megaman, having some understanding of Japanese, figures out the meaning of the name. "The White Dragon of the Moonlight?"

"Correct," the ninja confirms. "The two of you are on your way to rescue Ran, am I right?"

Ranma tells him, "That's right. And standing around here won't help her. So if you'll excuse me "Gekka", or whoever you really are, I must be off."  
Gekka warns, "Do not rush into a fight in which you do not have knowledge of your enemy."  
"What are you talking about!"  
"Simple. Don't go into a battle without having a plan. Otherwise, you'll be walking in there blind and clumsy, and your enemy WILL kill you. So please listen to me. We must work together. Only then, we can rescue Ran. So, what do you say?"

Ranma, for some strange reason, trusts this ninja...as for why...he doesn't know. _Why is it that I can trust him, even though I've only just met him? Weird. _  
When Ranma doesn't respond right away, "Gekka" solemnly assures him, leaving no room for doubt. "Believe me when I say this: I will allow NO harm to come to the girl. You have my word."  
The ninja's honorable words melt away Ranma's reluctance. "Oh… very well. So what do we do now?"  
"Thank you. Now...the first thing we do is this..."

* * *

On the top of Tokyo Tower, Grenademan's standing there, waiting for Ranma to show up. Behind him, is Ran, chained up to a fiendish device, struggling to free herself, but with no luck.

With impatience obvious in his voice, Grenademan urges, "Come on come on Ranma. Show yourself! Man, this whole waiting routine is SO NOT my style. But, he'll show up...He'd BETTER show up!"

"Why are you doing this?" Ran wanted to know.  
"Why? WHY! I'LL TELL YOU WHY! It's because I loved you...and you rejected me! REJECTED ME! WHY...! JUST BECAUSE I WAS A ROBOT?"  
"You're still going on about that! I told you it could never work out. We're just too different."  
Grenademan won't stand for that. He yells at her, "SHUT UP. JUST SHUT UP. YOU DONT KNOW NOTHING AND..."

-"Alright you hunk of metal! Let Ran go!"-

"HUH!"

They both see Ranma standing in a battle pose, ready to fight.

Ran happy rejoices, "RANMA! YOU CAME!"

Grenademan evilly chuckles, "Well well well. Look who's here. Looks like you made it after all, huh? I thought that you were gonna take longer. Guess I was wrong."

Ranma's not even trying to hear that. "Enough with the flattery; release Ran NOW."

Grenademan's sarcastically mocks, "Oh sure, no problem. And I'll surrender and kiss your fleshy butt too! NOT! You want Ran...! I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HER! SHE'S MINE! AND AS FOR YOU...I'LL DESTROY YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW! OH YEAH!"

Ranma cracks his knuckles, ready to clean Grenademan's clock. "Bring it on. I kicked your metallic butt once...AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN!"

Uh oh...this part makes Grenademan pissed off. "I'LL KILL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…!"

Round 2 between Ranma and Grenademan starts. Grenademan makes the first attack. "TAKE THIS...FLASH BOMBS!" As before...Grenademan began to toss severa Flash Bombs toward Ranma, who runs and/or evades them.

Ranma mutters, "Man...not this again. He sure ain't very creative. But I won't give up."

During one dodge...Ranma jumps up and kicks one Flash Bomb, like a professional Soccer Player, and sends it toward Grenademan. Grenademan catches it... "HUH!" His eyes go wide, when he realizes, "HEY! WAIT A MINUTE...!"

**BOOOOOOOOOM!**

After the explosion...Grenademan's black and smoking. "HEY...YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GO BOOM, NOT ME! YOU CHEATER!"

Ranma's sarcastic reply to that, "Oh, I'm sorry, how clumsy of me. My bad!"

Grenademan growls, "OH, YOU WILL BE...TAKE THIS!" Next he jumps and points his weapon arm, firing a Bazooka-like Bomb at Ranma…

Only to be stopped as a laser blast comes out and destroys the Bomb. Next...Megaman lands right beside Ranma, and now the battle's 2-on-1.

Grenademan briefly has a surprised look on his face. "HUH!" Then, he laughs, "Gwhahaha...well well...what have we here?... Ranma AND Megaman? This must be my lucky night. I'll get rid of TWO enemies! HAHAHAHA!"

Megaman's pointing his Mega-Buster, aiming right at the loony Wily bot. "Don't count on it, Grenademan. Now, surrender, or face us."

Grenademan's rubbing his metal chin, pretending to decide. "Gee...what to chose. Tough choice. Oooh! I know! How ABOUT THIS! A NEW WEAPON OF MINE...ZX FLASH BOMB!"

He launches three more Flash Bombs. But these ones are different...instead of a single orb with four smaller spheres attached to it, the spheres are replaced with sharp pointy spikes, making them resemble stars.

Upon seeing them...Ranma and Megaman jump away.

Megaman puts down Grenadman's so-called new weapons. "Huh! Oh come on. They look like your old Flash Bombs, but with spikes! What's so new about them?"

Ranma laughs, "Perhaps he's losing his mind. They look the same to me. Dude has NO originality whatsoever."

With an evil laugh, Grenademan hints, "That what you guys think! heheheheh!"

"Huh!" Megaman & Ranma utter simultaneously. To their surprise...the ZX Flash Bombs suddenly TURN AROUND and glide toward them...

**BOOM!**

Ranma and Megaman both felt the pain from that explosion, and that's if the spikes didn't get 'em. On the ground...

Ranma moans in pain, "Man...what...what happened? How did he do that?"

Grenademan does a little pre-victory dance as he gloats, "Like my little surprise guys? Hahaha. Let me explain...those bombs aren't ordinary Flash Bombs...they're HOMING bombs!"

Megaman can't believe it. "WHAT! But you don't have those!"

"Yeah...WELL I DO NOW! AHAHAHAHA...AND THE BEST PART OF ALL. THEY'RE HEAT SEEKERS FOR YOU RANMA, AND TUNED TO YOUR ELECTRONIC SIGNAL MEGAMAN!"

With widened eyes, Ranma realizes, "Wait...you mean..."

"THAT'S RIGHT...NO MATTER WHERE YOU RUN, THESE BABIES WILL FOLLOW YOU TWO AND GO BOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Now the duo is worried. For those Bombs could follow them everywhere, making it hard to evade them. Ranma's cursing this turn of events. "Damn...now it's gonna be hard. But I can't let him get to me. I gotta save Ran at all costs!"

Ran's yelling her encouragement from high up. "RANMA! DON'T GIVE UP. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!"

"And now...It's TIME TO GO BOOM! HAHAHA!" And Grenademan tosses three more ZX Flash Bombs. Ranma and Megaman are ready to face them...but...3 Kunai blades zoom into and deflect the bombs, sending them elsewhere and where they detonate.

Grenademan's like, "HUH? That wasn't supposed to happen! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!"

-"The true warrior relies on his skills. Not on trickery or weapons."- A mysterious voice echoes throughout the tower.

"WHO SAID THAT!" Grenademan angrily demands. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

Appearing out of nowhere, the white ninja "Gekka no Hakuryuu" (who's really THE MCD / Michael Angelus) lands in front of him.

"Like...who or WHAT are YOU supposed to be. Answer me!"

As befitting a hero-type who practices the art of stealth, Gekka quietly intones, "A blade of justice that will cut evil down. I am..." he then strikes a heroic pose as he finishes… "Musabetsu Seikyoukuken*... Gekka no Hakuryuu."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: * Musabetsu Seikyoukuken = Anything-Goes Holy Fist]

Ranma's ears go up on hearing the name of Gekka's style. Did he just say "Anything-Goes"?

Grenademan blinks, utterly confused. "White Dragon?" Then, he belly-laughs, "Hohohoo… Bwhahahaha!...That's a funny name for someone who's dressed in his pajamas!"

Gekka ignores Grenademan's pathetic attempt to insult him – 'cause he's just that cool. He rallies his comrades. "Ranma, Megaman. We must work together and make a plan to defeat this enemy and save Ran."

Ranma agrees, but… "Easier said then done. How?"

"One of us must reach Ran and free her. Megaman, you know how Grenademan fights, so the two of us will handle him. Ranma, you must go and save Ran. Now hurry."

Ranma nods, understanding the plan. "You got it!"

Grenademan interrupts, "HEY, LADIES, IF YOU'RE DONE GIRL-TALKING, LETS GET BACK TO WHERE I'M ABOUT TO FINISH YOU OFF!"

Gekka snorts in Grenademan's direction, "Do not let overconfidence rule you, or it will lead you to your defeat."

"Whatever...NOW DIE! ZX FLASH BOMBS!"

Tossing many ZX Flash Bombs, Gekka, Megaman and Ranma trytheir best to dodge them. But the bombs track them and continue their deadly course toward them. Grenademan believes he's got them on the ropes. Ran's worried for her rescuers.

In the heat of the fight, while evading the bombs...

Ranma is frustrated, snapping, "Damn it. We can't keep dodging these bombs forever. We need to stop them."

While dodging, Gekka says, "Ranma's right. The question is how? No matter how we evade them, they'll keep on following us."

"Hey...I've have a crazy idea. If those bombs follow us...then how about if we take them to him?"

As Megaman's jumping up to evade another bomb, he asks, "What do you mean by that Ranma?"

"Just follow my lead guys." Next...Ranma begins to run around, with the bomb on his back. Gekka's confused at this strange plan...but soon catches on to Ranma's idea and follows his lead. Megaman took a little time to figure it out and soon, he too went along.

Now Grenademan's confused...why where they running around in circles. It didn't make any sense at all. Still, he taunts, "RUN ALL YOU LIKE...BUT MY BABIES WILL FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO!"

Ranma says while running, a smirk of confidence on his face, "Yeah. We know."

OK, Grenademan's mega-confused here. "HUH? Has that freak lost it or something?"

For the next and final phase...all three change course, running toward Grenademan full force...

Grenademan's laughing at them, "WHAT! ARE YOU GONNA TAKE ME ON? GO AHEAD! I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!"

"Oh, we're not gonna take you on." Gekka says.

"HUH!"

At the very last possible second...Ranma, Megaman and Gekka jump up inches away from Grenademan, who sees the Bombs heading for HIM... Bracing himself, he says, "This...is gonna hurt."

Right on!

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

After the smoke clears...Grenademan was, once again, charbroiled and smoking like a piece of barbecued chicken. He's dizzy and instead of seeing stars...grenades are circling around his head. Coming to his senses (not that he had any to begin with!), Grenademan declares, "You know what!...this...means...WAR!"

Gekka seizes the moment, and commands, "Now Ranma, while he's distracted! Go get Ran!"

"You got it." As fast as he can...Ranma reaches Ran.

She, of course, is happy to see him... "Ranma. Thank goodness you're here."

Ranma smiles at her. "No problem. Now let's get you out of this."

But a problem occurs. Grenademan had Ran bound to the Big Flash Bomb with magnetic handcuffs, so Ranma couldn't break her loose. He's struggling hard, doing his best to free her but… "Damn...I can't get them loose. Just what they are made off?"

"Please Ranma...don't give up. There's got to be a way to release this locks."

"I know. But how?"

Grenademan spots Ranma trying to free Ran... "HEY, GET AWAY FROM HER YOU FREAK, SHE'S MINE."

Ranma groans at having to deal with this idiot again. "Great."

"I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HER. NEVEEEEEEEER! GRYAAAAAAAAA!"

Madly, he begins to charge at them, throwing many punches. Megaman and Gekka are evading his wild fists...but they had to stop him from getting to Ranma and Ran. Ranma then decides to rejoin the fight. Gathering all his Ki...he releases one of his special moves. "Oh cool down will ya...KATCHU-TENSHIN-AMAGURIKEEEEEN!"

Releasing 789 punches, he hits Grenademan iron body. He feels those blows...but he doesn't budge. "You're wasting your time freakazoid. It'll take more than that to stop me! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Jumping back...Ranma charge his Ki into his hands...cups them together and goes, "Then how about this, bolts for brains...!"

Then Megaman walks right up to Ranma, charges up his Mega-Buster and points it at Grenademan. Both heroes aim their attacks at the same time.

Grenademan's in for it now. "*Gulp*… Me and my BIG mouth... Uh oh...this will hurt a little…"

Ranma and Megaman both unleash their signature attacks  
"MOUKO-TAKABISHAAAAA!"  
"MEGA-BUSTER!"

**FLASH!**

**BAMB!**

Two blasts hit Grenademan hard and send him flying away, and crashing into one of the iron supports. But still, he gets up...he's in pain, but he's up. And he's mad, too. "That...REALLY HURT!"

Suddenly...Gekka appears in front of him, freaking Grenademan out:

"ACK! HUH! How did you…!"

"Now...behold! Seikyokuken-ryu Ninpou (Holy Ultimate Fist-Style Ninja Arts) Final Attack!" Gekka grabs Grenademan...then...

He breaks his right arm…

-The X-Ray of a broken arm bone is shown.-

He then flips to the left side and breaks his left arm…

-The X-Ray of the left arm bone is broken.-

Then he kicks him in his lower left leg….

-The X-Ray of the Broken Bone of the left leg is view-

He then grabs him and jump high into the air, taking him with him, and with incredible strength, cracks his metal ribcage!

-The X-Ray of Grenademan's broken ribs is seen-

Finishing with a powerful slam...they land hard on the ground, making an explosion upon contact….

-The X-Ray of a broken skull is shown-

Leaving Grenademan upside down, half buried into the floor...Gekka jumps away afterwards, landing in a crouching position.

Ranma whistle, impressed by Gekka's technique. "Wow! That was a powerful move man. I like it!"

Megaman nods, agreeing with Ranma. "You said it. You think he's down?" then he stops, realizing, "Nah...Grenademan's too stupid to surrender."

Gekka accepts the complement, "Thank you Ranma. It was a move used by the famous Ninja Hattori Hanzo. Now let's free Ran."

Before they made their move...a small rumble occurs...next...Grenademan gets up. His head was half buried in his body...he shakes it up and pops it back into position. Now that just SOUNDS painful, doesn't it?

Megaman sighs, confirming what he'd said earlier, "Yep. Too stupid to quit."

A still-defiant Grenademan croaks, "I...I...I am...not...beaten...yet...ugn...I can...still...fight you...all!"

Gekka advises, "It is better that you quit. There is no shame in admitting defeat."

Megaman adds, "That's right. You can't go on."

Grenademan silences them both. "Shut up...I won't...allow any...of you...to take...Ran from me!"

Ranma demands to know, "Just what is it with Ran that you want her anyway? You wanted me...not her!"

Ran blushes as she explains, "Um...Ranma...remember the secret admirer I talked about?"

"Yeah I did, but why are you asking that right..."

For some weird reason... the answer hits him hard. And when it does, his eyes go wide in shock. "WAIT A MINUTE RAN! DON'T TRY TO TELL ME THAT...HE'S YOUR SECRET ADMIRER!"

An embarrassed Ran laughs, "Yeah… how about that?"

Gekka's shocked, thinking, _"WHAT! That robot likes Ran? This is most...unexpected."_

Megaman's trying to wrap his brain around he's just heard – he can't believe it. "WHAT! Grenademan likes Ran! But...GRENADEMAN LIKES SOMEONE! HOW CAN IT BE! This must be a trick of his. Since when do ANY of Wily's robots like people!"

Despite the reactions of his foes, Grenademan says, "*Cough cough*...I won't...give up, until I destroy you Ranma and you too Megaman...same as you pajama boy..."

Gekka sweatdrop's, correcting him, "These are the garments of a Ninja, not pajamas."

"Whatever...bottom line...cough cough...once you're all gone...Ran will love me. I know she will!"

He sure is stubborn, they all think. So Ran decides to talk some sense into him for the last time... "You're still going on about that!. I told you before...I can't love you...you're too different. And beside...anyone who'd kidnap me and threaten my friends, well, that's definitely not a good way to earn someone's love."

"She's right..." Gekka adds. "You must give up this crazed obsession of yours."

Grenademan refuses to hear otherwise. "No...please say it isn't so Ran. I love you."

With the heaviest of hearts, Ran tells him, "I'm sorry. But it would never work out. Just let it go."

Now Grenademan's stunned silent...the girl that he loved(?) with all his heart rejected him. He lowers his head and starts...SOBBING. Megaman cannot believe what he's seeing or hearing...

The Crazy Happy Bomber Grenademan, sobbing.

"Okay...it's official," Megaman says. "I need to get my program checked, because I think I'm starting to lose it. Grenademan sobbing...? I would have never expected to see that from him."

Ranma says likewise, "Tell me about it. A while ago he was all crazy and dangerous, and now, he's like a little boy."

However...Gekka had a terrible feeling that something bad was going to happen. _Why do I have the feeling that this is NOT good? It's like the eye of the storm. A terrible danger awaits us._

What happened next confirms his prediction...

Grenademan stops sobbing...then raise his head and glares at our heroes. No longer with tears...but with hatred burning in his eyes. "So that's how is it gonna be! I gave my love to you Ran and you crushed it up and tossed it away like a soda can. WHY...'CAUSE I'M A ROBOT HUH! WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE THINGS YOU TOLD ME WHEN I WAS G-MAN 123! ALL LIES!"

Ran admits, "No, it wasn't...but...face it. You're a robot..."

"What you're asking for is the impossible," Gekka says, reasoning with Grenademan. "You are what you are."

"And YOU…!" Grenademan glares at Ranma. "YOU WON'T DIE...! AND YOU DEFEATED ME, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE!...AND YOU COST ME MY LOVELY RAN!"

Ranma tells him, "That's right. And I'll beat you a third time if needed to save Ran from you."

And that's when things really get worse. Grenademan declares, "So be it..*sniff*...If I can't have Ran. THEN NO ONE WILL. AND YOU...TODAY YOU'LL DIE, SAME WITH YOU MEGAJERK, AND YOU TOO SAMURAI BOY!"

Next...opening a panel in his left arm, he punches some buttons on a keypad...

Suddenly...a force field surrounds the area, trapping everyone inside.

Megaman figures out what happened, "It's an electric force field. We're trapped inside!"

With a sadistic grin on his metal face, Grenademan says, "Hey Ranma...get load of this present I made just for you Hahahaha!"

CLICK!

Many lights turn on...and what they see scares them. They are many bombs mounted all around the inside of the tower...and the Big Flash Bomb is mounted in the center, where Ran is pinned to it.

With widened eyes Ranma exclaims, "MY GOD. THERE'S BOMBS ALL AROUND US! THIS IS BAD!"

"IT GETS WORSE...THAT ONE…," Megaman points at the big one where Ran's trapped, "IS A SMALL THERMONUCLEAR CHARGE!"

"What? Is he crazy or something?" Gekka asks.

"This is Grenademan we're talking about...so I say, yeah he is. 100% certified LOONY."

And Grenademan's back to his lunatic destructive self. Laughing maniacally, he says with dramatic finality, "WE WILL ALL GO BOOM! THERE'S NO ESCAPE THIS TIME RANMA, MEGAMAN, KUNG FU MAN! WE WILL ALL DIE! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"

A timer is displayed on a nearby computer terminal, In big red letters and numbers it indicates...10:00 minutes and counting before the Big Flash Bomb goes off.

Ran panics, begging, "NO...! Please Grenademan, don't do this! We don't want to die...you don't want to die!"

Grenademan snorts, turning his back to her, "Hmph...And why do YOU care huh? You don't love me."

"Please...I know that you're mad with me for not returning your feelings but...you can't force anyone to love you."

"HUH! What do you mean?"

"Listen..." Gekka explains it to him. "Forcing someone into loving you is wrong. It is the same as pointing a gun at her and demanding her. That is not true love."

Time remaining...6:00 minutes.

"But...I wanted to love Ran. She's all to me."

"Listen...what you have for her is obsession. You don't truly love her...you just want her. To truly love someone is to know her/him, to know her/his feelings. Like an wise man once said...-"I need you cause I love you is not the same as I love you cause i need you"

Time remaining...3:00 minutes.

Ran then says, "Look, I know that we can't be lovers. However...we can be friends."

Grenademan looks up. "Friends?"

Ran cheerfully goes on to say, "Yes. Friends see each other, hang out and have fun, and help each other out. We can do that, if you'll let me."

Grenademan...for some strange reason... likes the sound of that. Friends! Friends with Ran! Can it be true! "Do you mean it Ran?"

"I do, Grenademan. So please...life does not end...it can be a new beginning for you...for us...as friends, that is."

Ranma's hoping Ran's got a plan here. If she doesn't, then he's got one. As soon as that loony robot drops his guard… it's payback time, BIG time. So he's playing along, saying, "Yeah...so come on man...you don't really wanna blow us up do you?"

Gekka, being a consummate master of the Art, notices Ranma's posture as he's talking to Grenademan. Sensing the boy's intent to attack, he firmly places a hand on Ranma's shoulder, whispering, "Not so fast, boy. The girl's on to something here. It you attack now, this could blow up in all our faces (no pun intended)." Aloud, he says to Grenademan, "Indeed. As friends...we can help you."

Grenademan processes what he's heard, and makes a decision. "Yeah...friends...I...like that. YES...FRIENDS! WAHAHAHAHA!"

The impossible has just happened folks...Grenademan's convinced to change his ways; and Ran has turned him into her friend.

Ran offers, "Soooo...how's about if you let me go and stop this bomb, please...my friend?"  
Grenademan's like, "Huh? Oh yeah sure, no problem friend Ran."

-Click-

After pressing the buttons, Ran's magnetic handcuffs were loosed, the force field shuts down, and the bomb stops its deadly countdown, with 1:00 remaining on the timer. Everybody breathes a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much Grenademan," Ran genuinely says. "That was a noble thing you did."

Grenademan puts a hand behind his head in an "aw-shucks" gesture. "Weeell, that's what friends are for right? GYAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Yeah, tee hee hee!"

Megaman risks asking, "So, uh, Grenademan, does that means that, you're gonna be friends with…" He shudders at the thought "…me?"

Grenademan's unsure how to respond to his former enemy. "Don't know...maybe...perhaps…"

"You'll be Ran's friend?"

"I...sure...sure I am."

"So that means you'll also stop being a jerk and blowing things up?"

Grenademan angrily warns, "Don't push your luck Blue-boy!"

Megaman's waving his arms fast to avert another explosive situation. "Alright, alright!"

Now calm and friendly again, Grenademan says to his new friend, "Soooo...Ran. Do you promise to be my friend?"

Ran nods, "Sure, I promise."

"Pinky Swear?"

He extends his hard, and points out his little metal finger...Ran then, using her little finger too, hooks up with him. "You bet. Pinky Swear."

Watching them interact with one another, Ranma breathes a prayer of thanks, silently grateful, glad that things turned out like this. But he has a question. "Now that you're friends with Ran - (which I still can't believe) - will you continue to work for that Dr. Wily, doing evil stuff?"

Grenademan replies, "Nah...I'm thinking of quitting. It's getting a pain in the butt working for that old bat. It's always -"Grenademan blow this up, Grenademan blow that up"-, it's tiring. Maybe I'll go and find a job that fits my skills."

Gekka nods his approval. "Well said. It's never too late to change. If you fall down off your bike, you can always rise up and try again."

Grenademan just looks at this well-meaning fool in the fancy getup. "You're really WEIRD, you know that?"

Everyone laughs...it seems that it was all over now...

Or is it?

Just then, the computer went back online, and the force field again rise up...and the Big Flash Bomb's countdown started once again.

Ran yells at him, "GRENADEMAN...WHAT DID YOU DO? WHY DID YOU DO THAT!"

Grenademan blinks, equally as surprised. "I..I didn't do it, honestly. I'll shut it down."

He process to tap the buttons to shut it off...but...it didn't respond. Megaman asks him, "Grenademan, why haven't you turned it off?"

Grenademan, now worried, answers, "I...I CANT. IT WON'T RESPOND!"

"What do you mean? Why not?" Ranma angrily wants to know. Up until now, he'd though Grenademan had actually changed, but…

"IT'S BEEN OVERWRITTEN! SOMEONE SOMEHOW TOOK CONTROL OF IT! I'M LOCKED OUT!"

"But who?" Ran asks.

As if in response to that, a holographic image materializes in thin air...it's none other than Erick!

Gekka glares at his long-time adversary, thinking, _It's Erick! I should have known HE'd be behind this!_

"YOU!" Grenademan shouts at Erick.

Erick, with a serious look, addresses Grenademan to deliver the message. **_"We don't tolerate traitors, weaklings, or fools Grenademan. You've failed in your mission, and now you must pay the price for your incompetence."_**

"Hey, where have I seen him before…?" Ranma muses. Then he realizes, _Wait a minute! I remember that guy! He was there when I fought Ryoga a while back! What's he up to now?_

"HEY! WAIT UP!" Grenademan objects. "LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS!"

Erick continues, **_"The mission will carry on. You will die, along with Ran, Ranma and their friends."_** Looking over in Megaman and Gekka's direction, he flashes a knowing wink at "Gekka" (Michael Angelus), who's fuming with anger at the scheming priest. **_"So...goodbye Grenademan..and don't bother shutting it down...I've taken the liberty of overwriting your code. May death welcome you all... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"_**

With that, the hologram fades out as the countdown resumes.

1:00

0:59

0:58

0:57

Ran panics, "OH NO...IF GRENADEMAN CAN'T SHUT IT OFF, THAT MEANS WE'RE DOOMED!"

Ranma shakes his head defiantly, "NOOO... AIN'T NO WAY I'M GOING OUT LIKE THAT! THERE'S GOTTA BE AWAY."

But no matter how hard they try...the barrier would not open. Megaman fires many Mega Busters shot, Ranma launches his Fierce Tiger Balls, and Gekka's striking the barrier with many Kunais and using his sword.

Ran, paralyzed by fear, whimpers, "No...I..I don't want to die guys."

But it's Grenademan who says at that moment, "Wait...there might be a way." Next...he's opening a panel in his chest and taking out some wires, plugging them into the computer...then he taps on the keyboard like a madman. He succeeds...but only in slowing down the countdown, and opening a small hole in the barrier.

Ranma lets out a whoop of victory. "He did it guys...there's an opening!"

Grenademan orders them, "GO, NOW! I CAN ONLY SLOW DOWN THE COUNTDOWN, BUT YOU MUST LEAVE!"  
Ran asks, "But...what about you Grenademan. I can't leave you here!"  
"THERE'S NO OTHER CHOICE RAN! LEAVE ME, SAVE YOURSELF!"  
Ran's crying, "NOOO. I CAN'T DO THAT. I CAN HELP!"  
"NO YOU CAN'T! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!"  
Ran eyes are wet as she pleads, "NO, GRENADEMAN…!"  
"It's the only way Ran. It's like you said...I'm a robot. If I'm destroyed, I can always be put back together and brought back online. But you're not a robot, you're a human being. If you're destroyed, you won't be able to come back."  
"No, Grenademan, I want to help you!"

For the first time since his creation...Grenademan actually smiles at Ran. Not a wicked grin, but a warm and genuine smile. Seeing him smile like this in spite of the fact he's going to die breaks Ran's heart. He quietly says to her, "You already have Ran. You helped me to understand love...and showed me what friendship is all about. But most of all, you made me your friend. And for that...I thank you. Now please go...I can't slow it down much longer!"

With a sad heart...Ran nods and kisses his face. "Thank you so much Grenademan...my friend."

Gekka urges everyone to beat it – the clock's ticking and time's almost up. "LET'S GO PEOPLE, THE HOLE'S CLOSING!"

0:10

0:09

0:08

0:07

0:06

Running like crazy...they escape through the hole...outside...Megaman whistles for his companion Rush. Then Rush morphs into Rush Jet and takes off, carrying Ranma. White Dragon unfolds a device that looks like a cross between a kite, parachute, and hang gilder and took off after them, Ran holding on tightly to him.

Watching them escape, Grenademan sees that they made it and he's glad...

0:05

0:04

0:03

His last thought before going away is... _Heh… now that I think about it, this is how I always wanted to go… with a bang!_

Grenademan closes his eyes as he happily whispers, "Goodbye Ran...My friend."

0:02

0:01

0:00

**!**

The Small Thermonuclear Bomb went off. Grenademan sees a light shining as he's enveloped by the blast

The whole upper half of Tokyo Tower goes off in a big blast. Covering the surrounding area, its light illuminates the night.

Meanwhile in the sky…

Ran cries, affected by Grenademan's noble sacrifice. She whispers sadly, "Grenademan...*sniff*..."

But it's not over yet...for the resulting explosion releases a shock wave that shakes them all up. Rush yelps as he, Megaman, and Ranma are shaken like crazy. But Gekka and Ran don't get off so easily...the force of the shock wave is so strong that it literally knocks the wind out the ninja's gilding device; even worse, Ran loses her grip and falls. "Eek! …..!"

Ranma sees Ran taking yet another fatal plunge, but he and Megaman are too far away to come to her rescue; that powerful shockwave had really knocked them off course. All he can do is scream, "RAN! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Under his mask "Gekka" (Angelus), shouts, "NO! Ran!"

They all see Ran plummeting to her death as she's falling fast toward the ground.

Ranma's about to jump after her. Now, he's a pretty skilled fighter but he's not Superman. "RAN! NO! I'VE GOTTA SAVE HER!"

Megaman holds him back. "NO WAY! YOU'LL DIE AS WELL!"

"I DONT CARE. I GOTTA SAVE HER, LET ME GO!"

"Do not fear, Ranma. I'll go and save her." Gekka unhooks himself from his glider (! At that height? YIKES!) and goes into a screaming power dive after the falling form of Ran.

Ran sees that she's falling fast...and was scared of dying. _It seems that I'm gonna die..._ she thinks. Her last conscious thought is of Ranma and her friends. _I wanted to see more of life. Ranma, Akane, everyone, I'm sorry._

Meanwhile...Gekka's almost reached Ran, but he needs to get to her FAST... He's saying to himself through clenched teeth, "I need to save her. I need to save Ran. Hurry...NOW!"

Then he begins to shine with a golden aura…

And Ran, before passing away, sees a beautiful light...then... an angel reaching out to her...then... darkness.

* * *

Upon landing, Ranma begins searching like crazy for Ran... "RAN! RAN! RAAAAAAAAAAN! WHERE COULD SHE BE! I PRAY TO KAMI THAT SHE'S ALIVE…!"

Megaman tries to comfort his ally. "I'm sure that she's okay. We just gotta look for her."

-"Ran is fine Ranma."-

They see Gekka walking towards them, carrying Ran in his arms. Quickly, they approach him.

A greatly relived Ranma sighs, "Ran…! Thank God she's alive! Oh man, thank you for rescuing her."

They can't see it, but Gekka's smiling under his mask. "I was happy to do it," he simply says.

"So, how is she?" Megaman asks.  
"She just fainted, but she's okay. All she needs is to rest. She's all yours Ranma." The ninja gently hands her over to Ranma, after that...  
Ranma thanks him again. "Thanks once again for helping us. That was really cool of you. Don't know how to pay you, but I'll do it."

"No need Ranma. To save her is all the reward I need. Well, I must go...take good care of her. We shall meet again. Farewell, my friends." With that, Gekka vanishes in a whirlwind of leaves.

Megaman remarks, "Don't know who that guy was, but he was a real help."  
"He sure was," Ranma says. "Now let's take Ran home. I'm famished, and I could really use a rest."

* * *

**_LATER THAT EVENING, AT THE TENDOS':_**

Both the Tendo and Saotome families are worried sick - they haven't heard a word from Ranma since he'd gone to battle Grenademan.

Just when Soun was about to tell Nabiki to call to Police, there was a knock on the door. When Kasumi went to open it...to her surprise, she sees Ranma at the doorstep carrying a sleeping Ran in his arms, accompanied by Megaman.

Kasumi eyes go wide at the sight. "Oh my...Ranma...!" She happily yells out to everyone else in the house, "EVERYONE! IT'S RANMA! IT'S RANMA!"

In less than a second the whole family comes rushing into the hallway and sees him with Ran.

With tears of joy, Akane cries, "RANMA! RANMA, YOU'RE ALL RIGHT! AND YOU SAVED RAN! I… I knew you could do it."

Soun busts out with the waterworks; he's so happy. "OH RANMA. YOU'VE SAVED RAN ONCE AGAIN. LIKE A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR, WAAAAAH!"

Nodoka couldn't be more proud of her son than she is right now. "My son...I'm so happy for you. Once again, you've shown what a great and caring warrior you are. A man amount men."

Genma laughs, "HA HAAA! I HAD NO DOUBT THAT RANMA WOULD RESCUE HER! HAHA!"

Ranma quietly tells everyone, "Thanks. But I couldn't have done it without the help of some friends I'd met along the way, like Megaman here."

Soun directs his attention on Megaman as he says with gratitude, "We want to thank you from our bottom of our hearts for helping Ranma save Ran."

Megaman smiles. "No need to thank me. Happy to do it."

Akane comes close to Ranma and Ran. "So how's Ran? Is she alright?"

Ranma assures his fiancée, "She's fine Akane. She's just sleeping from all that excitement. She'll be okay in the morning. Right now, she needs to rest."

Nabiki agrees, "Right. Let's take her to her room."

Later..Ranma puts Ran in her bed. Watching her now, Ranma sees how peacefully she sleeps, as if nothing happened to her. After that, he shuts the light off and closes the door. When he comes down, he's embraced by Akane. "Oh Ranma. I was so worried for you and Ran. But...somehow, in my heart, I knew that you would win."

Ranma just says to her, accepting her praise. "Thanks, Akane, That's real nice of you." He admits, "It was a tough battle...but in the end, we won."

In the living room, Ranma sees the family having a little chat with Megaman about the battle. It lasts for a while...until Megaman has to leave. "Well, its been fun, but I gotta leave. Dr. Light's probably worried about me. But it's nice meeting you all. Right Rush?"

Rush nods enthusiastically, "Ruff, ruff! Yeah, yeah!"

Kasumi's smiling as she bids him leave. "Do come and visit us again Megaman. You'll always be welcome here."

"Thanks. I'll do that." Hopping onto Rush-Jet, Megaman flies off into the evening skies, leaving Ranma and Akane.

Watching him go, Akane says, "He was a nice guy. I like him."

Ranma feels the same way at that moment. "You're right. He is. Now let's go inside. I want to take a shower and head to bed...Man, I'm soooo tired."

The Akane approaches Ranma from behind, and in a seductive voice, asks, "Want me to come with you to wash your back Ranma!"

Ranma eeps, an extreme blush appearing on his face –his cheeks are bright red. "Ummmmmmmm...su...sure...if you don't mind!"

"Not at all Ranma. It will be my pleasure. Now let's go to the bath together."

Akane giggles when she grabs Ranma's hand and sees his shyness. Then they head inside.

* * *

**_TOKYO TOWER – 5:00 AM:_**

The destruction of Tokyo Tower had not gone unnoticed by the authorities. The police and fire departments were called in to investigate, with emergency crews on standby in case anyone needed medical attention.

Later, construction crews were on hand to clean-up the area and begin repairs to the tower. As they work, hidden among them, we see many Cat Soldiers with metal detectors scanning the area. Why...?

They were picking up many electronics parts from the ground...They were the remains of Grenademan after the explosion. So now the Cat Soldiers were looking for all his parts and upon finding them, to bring them to the base, by orders from High Priest Erick Genryusai himself.

As for why...nobody but Erick knows.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_


End file.
